Sarah Oliver
A recent $50 million package injection into the conservation of Australia’s koala population will help to improve education, habitats and health for koala’s in Moorabool and Melton.
The package is in addition to $25 million already dedicated to helping the koala population, bringing the total to $75 million for this year’s budget.
At a press conference last month, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said koalas, along with other wildlife that are threatened need care and conservation.
“What this is about is continuing to throw our arms around our koala population and care for them in the way that I believe all Australians would want us to,” Mr Morrison said.
“And that’s a window into the broader wildlife population that we need to support.”
Minister for the environment, Sussan Ley, said the extra funding was exciting.
“It’s ongoing, of course. Work in habitat restoration and building the best possible environment for our native species in the face of the pressures that are around them is vital,” she said.
Of the total amount, $20 million will go towards conserving koala’s habitats, while $10 million will help communities to take action on the ground.
The bulk of the funds will go towards treating the health of koala’s, especially chlamydia which is rampant among the koala population.
“Training local vets who may not have had the expertise in treating wildlife, particularly koalas, because they’re a very dedicated special species, and they require that special treatment,” Ms Ley said.
Nature conservationist Robert Irwin thanked the government for the support.
“They’re a very specialised creature and an animal that is unfortunately under unprecedented threat,” he said.
“As our towns and cities expands, roads expand. Koalas are having a really, really tough time and they’re pushed into areas they’ve never been before, and they…are on the thin edge of the wedge.
“And so any kind of support that we can get is greatly, greatly appreciated…and very, very needed. Our environment is suffering at the moment. And so any steps that we can make toward a brighter future to make positive change. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”
