Environment Minister Sussan Ley has told Deborah Knight Australias national Koalas are now officially endangered.

Numbers are on the decline and the loss of habitat is mainly due to land clearing and disease.

The Koala has been uplisted from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’ in NSW, Queensland and ACT.

Minister Ley said, “this listing reflects the need for more priority conservation work”.

“I know that communities and groups across the country are very keen to do what they can.”

Crediting the Black Summer Bush Fires being a tipping point for the impact on Koalas, Ms Ley stated “so much key and core Koala habitat was impacted”.

The numbers have been on a decline since.

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