Read the full Queensland Conservation Council media release here
The state’s peak environmental body has called for the LNP to outline their plan to protect koalas beyond wildlife hospitals, with newly released research showing almost 75% of koalas admitted to such facilities don't survive. With a Queensland state election just days away, time is running out for the LNP to outline their plan to ensure koalas and other wildlife are protected and that our world class eco-tourism can continue ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
The LNP’s commitment to increase funding for a handful of wildlife hospitals will do very little to save the iconic species, with University of Queensland research showing that only 27% of koalas admitted are released back into the wild.
Queensland Conservation Council Nature Campaigner Natalie Frost said:
The sad truth is that when it comes to koalas, wildlife hospitals are more like palliative care than a trip to the GP.
Research from the University of Queensland shows the most common outcome for koalas going into wildlife hospitals is euthanasia, with almost 75% of koala admissions ending in euthanasia.
Wildlife hospitals are incredibly important, but they won’t save koalas alone. They are just a bandaid, while the real problem goes unaddressed.
Habitat loss is the single greatest cause driving koalas towards extinction, leading to dog attacks, car strikes and disease caused by stress.
Without urgent, decisive policies to protect and restore habitat, and reconnect fragmented landscapes, koalas are on a fast track to extinction.
Under the former LNP government deforestation rates doubled, leading to more than 500,000 hectares bulldozed in just one term of government and a doubling of koala deaths.
In our election survey, we asked all parties if they supported the Queensland Government’s Koala Protection Strategy that QCC campaigned for and won in 2020, which identifies core koala habitat and protects it from development.
The LNP didn’t answer this question in their response, so we are still in the dark about their plans to protect Queensland’s most iconic species.
Queensland Conservation Council’s plan for stronger koala protection includes:
- Developing a bioregional plan for the whole of SEQ by the end of 2025 which will set out clear conservation zones to protect and restore habitat
- Extend the Koala Protection Strategy to all Koala habitat across Queensland
- Set a target of no new extinctions
- Crack down on deforestation that destroys koala habitat