Context:  A scientific committee recommended changing the koala's conservation status to protect their populations in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

• Environmentalists are welcoming the extra protection measures to stop the potential wipe-out.
• One of Australia's best known - and most loved - animals has been declared an endangered species.

About Koalas

• Once found in abundance, Australia’s much-loved koalas have now been officially classified as ‘endangered’ after widespread bushfires, drought and land clearing destroyed much of their eucalyptus-rich habitat.
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable
• According to fossil records, Koala species have inhabited parts of Australia for at least 25 million years, a WWF report states.
• But today, only one species remains — the Phascolarctos cinereus.
• They are found in the wild in the southeast and eastern sides of Australia — in coastal Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.

Threats to Koalas

• Since Europeans first settled in the region, the Koala population has faced widespread habitat loss, particularly due to agriculture and the construction of urban settlements.
• They survive on a strict diet of up to a kilogram of eucalyptus leaves every day.
• Due to the low nutritional value of these leaves, koalas tend to sleep for extended periods, often up to 18 hours a day, to conserve energy.