Koalas or Coal Mines
How the federal government can help save Australia’s most iconic species
A report by Koalas not Coal – an alliance of climate advocacy and nature conservation groups:
The original “Koalas or Coal Mines” report was released in August 2024. Since then, the federal government has approved 12 new coal projects and there are more than 30 new coal projects awaiting a decision.
Hence, it was timely to update the report with up-to-date information about the threats of coal mines on our endangered koalas.
The results again highlight the shocking scale of planned koala habitat destruction by new coal mining projects at the moment.
Some of the report’s key findings
The Albanese government has approved 12 new coal mining projects since 2022. Four of these will result in the clearing of over 1,790ha of koala habitat.
There are now 30 proposed coal mines – 23 of which will impact on koala habitat. If these are approved, they will clear a total of 10,287 ha of koala habitat.
Over 9,6800ha of this clearing will be here in Central Queensland 😢.
The 23 proposed coal mines over koala habitat would be also be responsible for at least 7.5 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more climate pollution than Australia emitted over the last decade! (approximately 5.195 billion tonnes of CO₂).
Key recommendations of the Koalas or Coal report
- Reject approvals for new and expanding coal mines that impact koalas and other threatened species, to address the threat of extinction from habitat destruction and climate change;
- Put in place an immediate moratorium on the clearing of any further koala habitat for coal projects and review environmental approvals of projects approved to impact on koala habitat in the last two years;
- End the reliance on biodiversity offsets that enable destruction of critical koala and other threatened species habitat, such as the greater glider;
- Commit to a rapid phase out of fossil fuels, to safeguard endangered species like the koala from the devastating impacts of climate collapse;
- Enact strong new nature laws that effectively protect threatened species and their habitat as well as comprehensively assess the climate impacts of proposed projects. Climate change, fuelled by coal and gas projects approved under the current Act, is a key threat to Australia’s wildlife and habitat.
Mapping Koala Habitat Disturbance in the Bowen Basin Queensland
A research report prepared by the Koala Research Team, CQUniversity, Rockhampton
We commissioned this research to provide us to help us better understand the cumulative impacts of new and expanding coal mines on our iconic, and highly threatened koala population here in Central Queensland.
The report provided us with an assessment of the impacts of coal mining and climate change on koalas and koala habitat, and the future threats on koala populations with the continuing pproval of new and expanding coal mines in the Bowen Basin.
Some of the report’s key findings
- Central Queensland is home to about one fifth of Queensland’s koala population making it a very important area for koala conservation.
- There are 42,500 hectares of koala habitat within the 123,000 hectares of proposed new coal mining leases in Central Queensland.
- The report identified that Central Queensland’s declining koala population is directly threatened by habitat loss from coal mines but is also facing severe threats from climate change, heat waves and droughts made worse due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal.
EnvA - CQ 