The koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) of Queensland and New South Wales are important for the survival of the species, as only small remnant populations remain in South Australia and Victoria. Unfortunately in both states koalas inhabit heavily populated areas. Habitat fragmentation and loss, road traffic accidents and dog attacks are important threats to the species. The government of Queensland has developed a plan to protect koalas, but conservation groups suggest that this will not be enough to save the species.
Threats to Koalas in South East Queensland, Australia
In South East Queensland, where the majority of the state’s koalas are found, increasing human population is causing habitat fragmentation and loss. The koala’s dependence on eucalypt trees for both food and shelter makes them particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation.
Road traffic accidents kill hundreds of koalas each year. Between 1997 and 2008, nearly 4,000 koalas were victims of road traffic accidents. 85% did not survive. As more roads cut through koala habitat, more koalas are hit crossing the ground from feeding to roosting trees.
More than 100 koalas die from dog attacks each year in Queensland. Many of the deaths occur in backyards where owned dogs are allowed out at night. Koalas in fragmented habitat surrounded by urbanization are also more susceptible to diseases such as Chlamydia, which are exacerbated by stress. 25 – 50% of koalas brought into care in Queensland show clinical signs of Chlamydia.
Plan for Protecting Koalas in South East Queensland Addresses Major Threats
Preventing further habitat loss, particularly in Koala Conservation and Sustainability Areas, is a priority. In areas where habitat fragmentation is causing koalas to come into contact with dogs, efforts are underway to increase the use of koala exclusion fencing where dogs are present and to educate owners to prevent dog attacks on koalas.
Road traffic accidents are being addressed with development of safe crossing spots for koalas and further assessment of high risk areas when new roads or road upgrades are being implemented. Further study into the Chlamydia virus may help reduce the incidence of disease, particularly in urbanized koala populations.
Australian Wildlife Conservation Groups Push for National Koala Plan
The work being done is Queensland is a start but wildlife conservation groups such as the Australian Koala Foundation, are concerned that without a coordinated effort throughout all Australian koala habitat, the species will still be in trouble. The conservation groups cite the genetic abnormalities of island populations of koalas as a concern for what may occur when koalas are isolated.
The wildlife conservation organization petitioned the Australian government to list the koala as vulnerable but the request was rejected, leaving management of koalas to the discretion of each state. In Queensland, the koala is listed as vulnerable in the southeast part of the state and common elsewhere. It is just the vulnerable southeast population that falls under the protection plan. In New South Wales, there is a statewide plan for protecting koala habitat and there is some hope that the South East Queensland plan will help maintain connections between populations on either side of the states’ borders.
A national plan which expanded protection to the rest of Queensland, Victoria (where the koala is not listed at all), and South Australia (where koalas are listed as rare) could set the stage for developing wildlife corridors between isolated populations. This would be expected to have a beneficial impact on the genetic health of the species. Until such a plan is in place, South East Queensland’s koalas will benefit from increased protection from habitat loss and the threats that living close to urban development present to the species.
Seymour et al.2001. High effective inbreeding coefficients correlate with morphological abnormalities in populations of South Australian koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Animal Conservation 4:3:211-219. Zoological Society of London
Dawn M. Smith - A vet nurse, Dawn has worked in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation around the world in addition to her veterinary hospital ...
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