Housing crisis could push koalas closer to extinction

Australia’s housing crisis is threatening an ancient forest in Brisbane, putting endangered koalas at risk of having their homes destroyed.

The revelation comes as Australia stands as the only wealthy developed nation ranked among the world’s worst deforestation hotspots.

Darcie Carruthers from the Australian Conservation Foundation said that while housing is a human right, it should not come at the cost of a threatened species’ habitat.

“Every Australian loves nature. They love the Aussie bush, and we’re really proud of our iconic Australian wildlife,” she said.

“But I want everyone to know that we have a major problem with deforestation in this country. Australia is actually the only wealthy, developed nation on the list of global deforestation hotspots."

Experts say building medium-density homes on existing cleared land could solve the housing shortage without driving native wildlife to extinction.

“The true question people have to ask when looking into the eyes of their children and grandchildren is how their individual choices contributed to the loss of biodiversity for future Australians,” Bond University Assistant Professor Ned Wales said. 

Watch the full story in the video above.