Koalas 'Functionally Extinct' After Australia Bushfires Destroy 80% Of Their Habitat

[Lady Freedom Returns]

Trevor Nace- Senior Contributor
Nov 23, 2019,1:11 pm

As Australia experiences record-breaking drought and bushfires, koala populations have dwindled along with their habitat, leaving them “functionally extinct.”

The chairman of the Australian Koala Foundation, Deborah Tabart, estimates that over 1,000 koalas have been killed from the fires and that 80 percent of their habitat has been destroyed.

Recent bushfires, along with prolonged drought and deforestation has led to koalas becoming “functionally extinct” according to experts.

Functional extinction is when a population becomes so limited that they no longer play a significant role in their ecosystem and the population becomes no longer viable. While some individuals could produce, the limited number of koalas makes the long-term viability of the species unlikely and highly susceptible to disease.

Read more at
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2019/11/23/koalas-functionally-extinct-after-australia-bushfires-destroy-80-of-their-habitat/?utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Valerie/#76616c657269

[dewsgirl]

1. 😭😭😭

[BlancheSplanchnik]

2. 💔😭💔😭💔😭💔

[Roland99]

3. Dear gawd. :(

[KPN]

4. This is horrible news! And you know what?

This is on the oil industry and as the world’s leading producer, user and in the past 75 years the world’s overall leader, on the USA.

Mankind is losing the race to pre-emptively avoid or mitigate the acceleration and effects of global warming. And you know what? That is on the GOP and their rabid, imbecilic supporters. Fuck them all.

It strikes me that at some point perhaps not too far into the future, we — the majority — may have to decide: are we going to let them take us all down with them? It’s not about us vs them. It’s about survival of the human species — potentially within our grandchildren’s, if not children’s, lifetimes. This isn’t hyperbole.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

5. The root cause is human overpopulation.

😭

[KPN]

6. Of course. But that doesn't exonerate the players

behind global warming denial or the need to address it.

I suppose the world’s billionaires actually see that as the solution. “I’ll be safe and secure. The lowly will be exterminated but that will preserve the world and us billionaires — the human species. Win-win!”

[Roy Rolling]

7. The root cause is too many babies

Too many babies from too much love of sex and not enough love of birth control.

As long as we’re discussing the root of the overpopulation problem.

Procreating just for the fun of it is a burden on the planet in the final sense.

[Farmer-Rick]

8. Perhaps, but the immediate cause is global warming

And in every developed country, birth rates are seriously declining.

When women are allowed to make the decision about how many babies to have, they usually only have 2 or less, especially in a depressive economy.

When women were forced by social pressure, religion, high child mortality rates and lack of reliable birth control to have many children, the birth rate did go up. Today, there is a noticeably drop in birth rate in developed nations as evidenced by the aging of the general populations in developed countries.

Unfortunately in underdeveloped nations, there still exists all the road blocks to reduce population.

[rwsanders]

14. The real causes are more complex than this. The latest Sierra magazine does a great job at breaking

this one down.
If you look at the resource use per person in States vs. developing nations, we use far more resources than they do. So consumerism driven by the greed of billionaires is the real problem.
As far as population, if we were as eager to provide real assistance to other countries as we are to send them guns, population would stabilize and then decline.
Bottom line to me, we have a billionaire problem, not a population problem.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

15. The root cause is greed.

[Hortensis]

9. In the U.S., it's on all those who didn't vote or voted irresponsibly.

The oil companies did nothing without the cooperation and/or feckless indifference of millions.

But for the rest, look around. Imo, your view would be more appropriate to what I saw in the 1970s. Your own not-indifferent post of today, a micro-microscopic part of the whole, is proof that this mammoth disaster has forced change.

Reactions actually really started in the 1970s-1980s, already belatedly. President Johnson called on congress to begin the battle in 1965. Too few Democrats reacted positively, while Republicans reacted by committing to their leaders' calls to deny and oppose (of course). But in spite of that, over the decades awareness and positive reaction have been accelerating with the problems, and become global.

Of course. Reacting after problems hurt enough voters long enough and worry and anger build is the usual. Disasters are getting much bigger with population growth, though, and that's the difference, not that problems don't create reaction and force solutions.

[KPN]

11. I agree. It is in our nature as humans to procrastinate so to speak.

Aside from your statement that “your view w/b more appropriate to what you saw in the 70s”, I can’t take exception or disagree with any of that. I’m not clear on what you meant by that statement, but my views on this do in fact go back to the very early 70s. In the mid 60s, yeah I was pretty oblivious to anything that didn’t involve fun or chores.

[Thyla]

10. This is poor journalism

Based off of poor journalism back in May.
It was wrong then as it is now.

Granted in some areas Koala's really need our help and we should do more but this claim is nonsense and helps nobody.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. What is there about it that makes it nonsense?

Incorrect data that you can point us to, perhaps?

[Thyla]

13. Pretty much all of it is nonsense

But the headline of "Functionally Extinct" is the worst part.

https://www.cnet.com/news/koalas-are-not-functionally-extinct-but-they-need-our-help/

However, headlines shouting that the koala is "functionally extinct 'after' the bushfires" are potentially damaging. Exaggerated claims of the koalas decline can be debunked with a cursory Google search, undermining the trust in scientific institutions and science reporting.

Yes, the koala is under threat. Yes, climate change is having a huge impact on the cuddly icon. Yes, Australians need to do more to ensure its survival. But exaggerating claims of the species' demise in the shadow of a national disaster isn't the way forward.

There are some good links in that article.

Sure in some regions they are in more trouble than others but in states like Victoria and South Australia numbers are so high they are killing trees and running out of food. Both state governments have considered culling them to keep their numbers down. Koala's are far from being "Functionally extinct."

I mean clearly we can and should do more but there are already too many anti-environment knuckleheads out there as is and last thing we need is to give them free hits with poorly researched journalism.

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. Thank you for the information.

Solid facts are very helpful.

and welcome to DU!