<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/21/global-heating-land-clearing-and-the-extinction-vortex-the-fight-to-save-australias-koalas>
"Bill Ellis thinks koalas have somehow managed a giant con on the people of the
world – one that has made them fodder for countless marketing campaigns with
their round, cartoon-like faces.
“Have you ever seen their skulls?” he asks. “They’re long and flat but yet
they’ve got this face that looks cute and cuddly with a baby nose. It appeals
to us.”
But while the sleepy, eucalypt-munching tree climber might feel ubiquitous in
the world of marketing or soft diplomacy (they’re regularly deployed into the
arms of world leaders), their futures on Australia’s east coast are looking
increasingly perilous.
Koalas are one of the few animals who have worked out how to sustain themselves
by eating eucalypt leaves. But Ellis, a researcher at the University of
Queensland who has been studying them for 35 years, says while they have few
competitors for food, they are tied to the fortunes of the trees that are being
cleared for developments.
On Friday, the New South Wales government is due to host a “koala summit” to
hear what was working and what needed to be done.
“People have realised that you can’t take it for granted that we will always
have koalas,” says Dr Stuart Blanch, a conservation scientist and forest policy
manager at WWF Australia."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
