Time to act and save koalas
In their 2023 paper, "Koala conservation in South East Queensland: A grey literature review analysis," Tkaczynski and Rundle-Thiele explore the status of koalas in Queensland, the threats they face, and the conservation efforts in place to protect them.
The koala population in South East Queensland is under significant threat due to a combination of factors. Urban population growth and associated land clearing for housing, along with recent bushfires and floods, have led to a decline in koala habitats.
Despite local governments focusing on wildlife management solutions, wildlife signage, habitat restoration projects, and koala awareness campaigns, these measures have not been sufficient to counteract the impact of these threats.
The authors highlight several threats to koalas, including disease, in-breeding, habitat loss, and climate change.
“Social marketing could be employed to encourage residents to voluntarily change their behavior to boost the survival rate of koalas”
They also note that the human population in South East Queensland is projected to increase from 3.5 million in 2016 to 5.5 million by 2041, which will put further pressure on koala populations due to an increase in dog ownership, vehicles on the road, and land clearing in non-specific koala habitats.
In terms of conservation efforts, the authors recommend social marketing to encourage residents to adopt behaviours that can mitigate threats to koalas.
These behaviors include slowing down when driving in koala zones, participating in citizen science, and leashing dogs when walking in native bush areas.
The authors also suggest that technology could be employed to complement current approaches to identify koalas in locations such as Queensland and New South Wales. They mention a program called ConservationAIHub, which uses artificial intelligence to identify and count koalas in the wild.
The paper stresses the need for collaborative efforts aimed at conserving the koala from potential extinction.
Australian Government investment
The Australian Government has recognised the threats to koalas in Queensland and NSW, and established the Saving Koalas Fund, which will provide $76.9 million over four years (with $2.5 million per year ongoing for monitoring) to support the recovery and long-term conservation of the koala and its habitats.
Funding is provided through the Saving Native Species Program and the Natural Heritage Trust.
The Saving Koalas Fund will be delivered in partnership with First Nations people, the community, conservation organisations, governments, scientists and land managers. It will also help to deliver actions in the National Recovery Plan for the koala.
Funding will be distributed across four key areas:
Community grants
Large habitat restoration projects
The National Koala Monitoring Program
Koala health and care projects.
Sources: Tkaczynski, A., & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2023). Koala conservation in South East Queensland: A grey literature review analysis. Conservation Science and Practice, 5(3), e12874. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12874