Tweed's koalas disappearing fast
TWEED’S koalas are disappearing at an alarming rate and their future is now “in real jeopardy”, warns an expert employed by Tweed Shire Council to write a report on the state of the iconic animals.
Ecological consultant Dr Stephen Phillips, who runs his Bio-link company from Murwillumbah and was employed last year by the organisers of Repco Rally Australia, says the council needs to act urgently to protect the remaining population.
His study coincides with development plans for townships at Cobaki Lakes west of Gold Coast Airport and Kings Forest, inland from the Salt development, where conservationists say special action must be taken to protect remaining koalas.
“All evidence points to a relatively recent escalation in the rate of range contraction and decrease in occupancy rate that now places the long-term viability of the Tweed Coast koalas in real jeopardy,” Dr Phillips said in his report.
He went on to warn that a proposed koala plan of management would need to “actively and aggressively engage population protection, management and recovery as the security for the remaining source populations is vital”.
