Koala
Protection on Track
Foundation
funds bushfire impact studies
by Gabrielle Anderson
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Koala
Protection on Track |
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The 1994 bushfires destroyed half of the prime koala habitat in the Port Stephens area. After the fires, the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) carried out a study of koala survival in the burnt bushland.
The study involved radio tracking rehabilitated koalas once they were released back into the bush. Fortunately, enough rehabilitated koalas survived for females to continue to successfully breed in the damaged bush. Dan Lunney, scientist and koala expert with the DEC undertook the study. He had the support of Native Animal Trust volunteers and funding from the Foundation. Much useful data was gathered from the study, which was carried out over a three-year period. The first stage of the survey focused on the survival of rehabilitated koalas in the burnt bush-land. Through radio-tracking collars the team monitored the animals’ movements and survival. The data showed that koalas that were injured in fires, but rehabilitated by wildlife carers and released back into the wild, did not only survive they also started breeding. The current second stage looks at how the koalas use the regrown areas of the bush and how their movements and activities in regrown and unburnt areas differ. A population under siege Even though the results from stage one of the survey are promising, bushfires pose a serious threat to the survival of koala populations. Especially in their fragmented habitat, there is a critical population size which needs to be maintained for a population to remain genetically healthy and to survive. Every individual animal lost in a fire is a significant loss for the population.
Also, fires restrict the movements of koalas in the burnt bush, and populations only remain genetically healthy if there is a small but constant exchange between populations. Results from earlier studies suggest that due to habitat fragmentation bushfires may well lead to the local extinction of many NSW koala populations. Bushfires aren’t the only risk koalas face. Many other threats remain to our koala populations. Land clearing and housing development affect both the size of habitat and the availability of appropriate food tree species. Although there are many species of Eucalypt in Australia, only a few are suitable food sources for koalas. Popular foodtrees, though they vary throughout the species’ range, include River Red gum, Yellow Box, Tallowwood, Small-leafed peppermint and Drooping Red gum. Koalas come to ground to move between trees, and many are killed by dogs. Roads often dissect koala habitat, and numerous koala injuries and deaths are caused by cars. These threats are magnified in the Port Stephens area due to its high human population growth and the proliferation of coastal housing. Koalas are currently classified in NSW as ‘vulnerable and rare’.
Studies assist future planning In 2002 the final Port Stephens Council Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management was approved. Researchers from DEC, including Dan Lunney, were involved in the initial development of the plan. It was completed by Port Stephens Council and the Australian Koala Foundation. A Steering Committee was established to oversee implementation of the Plan. The Committee works on issues such as signage at known koala traffic black spots, clarification of dog control powers, maintenance of fauna exclusion fencing, and community education. A habitat restoration project has also been implemented, which uses a Koala Habitat Planning Map to protect and restore vital habitat. Restoration activities include weed control and replanting of preferred koala food trees. If you’d like more information on the Plan of Management you can download it from the Port Stephens Council website. (Close the window to return to this article.) |
