Tag: koalas

Koala: Phascolarctos cinereus. Status: Endemic to Eastern Australia. Endangered in NSW, QLD & ACT.

Koalas are shy marsupials living in eucalyptus forests. They are fussy eaters with favourite trees and particular leaves they prefer to eat. Koalas are at home in the treetops, able to leap from tree to tree, they are safest when hidden in the canopy. Koalas need to keep moving to find suitable trees, water, and a mate. During fire koalas may flee or perish while climbing out of deadly heat and smoke. 

Koalas were once widespread across eastern Australia, but half their forest has been cleared since settlement. Numbers have dropped alarmingly in recent decades with continuing deforestation and increasing habitat fragmentation. Climate change represents a significant ongoing threat. Broad-scale drought and fire  kill large numbers of koalas and lack of habitat connectivity prevents repopulation by surviving koalas. The Australian Government declared koalas endangered across most of their range in 2023. The NSW Government advised that koalas are likely  be extinct by 2050 without urgent  action taken to protect them. 

Governments hope to avoid the extinction of endangered biodiversity by developing an offset market, where developers pay dispensation for destroying natural areas. Fees known as “credits”, are assessed by the developer following formulas based on vegetation types. The monetary value of credits can be paid to the government Biodiversity Conservation Trust. Funds are used to employ ecologists who attempt to compensate for destroyed natural areas by adding benefit in other areas. It is also possible to buy species credits from another landholder who promises to protect biodiversity. Government has set up a market to buy and sell credits, the species credit price varies according to supply and demand. All offset schemes begin with habitat destruction but claim to deliver positive outcomes. 

This pair of prints is stamped with the Double Dagger seal; artists working in collaboration illustrating environmental themes. 

Joanna Bradley carved the joey print using 2 lino blocks, Sakura black on Shioji kozo washi. The gum leaf wrapper by Tom Kristensen from a single Shina block, Holbein gouache on vintage Yamato chiri.

For sale at Saru Gallery €150