The legislation is based on the Bald Eagle Act in the U. Saving their habitat is," AKF said. Caitlin O'Kane. Please enter email address to continue. Please enter valid email address to continue. Chrome Safari Continue.
The once-thriving marsupial has been ravaged by habitat loss, disease and climatic events in recent years. About 5, koalas are thought to have died in devastating recent bushfires, the report to state parliament said. It urged lawmakers to ensure that remaining populations did not perish in rapidly diminishing habitats. The inquiry, by a cross-party committee, found pre-bushfire estimates that koalas numbered 36, in NSW were now outdated.
The logging and fracturing of other koala areas has also been detrimental to their survival, according to the year-long investigation. Koalas are more likely to be hit by cars if their habitat is fragmented by roads and they're forced to travel between patches for food.
They're more likely to encounter dogs when the urban environment encroaches on their space. And they're more susceptible to diseases like chlamydia when they're stressed. Climate change and more intense bushfire and drought are another cause of koala decline, especially in inland areas where summer temperatures are becoming more severe, Dr Hosking said.
Expanding habitat and connectivity provides resilience against bushfire and means populations can re-establish from unburnt patches. And though it can only go a small way to combatting climate change, more trees also means more carbon drawdown. While addressing climate change is a long-term challenge, there is some more promising news when it comes to addressing chlamydia. Although chlamydia was already in the koala population when Europeans arrived, we've probably made it worse, according to Professor Timms.
But at least one vaccine is almost ready to be rolled out, according to Professor Timms. His lab at USC has developed a single shot vaccine over the past 10 years, with "very promising" results.
In six out of seven koalas it actually reversed the disease and they could be released back into the wild without using antibiotics, which can have serious side effects," he said.
It also appears to prevent disease in infected animals before they start showing symptoms, he added. I'm pretty keen now to move this out of the lab and into the real world," Professor Timms said. While restoring and protecting habitat is essential to the long-term survival of koalas, a vaccine could help buy us time.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. First of all: are koalas really at risk of extinction or is that a beat-up? Koalas may be unbearably cute, but they're not as cuddly as they look. Busting the myths: How to help wildlife in bushfire and drought-affected areas.
Ross Garnaut's climate change prediction is coming true and experts warn it's going to cost the nation billions. More on:. News in Language. Government releases its modelling underpinning the net zero emissions target. Perth Airport 'missed the mark' in move to recognise traditional owners on boarding gates.
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