Environmental journalist and activist Susan Arnold has told Buzz that Australia is ‘desperate’ for aid to save the country’s indigenous animals.
Susan is from New South Wales and is calling on her government to do more in order to save the koala.
She said ‘no rehabilitation efforts’ have been implemented by the Australian government despite the devastating affects of the Black Summer bushfires that swept the area one year ago.
A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report states that more than 60,000 koala bears were killed in last year’s fires, with one of the worst affected areas being Kangaroo Island.
Watch Mike Gillett’s full interview with Susan:
G Henshaw is the director of Living with Koalas, an action group that is dedicated to the regeneration and conservation of the wild koala population.
G told Buzz: “When wildfires go through a koala habitat it effectively makes the species locally extinct – and they will never come back unless koalas are re-introduced once the habitat has been recovered.
“So, along with koala habitats lost to housing, logging, farming and industry and disease it is an uphill battle and most experts are now saying that koalas will be extinct in the wild by 2050.”
The group’s director beleives that the regeneration of woodland is key to protecting the species.
He said: “There needs to be more tree planting in existing and recent koala habitat.
“Rewilding Australia with native eucalypts will help many species and humans by providing food for koalas, home for many species, bees love eucalyptus flowers, shade for farm animals and carbon storage and helping to reduce global warming.”
What are your thoughts? Let us know on our social media pages with #ClimateAction
Charities urge the government to take action against bed poverty