The answer has to be yes.

RELATED COVERAGE: Are we still the koala capital?

                                        Every koala counts

Even if our koala population is falling away, there may have been a slight rise in reportings elsewhere, but not enough to claim our title yet.

No one is reporting a sudden influx of happy, healthy koalas. No lucky town is watching their population skyrocket.

But that is no reason to shout “hurray”, sit back and polish our logo.

We can shake our heads all we like at the disappearance of the Amazon rainforest, but we have our own battle to fight right here. And it is a battle with global consequences.

If we are the koala capital of the world, we also have an extreme responsibility to protect this animal.

We cannot watch it disappear.

This is about more than tourism, and more than our reputation. It is about fulfilling our role as caretakers of a species.

We have to care. Our local government has to care and so does our state government.

The future of koalas in this area can be no small consideration in the scheme of things. It should be one of the major factors alongside jobs, community wealth and the environment.

We need to be putting resources and expertise into this area.

Once they are gone, there is no getting them back.

This is a battle we can all have a hand in. Koalas have to have somewhere to live. Where we can, we should be ensuring they are not being forced out to look for an increasingly rare appropriate habitat that is not already taken.

Our community does care – just look at the support shown in the past for Waterways Wildlife Park – but it can’t be at arm’s length.

We can plant our own koala food trees, be aware of clearing, maybe start our own campaign – and drive carefully.