Claims that koalas were “functionally extinct” spread widely online as fires raged in Australia. But some scientists warned of the dangers of exaggeration.
A koala was given water on Thursday after being rescued from a fire in Jacky Bulbin Flat in New South Wales, Australia.Credit...Paul Sudmals, via Reuters

There is no doubt that the fires tearing across eastern Australia have been hurting koalas.

With large areas of their crucial habitat ravaged, it is unclear what the future holds for a species that was already under threat before this round of bush fires. Some koalas have been rescued — singed and dehydrated — from the wild. And with blazes still burning, it is hard to know how many have been killed.

But in describing the plight of these animals, is it possible to go too far?

The phrase “functionally extinct” made the rounds in news articles and on social media over the weekend. The term refers to a species that no longer plays a role in an ecosystem or that is on its way to extinction, possibly irremovably.

That provoked a visceral reaction from readers who wondered if the fuzzy marsupials, a national symbol of Australia, will be gone forever.

In fact, koalas are not extinct. And some scientists warned that exaggeration can hurt, rather than help, conservation efforts.

“What is particularly frustrating about the term ‘functional extinction’ is it indicates a population that is basically past the point of no return, so it means that nothing really can be done,” said Jacquelyn Gill, an associate professor at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute and School of Biology and Ecology.

“That might seem like scientists quibbling over terms or trying to argue for nerdy levels of precision, but a strong statement like that should mean something,” she said.

Koalas could go extinct. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, the authority on the conservation status of the world’s species, says the koala population is declining and vulnerable — but not endangered.

There could be hundreds of thousands of koalas, but nailing down a number has proved impossible. Estimates range wildly, and every region is different. In some places, scientists say, koalas’ numbers have declined by up to 80 percent.