On the AKF website we have a section called “The Nonsense Files”. In these files you will find articles about why the current system is failing to protect the Koala and why a Koala Protection Act is needed so urgently. We are setting the record straight on all matters Koala!
One recent entry looked at the potential impacts of the new Pacific Highway by-pass of Ballina on Koalas in northern NSW:
NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) released their Ballina Koala Management Plan on February 17, 2016.
The development of a Koala Plan was a condition imposed by the Federal Government (the Koala is a Federally-listed Threatened Species in NSW) before work could proceed on the upgrades to the Pacific Highway.
A key requirement was an analysis that estimated births, deaths and migration into and out of the population and predicted the status of the Ballina Koala population over the next 50 years with and without the road.
The analysis suggests that the population is already in decline, but ironically if the road is built, the population will apparently persist. How? Because the new road will miraculously be able to improve births by 20% and reduce Koala deaths by 20% (as suggested by the Koala Plan). Can the AKF truly believe that building the road will achieve this?