In early February, Friends of the Earth was appalled by yet another koala massacre in the south west of the State.
A visit to the region last month confirmed our worst fears; Koalas that survive plantation logging are now facing starvation and are on the move across the landscape.
In order to get people to better understand some of the dynamics occurring in translocated koala populations, Friends of the Earth has has produced this short video.
We hope this provides a better insight into the disaster unfolding in the South West.
The koala crisis is not new.
Over 6 years ago media reported widespread koala injuries and death during plantation logging. In 2014, Friends of the Earth and the German based ENGO Rainforest Rescue presented the State Government with a petition with 80,000 signatures, from people around the world alarmed at the koala crisis in the states south west.
Friends of the Earth alerted global media to the problem again in 2015 after a koala was filmed in a tree as it was being cut down by a bluegum plantation company. The issue then was kept out of the media by a secretive plantation industry.
Solutions to this problem are complex to resolve.
Send a message to Premier Daniel Andrews, calling on him for urgent Koala protections.
The crux of the problem is that populations of translocated koalas have the capacity to increase in size very quickly, particularly when hundreds of thousands of hectares of koala feed 'bluegum plantations' are established.
The translocated animals do not have pathogens that occur in wild populations. Nor do they have the genetic diversity of non-translocated animals.
Make a donation today to ensure we can continue to stand up for the welfare koalas in Victoria.
We also continue our work in the Strzelecki Ranges. This year we have already conducted 56 surveys mapping the only genetically diverse koala population in Victoria and South Australia.
Can you help us get to 200 surveys?