[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Major foreign media reported on the 4th (local time) that the Australian government plans to preserve at least 30% of its land to protect flora and fauna.
Australia's Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek issued a statement on the day, saying, "The need to take action to protect Australia's flora, fauna, and ecosystems has become greater than ever," and announced plans to preserve at least 30% of the land for species protection. Minister Plibersek added that 110 species and 20 areas have been designated as priority protection targets.
The Australian Labor Party government, which won the general election in May and regained power after nine years, previously announced plans to invest AUD 224.5 million to protect flora and fauna.
Australia has the sixth largest land area in the world and is famous for its diverse flora and fauna that cannot be found in other regions.
However, according to a government report released in July, Australia has experienced the greatest decline in mammal species among major countries worldwide. The report at the time showed that the number of endangered species increased by 8% compared to the 2016 report.
The koala, a symbol of Australia, was also designated as an endangered species in February. Experts estimate that the koala population in Australia has decreased by about 30% over the past four years. This is due to habitat loss caused by development projects as well as frequent extreme weather events in Australia due to recent climate change. In Australia, wildfires in 2019-2020 burned an area half the size of Germany. Koalas living in the wild, not bred in captivity, can only be found in Australia.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) welcomed the Australian government's measures but advised that, since there are over 1,900 endangered species in Australia, additional measures are needed to protect endangered species other than the 110 species designated as priority protection targets.
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