7,000 notes later, consider a counterpoint:
https://www.cnet.com/news/koalas-are-not-functionally-extinct-but-they-need-our-help/
A number of recent headlines suggest the bushfires destroyed up to 80% of the koalaās habitat, rendering the species āfunctionally extinct.ā This has elicited a visceral response online, with articles shared far and wide across social media. And that makes sense: The koala is a beloved species inherently tied to the Australian identity, and its decline speaks directly to failures in combating climate change. The species is an innocent bystander quite literally in the line of fire because of human inaction.
But the (somewhat) good news is that they actually arenāt āfunctionally extinctā and that the bushfires didnāt push them to the brink. The idea the species was in danger was broached long before bushfires began to slither across the country.
Thereās no doubt koalas are in danger of disappearing for good. Population numbers have declined dramatically in the last century. The recent spate of bushfires play a role this decrease, but the bigger story is much more grim. Hunting, during the 1920s, killed hundreds of thousands of koalas. Urbanization has cut populations off from one another, lowering their genetic diversity and making them more prone to diseases like chlamydia. Habitat clearing has removed their food source.
However, headlines shouting that the koala is āfunctionally extinct āafterā the bushfiresā 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.
In addition, the AKF has made it clear that its definition of āfunctionally extinctā means the species is ābeyond the point of recoveryā and suggests the koala is doomed. For some, that may be a call to arms. For others, it could be a sign that we tried but now we might as well give up. Social media is already grieving the dead. It also undermines the work of conservation biologists trying to save the species.
The news I linked yesterday had a time stamp of yesterday, so of course I assumed the initial warning was contemporaneous and a consequence of the recent bushfires. Doesnāt seem to be the case.
The charismatic fauna is in dire trouble, but not from that specifically, and as mentioned, grieving halts work.
Iāll be more careful in the future.
