Talk of the town：Australia lists koalas as endangered
【明報專訊】Can you guess the reasons that caused the decline in the number of koalas?
◆How many koalas are left in Australia?
50,000, as estimated by an Australian koala conservation group. The government estimates that the number of koalas in Australia has dropped from 185,000 in 2001, to 92,000 in 2021.
◆What caused the dramatic decline in the numbers of koalas?
The Minister for the Environment of Australia has cited several reasons. The prolonged drought, the enormous Black Summer bushfires, and the cumulative impacts of disease, urbanisation (都市化) and habitat loss over the past twenty years have led to the dramatic decline in the number of koalas.
The Black Summer bushfires were a series of forest fires in the 2019-2020 that burnt almost 24 million hectares of land. They destroyed homes and caused a large number of casualties to humans and animals. WWF estimated that 61,000 koalas were affected by the fires, and this number is ''a deeply disturbing number for a species already in trouble''.
◆Commitment of the government
Besides listing the koala as an endangered species, the Australian government is committed to taking several alternative measures in koala conservation. They coordinated different groups and regional governments to participate in the scientific program National Koala Monitoring Program, and allocated resources to restore koala's habitat and mitigate the threats the are facing.
■ Grammar booster
Counting numbers
Ten (十), Hundred (百), Thousand (千), Million (百萬), Billion (十億)
The numeral system in English is slightly different from that in Chinese or some other languages. It is important to note that difference when we are counting numbers!
e.g. 12,000 = twelve thousand
8,000,000 = eight million
■ Game
Can you name the countries by their national flag?
(See the picture)
■ Gear up
1. The koala is not one of the official symbols of Australia.
(True/ False)
2. The forest fire in Australia caused severe damage to the habitats of animals.
(True/ False)
(Answers on next text)
■Glossary
prolonged (adj) 持久的
drought (n) 旱災
habitat (n) 棲息地
mitigate (v) 減輕
(Criticisms on this publication, if any, are aimed at pointing out the errors or defects of certain systems or policies with a view of rectifying or eradicating such errors or defects, as well as prompting improvement or remedy for them via lawful means. There is absolutely no intention of inciting hatred, discontent or hostility towards the government or other classes of the community.)
[Smarties' Power English 第338期]
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