Russell Jenkins Stoop Files

Wonders of Australia and Japan

Law of the Koala

Koala

Wivenhoe Dam, Queensland, Australia

March 2002



These are old, but remain as my
favourite wild koala photos. Both are about ten years old (2002-03) and were taken with
my Pentax Z-1 and Pentax SMC ED 400mm f5.6 AF lens. The top one using slide, and
the lower, print film.

September is “Save the Koala Month”
and you can help and learn more about Koalas at the Australian Koala Foundation
or click on the Koala button on the right side of this page.

Currently the Australian Koala
Foundation is trying to get a stronger law created to protect Koalas and their
habitat.

In Japan, a variety of species including Steller’s Sea-eagle (page header), White-tailed Sea-eagles (see TAGS on this
blog) and Crested Ibis (Toki –
also see TAGS on this blog) are legally designated as “National Treasures”.

Both eagles are protected by a law
called “Tennen kinenbutsu” which
translated to English, means “Natural Monument” (tennen-natural and kinenbutsu-monument).
The Crested Ibis is even more special and is
designated as Tokubetsu tennen kinenbutsu,
“Special Natural Monument”.

Some “kinenbutsu” laws include habitat as well as species, such as “Whooper
Swans on Kominato beach and their wintering place”, in Aomori Prefecture.

These laws are under the “Law for the Protection of
Cultural Properties” provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology, (MEXT).

I think these are much more powerful
laws than simply “protected as a threatened species”. These Japanese laws
recognise the subjects for their cultural importance as well as the fact that they are threatened or endangered species.

Is the concept “protected as a
threatened species” really a protective and impassioned law? We seem to get
lost in the thought of the term ‘species’ as the world is suffering declines
all over.  

Is the Koala merely a “species” as
an identifying factor to the Australian persona?

The koala is more than a medium
sized, grey-coloured, tree-dwelling mammal. It is as Australian as, well, a
Koala, isn’t it? Surely, we jump up and down and urge northern folk to come on
down and nurse a Koala. 

If the Koala isn’t a “national
treasure” then, I believe we have none. 

I guess such laws of protection however;
depend on the will of Australians
and our government.  

What is our will?

Let’s be brave. Let’s protect koalas
and their habitat with all our hearts.

If we are not brave, we are lost.

AND: Don’t forget the Bilby! The
second Sunday of September is Save the Bilby Day. To find out more click on: Save the Bilby Fund

We need to make more powerful laws to
stubbornly protect our own “Natural Monuments”.




Youth Koala

St Stephen’s Primary School

Pittsworth, Queensland, Australia

March, 2003
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On August 28, 2012, the Ministry of
the Environment in Japan declared the Japanese River Otter as an extinct
species. It was also protected as “Tokubetsu
tennen kinnenbutsu” but hasn’t been seen since 1979.


————————————————————————


Thank you to Mr Honma and Brian
Southwick for helping me to understand and verify the above mentioned Japanese
laws.





You can also read more about the
Monuments of Japan at this Wikipedia page.

Russell Jenkins's avatar

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Russell Jenkins

I am a photographer into birds, nature as well as art and culture. From Australia, currently based in Japan.

2 responses to “Law of the Koala”

  1. Stuart Price Avatar
    Stuart Price

    I don't know how serious Japan is about protecting its natural national monuments. Brown Bears are geting rarer by the year but if one comes near a village it will get shot dead.

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  2. Phil Avatar
    Phil

    You drew a good distinction between the way Japan names some endangered species and the way Australia (and others) do it Russell. Then I read Stu's comment and wondered about how the reality is for all wildlife in the face of human greed. As an outsider but seeing Koalas on wildlife TV programmes etc I thought Koala was a national icon and would have full protection and be almost revered but perhaps not.

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