translated from Spanish: In Australia they declare that koalas are “functionally extinct”

According to the information of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) There are currently no more than 80,000 individuals in this country, so it enters the category of “functionally extinct”, a situation requiring a Protection Act. The NGO indicated, by means of a statement that, “this figure is approximately one percent of the eight million koalas who were gunned down by their skin and shipped to London between 1890 and 1927.” Deborah Tabart ATO, president of AKF, tweeted that she had already asked Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to enact the Koala Protection Act. With the measure they seek the protection of the trees where this species lives, because the loss of the Territory is the main factor for the extinction of the animal. According to the NGO in the last decade the koalas have completely extinguished in 41 of the 128 districts of Australia and since the 2012 the government has commissioned to design strategies to reduce their marketing, disappearance and death, but they have not been entirely effective. ” The new Australian government could quickly enact the Koala Protection Act. Both sides say they want to protect the environment. A good way to start would be to protect the forests inhabited by the koalas, which cover 20% of our territory, “the NGO declared. The declaration of “functionally extinct” refers to a species whose population declined to the point where it cannot play an important role in its ecosystem. In the case of koalas, they play an important role in the health of Eucalyptus forests, because they help to eat the upper leaves. In addition, the excrement of this animal contributes to an important recycling of nutrients. It is important to take the necessary measures to preserve this species, because if the population falls below a critical point, it can mean extinction.

Original source in Spanish