Carbon, Climate and Koalas
By: Sophia Walter
Koala habitat just disappears off the map.
When CEO of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) Deborah Tabart began her job in 1988, she never thought she would be engaging in the world of global warming. But new data is showing that the role of koalas in the climate change debate could be much more relevant than anyone had previously thought.
Recent findings by the Australian National University show that the Eucalypt forests of Australia are some of the richest carbon sinks in the world. The greater the size and density of these koala food trees and the forests they are found in, the greater the carbon sink and the more carbon dioxide that is absorbed.
In other words, saving koala habitat potentially means slowing global warming.
“Under the Kyoto Protocol, existing forests have no worth despite the fact that they are the most valuable carbon sinks in the world,” said Ms Tabart.
“Carbon trading basically means funds only flow to reforestation or afforestation, meanwhile in Australia, the most valuable trees are getting chopped down faster than ever. No wonder so many countries signed up to the Kyoto Protocol – they can continue to log their own forests with impunity.”
“Enormous amounts of carbon on the east coast of Australia should be protected to restore the natural balance of the planet, protecting koala habitat means saving the world’s biodiversity and slowing climate change,” said Ms Tabart.
The AKF’s world-renowned Koala Habitat Atlas identifies, maps and ranks koala habitat in order to inform and guide decision makers and planners about habitat conservation and sensitive land management.
This mapping system is used by both the New South Wales and Victorian governments as an accurate representation of koala habitat. The Queensland government however is yet to adopt the Koala Habitat Atlas, preferring to spend money on developing another mapping methodology.
The Queensland government’s methodology records koala sightings rather than habitat to create a dataset. AKF scientist Dr Douglas Kerlin sees this as an inaccurate formula that disguises the location of healthy habitats.
“Koalas are tree dwelling and occur over low densities, they are extremely difficult to observe,” Dr Kerlin said.
“Koala habitat just disappears off the map.”
Sunshine Coast Environment Council manager Narelle McCarthy has had reports of koala habitat simply disappearing off Government maps, even those identified using the new methodology, in Caloundra regions earmarked for development.
“Accurate mapping is not reflected in the Southeast Queensland Regional Plan which means it won’t trigger legislative protection when development moves into these vital koala areas,” Ms McCarthy said.
Ms Tabart is also concerned about the implications of assuming areas of habitat are devoid of koalas using the koala sightings methodology.
“When you declare koala habitat to be empty, you open the door for land clearing and development. For instance on the Sunshine Coast, good koala habitat that is now empty has no chance of protection under this mapping methodology. It is ridiculous,” Ms Tabart said.
“We have to ask: Why is the Queensland government creating a new methodology when a sophisticated, well-tested and far more accurate methodology is already on hand?”
“The Koala Habitat Atlas maps all biodiversity irrespective of land tenure. I think this scares the Queensland government and explains why they manipulate and create new methodologies intended to confuse and sanitise the land.”
The Sunshine Coast’s koalas are just the beginning of Ms Tabart’s concerns. If the new Queensland mapping methodology goes on to be adopted as the national mapping standard for the National Koala Conservation Strategy, she fears koala protection will be impossible.
“Habitats falsely deemed ‘empty’ and areas capable of recovery, will be ignored.”
The AKF is now calling on the Federal government to assign the Southeast Queensland Koala Coast koala population with ‘Critically Endangered’ status.
To join the Australian Koala Foundation’s new group, Koala Campaigners, and let your voice be heard on the issue of koala conservation, visit their website. Australian Koala Foundation.
Related articles:
- Koalas at risk
- Research to save koalas
- Wildlife: a changing climate is not their only concern
- It’s time … for a real climate policy
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