|
The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is an international not-for-profit scientific organisation that aims to diminish the threats to the survival of koalas and in doing so raise the awareness of the global community to help save endangered fauna and flora. It is the principal non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation and effective management of the wild koala and its habitat. The koala lives predominantly on a diet of eucalyptus plants. Many of these trees are being cleared each year. The primary focus of the AKF is getting new legislation in place to protect Koala trees. The organisation receives no form of government funding by choice, because this leaves the AKF to speak freely for Koalas without the constraints of government. Therefore, the AKF relies on donations, sponsorship, and fundraising to finance its ongoing work. AKF research indicates that somewhere between 52,000 and 87,000 koalas remain in the wild. Local extinctions are occurring regularly, and AKF believes that the only way to protect and regenerate populations into the future is with a Koala Protection Act.〔 ==History== During the mid 1980s, Steve Brown, a veterinary graduate who had developed a special interest in koalas, was pursuing Ph.D studies at the University of Queensland, focusing on a not uncommon pathological condition in koalas, cystic ovaries. This condition was associated with low reproductive rates. He provided evidence to suggest that chlamydial disease may be affecting population dynamics of wild koala colonies. As a result of his studies he became convinced that chlamydial disease was a major threat to the species, given the widespread occurrence of the organism. This conviction led him to seek support for the establishment of a body which could fund research into the koala and its problems. In 1985, when Barry Scott was asked to manage the Oasis Tourist Gardens, he met Steve Brown who was acting as the honorary veterinary consultant to a colony of disease free koalas that lived there. Steve was a passionate advocate for the koala and he inspired Barry who suggested that a Foundation for the koala be formed. Together they began to gather friends and supporters around them to form an organisation to help cure koala diseases and save their declining numbers. A constitution was drawn up and on 17 January 1986 a Certificate of Incorporation (no. 1262) was issued in the name of the Australian Koala Association Inc. This name was changed on 3 October 1986 to the Australian Koala Foundation Inc. Later the word Inc. was dropped. In those early days, Barry Scott travelled from Brisbane to Perth, Adelaide and Sydney, setting up branches and bringing people together who would form the basic structure of the AKF's honorary support. Initially the focus of the Australian Koala Foundation was to 'raise $5 million to save the koala'. At the beginning the general consensus was that the disease commonly known as chlamydia was the major threat to koalas and that it needed to be cured so the population could be saved. It didn’t take long, however, to realise that habitat destruction was and is the main cause of the koala’s problems. The direction of the AKF moved towards addressing the loss of habitat and reversing it. Deborah Tabart OAM has been leading the Australian Koala Foundation as CEO since 1988 and is recognised around the world as an advocate for koalas, or simply as 'the Koala Woman Today, the AKF uses science, politics, and a global support base to rally for change at the legislative, developmental, and personal level. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Australian Koala Foundation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|