Koala (combined populations of QLD, NSW and ACT)
Phascolarctos cinereus
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Endangered
Listed since: 12/02/2022
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: 27/05/2014
Population trend: Decreasing
Other names: None
Priority Species? Yes
The Australian government's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 selected over 100 priority species derive from consultation with threatened species experts and the wider community. While all species are important, focusing on a limited number of species can help target effort and resources so that outcomes can be achieved, measured and shared.
Description
Koalas are tree-dwelling, obligate folivores (leaf eaters) with a highly specialised diet. Koalas are nocturnal and spend significant periods of time moving across the ground between food and shelter trees. Primary food species differ across habitats and may be as few as two at a particular location and research shows there are regional differences which are influenced by the chemical profiles and water content of different target food leaves.
Threats
The koala is threatened by wide-scale climate change drivers which include the increased frequency and intensity of drought and high temperatures, the increasing prevalence of weather conditions which promote bushfire, and a shrinking climatically suitable area. Koala populations are being impacted by diseases, specifically koala retrovirus and Chlamydia, human-related activities including habitat loss resulting from land clearance and mining, and mortality due to encounters with vehicles and dogs.