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Koala conservation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Koala conservation organisations, programs and government legislation are concerned with the declining population of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), a well known Australian marsupial found in gum trees. The Australian government declared the species as endangered by extinction in 2022.
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While the koala was previously classified as Least Concern on the Red List, it was uplisted to Vulnerable in 2016.[1] Australian policy makers declined a 2009 proposal to include the koala in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.[2] In 2012, the Australian government listed koala populations in Queensland and New South Wales as Vulnerable, because of a 40% population decline in the former and a 33% decline in the latter. A 2017 WWF report found a 53% decline per generation in Queensland, and a 26% decline in New South Wales.[3] Populations in Victoria and South Australia appear to be abundant; however, the Australian Koala Foundation argues that the exclusion of Victorian populations from protective measures is based on a misconception that the total koala population is 200,000, whereas they believe it is probably less than 100,000.[4]