Koalaen in Australia were reported as “functionally extinct” by the organization after bushbrande. It rejects the researchers.
Several australian researchers reject the koalaen should be functionally extinct as a species.
Many media, including Ritzaus Bureau, quoted in the last week Australia’s Koalafond to join the australian koala “functionally extinct” – not least because of the many fires that ravage eastern Australia for the time being.
Now, several u.s. media, including The New York Times and National Geographic, that it is not correct.
It says, among other things Diana Fisher, who is a researcher in biology at the University of Queensland.
the Fires have turned many koalas to death, but not enough to change their status as art, says Diana Fisher for National Geographic.
Koalaen according to National Geographic status as “vulnerable to extinction”, which is the level higher than the “at risk”.
– Koalaen is threatened in some areas of its habitat, but not in others, says Diana Fisher.
It elaborates Christine Adams-Hosking, who also is a researcher at the University of Queensland.
– For some groups of koalas, which is located in brandzonerne, particularly in the state of New South Wales, it has been disastrous. Here is a third of the koalaerne may be dead.
Chris Johnson, a researcher in the conservation of wildlife at the University of Tasmania, points out that the koalas living in the southern state of Victoria, Sahabet have not been affected by the fires.
Functionally extinct means that the species ‘ population has become so small that it no longer plays any vital role in the ecosystem and can no longer produce future generations.
the devastating fires have ravaged Australia’s bush in recent weeks.
It was the president of Australia’s Koalafond (AKF), Deborah Tabart, to say – according to the american media Forbes to 1000 koalas were killed and over 80 percent of their habitat equivalent to about 2.5 million hectares of forest was destroyed.
It was given in combination with state skovudryddelse AKF to report koalaen “functionally extinct”.
for National Geographic points Diana Fisher on that koalaen has over 100 million hectares of forest to live in all over the Australia.
Christine Adams-Hosking says that it is possible that local groups of koalas in the long term, it will no longer be able to maintain their species, but that it is too early to say anything about.
The latest figures from 2016, according to National Geographic, there are about 329.000 koalas back into the wild. This is a decrease of 24 percent over the past three generations for the species.
According to Christine Adams-Hosking it is very difficult to measure the number, but the fall is critical.
– It does not look good for koalaen. As long as there is political will – which there has not been – will it not be better for koalaerne, says Adams-Hosking.
/ritzau/