Queensland’s natural environment is rich and diverse, with over 700 species found nowhere else in the world.
The koala is internationally, one of the most iconic. Cuddled by celebrities, politicians and tourists, loved by children in books, film and toys. We cannot imagine them no longer part of our lives.
And yet, Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinction in the world. More than 1,000 species in Queensland are now classified as threatened, including the koala. Queensland has the record of being one of the worst land clearing areas in Australia and internationally.
Koalas could become extinct by as early as 2050.
Koalas need high density eucalypt food trees growing on good soil alongside water courses. They need to eat about half a kilo of leaves daily and obtain most of their water from them.
They are generally solitary animals, sleeping up to 20 hours per day due to the energy required to digest their diet of leaves.
They also need a network of interconnected home ranges which allow contact with other koalas for mating and maintaining a healthy genetic diversity. They also need tall and established trees to escape fire and to find coolness at night due to the heat they generate during the day digesting their food.
Koala extinctions are due to clearing and fragmentation of eucalypt forests for housing and agriculture.
Deforestation results in koalas spending more time moving from tree to tree, becoming more vulnerable to dog attacks, being hit by cars and becoming stressed and open to disease.
A hundred years ago, koalas were shot in their millions for the fur trade. They survived that. Now they are critically threatened by two massive forces: deforestation and climate change.
Ipswich City Council must not add to the threats faced by our natural environment by allowing the development of Springview Forest. The koala is the iconic and much loved representative of it all. We should be securing and protecting long term survival, not destroying it.
New and visionary approaches for development are urgently required. Council leadership and courage must find the means necessary to turn Springview Forest into a public asset.
Create a permanent forest for wildlife and for those of us who value them.
- VAL WHEATLEY, Ipswich