Australian Bushfires Cause Dramatic Decline in Koala Numbers; New South Wales May List Species as Endangered

A large number of koalas died and were burned in the New South Wales bushfires. The photo shows a burned koala receiving treatment.

An ecologist said that authorities may have underestimated the extent of the recent bushfire crisis's impact on koala populations in the north coast.

Biolink Consulting’s General Manager and Chief Scientist, Stephen Phillips, who previously surveyed areas from Forster to Ballina, 6 koala habitats, conducted a post-disaster investigation.

Since the bushfires began at the end of last year, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has commissioned an assessment of the affected area to obtain firsthand information. This investigation is now more than half complete.

Dr. Phillips said that based on the current understanding and the establishment of quantitative models, the koala mortality rate may be as high as 70%.

Experts surveyed koala habitats in Port Macquarie south.

“Therefore, the loss may be much more than we previously estimated.”

He said after surveying koala habitats in Port Macquarie south this week, he found very few signs of koalas surviving.

Meanwhile, the New South Wales government is considering whether to include koalas on the state’s list of endangered species after such a catastrophic bushfire.

Environment Minister Matt Kean said on Friday that the New South Wales Threatened Species Scientific Committee is considering whether to change the status of this marsupial population from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’.

He was asked during a parliamentary inquiry hearing whether koalas would be listed on the state’s endangered species list in 2020.