An Echo article about saving koalas in the Braemar State forest prompted 12-year-old Leila, from Byron Public School, to share the plight of our cute marsupial icon with her class.
As a result, Leila and her friend, Chaska, with the help of Leila’s mum, Tara, have started an online petition and have included the details of the ministers for environment and forestry, so they can see the progress of the petition.
Leila said that after hearing that koalas in NSW are now classified as an endangered species, she had to take action.
Bangalow Koalas
‘I have been raising money for a local koala group (Bangalow Koalas), and now I am raising awareness about the destruction of their habitat’, she told The Echo.
‘There is a population of koalas in NSW currently at risk of losing their homes.
‘There is a plan by the NSW government to remove over 5,000 mature koala feed trees from the Braemar State Forest.
‘The Braemar State Forest has been surveyed by the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) and found to be heavily populated by koalas.
‘Previously, logging in this area had been restricted to only allowing half of the forest area to be harvested, but the rules were changed by the Berejiklian government to allow for only five small koala feed trees per hectare to be protected.
Bushfire wiped out at least 50 per cent of the koala population
‘In 2019, there was a bushfire that devastated the area and wiped out 50–70 per cent of the koala population.
‘Every individual koala is so important and we cannot afford to lose any more,’ said Leila. ‘It is predicted that our unique koalas could be extinct by 2050. It’s not too late. We can stop this.
‘Please sign the petition and help stop the logging of the Braemar State Forest, home of our beautiful koalas.
‘Hopefully it will make an impact and help to stop the logging.’
Everyone is invited to sign the petition online: chng.it/rMfzq4SkDM.
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