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NEWS RELEASE
Conservationists Applaud Move to Protect Koalas in Wake of Catastrophic Wildfires
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Highlighting the Importance of Community Collaboration to Protecting Key Australian Species
SAN DIEGO (Feb. 14, 2022) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance conservationists applaud the Australian government in declaring the koala an endangered species in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Koala populations in these areas have continued to show declines over the last decade. The situation reached a critical point due to losses experienced during the catastrophic mega-fires experienced on the continent in 2020.
“The announcement yesterday (Feb. 11, 2022) that government officials have protections for this species is a welcomed one,” said Nadine Lamberski, D.V.M, chief conservation and wildlife health officer, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “In 2018 many conservationists were expressing concern that koalas would go extinct by 2050 due to loss of habitat from human activities. We were hopeful the koala populations would not decline as additional protected areas in the Blue Mountains were being managed. However, the recent wildfires show us that climate change is going to intensify the threats facing all Australian wildlife.”
In early 2020, mega-fires raced through the Blue Mountains heritage site, devastating the protected areas and threatening these important koala populations. Despite ongoing work by conservationists in the field, the habitat still needs a lot of work to be able to support koala and other wildlife populations in the future.
“Almost 82 percent of the protected areas in the Blue Mountains was affected by the brushfires” said Kellie Leigh, Ph.D., executive director of Science for Wildlife and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance-supported conservationist. “Prior to the bushfires we had identified five sites as important koala habitat - four of these burned in 2020. We experienced first-hand the devastation experienced by koalas during these bushfires.” Leigh added, “During and immediately following the fires, our priority became the rescue and care of injured koalas. In an effort to conserve some of the newly uncovered koala populations, we undertook the first emergency evacuation of koalas before fire approached, taking them to Taronga Zoo as a safe haven until we could safely release them back into the wild.”
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance experts, Dr. Kellie Leigh and Dr. Bill Ellis have both presented data to Australian government officials showing the critical status of koala populations. Reports were submitted to both Queensland and Australian Commonwealth Governments as far back as 2009 that the koala was in danger and should be listed as endangered.
“The decline of koala populations in some of their previous strongholds in the southeast of the state (of Queensland) is particularly concerning, because this is also where some of the strongest efforts to protect their habitat have been initiated and where most public support is concentrated,” said Dr. Bill Ellis, head of the University of Queensland’s Koala Ecology Group. “Our surveys indicate that koalas have disappeared or now only persist as isolated, low-density populations across areas of their former range along coastal and inland Queensland. Unless we protect and re-connect their habitat and support these populations, they are indeed in danger of extinction.”
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has a tradition of collaborating closely with colleagues and communities in Australia to conserve unique species like the koala.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance acknowledges and pays our respects to the traditional custodians of the land that our conservationists live and work on, the Gundungurra and Darug people, and to their elders past, present and emerging. We also recognize the original stewardship of the Aboriginal Nations of Australia with regards to koalas.
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About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nonprofit international conservation leader, committed to inspiring a passion for nature and creating a world where all life thrives. The Alliance empowers people from around the globe to support their mission to conserve wildlife through innovation and partnerships. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supports cutting-edge conservation and brings the stories of their work back to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park—giving millions of guests, in person and virtually, the opportunity to experience conservation in action. The work of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance extends from San Diego to strategic and regional conservation “hubs” across the globe, where their strengths—including the renowned Wildlife Biodiversity Bank—are able to effectively align with hundreds of regional partners to improve outcomes for wildlife in more coordinated efforts. By leveraging these tools in wildlife care and conservation science, and through collaboration with hundreds of partners, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has reintroduced more than 44 endangered species to native habitats. Each year, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s work reaches over 1 billion people in 150 countries via news media, social media, their websites, educational resources and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television programming, which is in children’s hospitals in 13 countries. Success is made possible by the support of members, donors and guests to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, who are Wildlife Allies committed to ensuring all life thrives.