Port Stephens Koalas May Lose Habitat With More Development Plans

Over the past two decades, around 1,000 koalas on the Tilligerry Peninsula have died from urbanisation-related circumstances. The current dwindling population is faced with more threats as their vast habitats have been and are continuously altered by industrial development. Environmentalists said that the threat is a major concern and that new studies need to be conducted to show the actual impacts of development on koala survival.

The Hunter Koala Preservation Society stated that cases like car collisions and animal attacks are brought about by displacement due to decline in koala habitat. Rapid woodland clearing due to drought and urbanisation have reduced food and water resources for koala populations as well. ABC News recently reported that around 30 koala deaths occur annually because of these causes. Simone Aurino, a representative from the conservation group, said that plans for forest land conversion must push through because developers use outdated statistics on the status of the koalas. Also, the 1996 research does not give a concrete picture of what is truly happening in the locality, the environment and the threatened native species.

Under state law, koalas are classified "vulnerable" species in Queensland and New South Wales, and thus, conservation plans have to be seriously integrated when making plans for further development. The Port Stephens Council is now reconsidering management programs on koala habitat. A spokesperson from the council said that there is an ongoing review of the Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management (CKPoM). Animal rescue groups have been criticising the council for non-implementation of the management plan for the threatened animals. A representative from the Department of Planning and Environment stated that such claims should be forwarded to authorities for proper investigation.