Australia’s koala is at risk of extinction in NSW.
IT’S AN EMERGENCY. The NSW Government has recently agreed on a policy to remove vital koala habitat protection, clearing the way for the destruction of their homes.
This will threaten the future of koalas in NSW. At least 3.2 million hectares of koala habitat on rural lands will be impacted. WWF scientists estimate more than 21,000 koalas are at risk, based on the best publicly available statewide data.
The NSW Government are currently deciding to either pass stronger laws to protect koala habitat on rural lands, or allow more to be bulldozed and logged.
This is a critical moment to have our voices heard so we need to show that people want to save koalas in NSW.
Even before the catastrophic bushfires of 2019-20, koalas were heading towards extinction by 2050. Excessive deforestation has severely destroyed their habitat, leaving them with nowhere to go.
The devastating bushfires have only pushed them closer to the brink. Scientists estimate that nearly 8,000 koalas were impacted by the bushfires that scorched 25% of koala habitat in the eastern NSW. With their numbers already dwindling, this was a huge loss.
Yet even despite the bushfires, the NSW Government is set to go ahead and remove what little legal protections remain for our precious koala habitat.
Environment and Energy Minister Matt Kean, Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall and Deputy Premier John Barilaro have publicly called to double koala numbers in NSW by 2050, but actions speak louder than words. We support this goal and must hold them accountable.
Time is running out to send an urgent message to the NSW Government and demand stronger protections and robust laws to ensure a future for koalas. If we don’t act now, we could lose koalas in NSW forever. Sign now, before it’s too late.