How to protect koalas

The koala is officially an endangered species in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT.

This came days after the government announced $50 million for koala ‘protection and recovery’ in February 2022.

While funding for animal protection is always welcome, it’s essentially a band-aid for the big problems facing koalas: habitat destruction, poor legal protection and climate change.

Let’s look at the actions a switched-on government must take to stop the extinction of Australia’s most iconic and adored animals.

To protect koalas, we need to stop destroying their homes

New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory koala populations were classified as endangered by the Australian Government on 11 February 2022.

Yet last year alone, the Morrison Government approved projects that would wipe out more than 800 hectares of koala habitat to make way for mines, roads and new homes.

Since the koala was first declared vulnerable to extinction in 2012, the area of habitat approved for clearing has increased year on year.

Altogether, new research by ACF reveals the federal government has approved the clearing of more than 25,000 hectares of koala habitat – the equivalent of 500,000 average housing blocks – over the past decade.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Hidden destruction

In Australia, land clearing for agriculture is rarely reviewed under the national environment law, while native forest logging is exempt from these laws altogether.

This means the true extent of koala habitat loss is likely far greater than what’s on record.

In 2020, research by ACF showed the size of koala habitat actually cleared in a five-year period was ten times as much as what was approved.

Koala extinction “entirely avoidable”

ACF Nature Campaign Manager Basha Stasak says the extinction of koalas is “entirely avoidable if we protect the habitat they need to survive".

Here are three actions our government can — and must — take to protect the koala.

1. Stop clearing habitat

“The first thing federal and state governments should do for koalas is immediately stop approving the destruction of their homes for commercial projects,” says Basha.

“The federal government has just promised $50 million for koalas, but at the same time it continues to knowingly approve the clearing of koala habitat for mines, roads and housing estates,” she says.

“If we want our grandchildren to see koalas in the wild, governments must stop approving the bulldozing of their homes for mines and new housing estates."

“If we want our grandchildren to see koalas in the wild, governments must stop approving the bulldozing of their homes for mines and new housing estates."

2. Create strong laws

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) is the central piece of Australia’s environmental protection framework. It’s meant to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the places and wildlife we love.

If an important ecosystem or species is vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered, the law is meant to guide its recovery and protect it from threats like mining, logging and urban sprawl.

But multiple official independent reports have found the EPBC Act is failing to protect nature. In his review published last year, Professor Graeme Samuel said the law is “ineffective” and recommended “a complete overhaul”.

“Australia’s national environment laws are so weak they have done little to stem the ongoing destruction of koala habitat – especially in Queensland and NSW – since the species was declared vulnerable a decade ago,” Basha says.

“Government must introduce strong national environmental laws and an independent regulator to enforce them.”

3. Stop climate pollution

Just like us, koalas are under threat from climate damage, fuelled by digging up and burning coal and gas.

Climate pollution is warming our world and harming our habitats – increasing the frequency and severity of bushfires, fuelling drought and extreme weather events, and altering weather patterns.

During Australia’s black summer, billions of animals perished in Australia’s worst-ever bushfire disaster. This included countless koalas.

To protect nature — and our future — we need to protect our climate. This means cutting Australia’s climate pollution by more than half this decade.

We already have the solutions we need at our fingertips. If we act now, we can not only protect koalas and other much-loved animals, but create a safe and healthy future for people too.

Join people across Australia raising their voices for Climate Action Now.

Koalas are an endangered species in NSW, the ACT and Queensland

New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory koala populations were classified as endangered by the Australian Government on 11 February 2022.

They were previously listed as a ‘vulnerable’ species in 2012. A recovery plan for the koala is now five years overdue. 

Queensland and New South Wales still consider koalas as vulnerable under their laws, although a NSW parliamentary committee found the species would become extinct by 2050 without immediate action to address its population decline.

Koala populations in the rest of Australia are not currently considered threatened.

ACF investigates

ACF's recent koala research is part of a wider investigation that our team is busy working on.

The full investigation will uncover the level of threatened species habitat clearing approved under the EPBC Act. It will highlight the animals most threatened by habitat destruction, and reveal more stories of iconic animals at risk – just like the koala.

Learn more about our investigations work.

More koala stories:

• Trading habitat for a harbour: The future of Toondah Harbour’s koalas
• It takes a village: How a koala population survived fire because of the community around them.

Header image: Doug Gimesy