Researchers from four Queensland universities, government, industry and interest groups have joined forces to stop the imminent extinction of koalas in South-East Queensland.
At an inaugural meeting in late January at The University of Queensland, the group, calling itself the Koala Research Network (KRN), agreed drastic action was urgently needed to preserve the species.
KRN spokesperson and UQ School of Geography Planning & Environmental Management Associate Professor Clive McAlpine said: “We are so concerned about the plight of koalas that we are banding together to share our research findings and collaborate to save this iconic species.”
“The 36 researchers from across the State agreed unanimously that koala populations face imminent local extinction, especially in coastal South-East Queensland, unless drastic actions are taken,” Dr McAlpine said.
“The Queensland koala populations are in serious trouble from habitat-clearing, vehicle collisions, dog attacks, disease and drought and the public has to know about it.”
He said the recent senseless shooting and subsequent death of “Doug” the baby Koala at Morayfield had generated widespread media attention both within Australia and overseas.
“While the public outrage at the shooting of koalas is understandable, habitat-clearing, disease, dog attacks and vehicle collisions kill more than 1000 koalas in South-East Queensland each year. Around 2000 hectares of koala habitat is cleared in the region annually for urban development, forcing animals to move into developed areas where they are killed by cars and dogs,” he said.
And it’s not just SEQ populations that are at risk, according to Dr McAlpine. “Western Queensland koala populations are also in trouble from drought, heatwaves, land-clearing and tree-dieback and we have reason to be concerned for the long-term survival of koalas right across Australia,” he said.
The Commonwealth Government is currently assessing whether the koala should be listed as threatened nationally. The plight of Queensland’s koalas will have an important bearing on this decision.
“Disease is a major factor in the decline of South-East Queensland populations,” Dr McAlpine said. “We also need to know whether rural populations, such as those in the Queensland Mulgalands, have similar high rates of disease and we need to find these things out really soon, before it is too late.
“If we act very quickly and the entire South-East community pulls together, we can give koalas a fighting chance.”
Media: Associate Professor Clive McAlpine (+61 7 3365 6620 or email: c.mcalpine@uq.edu.au).
