Saving Australia’s National Icon, the Koala
Determining the conservation status of an animal species is a complicated process, and creating policies to address population decline is even more difficult. This challenge is evident in Australia, where government bodies have long struggled to assess the conversation status of one of the country’s most well-known animals, the koala. In 2011, the Australian Senate conducted an inquiry into the status of the koala and ultimately listed them as vulnerable in the northern and eastern parts of their range, meaning that koalas in these regions are headed toward extinction unless action is taken. The inquiry and subsequent report also included recommendations for a nation-wide koala conservation and management strategy.
This article, published in Environmental Science & Policy, provides an ecological analysis of the senate’s report. While the authors commend the report for raising public awareness and seeking a wide range of viewpoints, they also find fault with both the methods used to conduct the inquiry and the content and scope of its recommendations. The article argues that the government report relied primarily on voluntary information from concerned citizens and organizations. They believe this means many of the report’s recommendations are biased towards current problems and solutions relating to particular areas. They note that the report fails to mention several significant threats faced by koalas (such as fire, drought, and mining) and does not delve into historical issues or possible long-term future trajectories. They also argue that the report focuses too much on actions that can be taken by the Commonwealth government instead of by state and local government, and that many of the recommendations do not provide comprehensive plans of action encompassing factors such as funding, monitoring, and reporting.
As the authors conclude, “the Senate Committee’s report of its 2011 inquiry into the koala was a major, but inaccurate achievement that needs to be viewed ecologically to avoid poor policy and inefficient actions following from its findings.” They recommend that future inquiries commission both an independent scientific study based on long-term, comprehensive ecological considerations, and an economic analysis to determine how funds can be allocated for maximum impact.