Council's multi-faceted approach to conserving Noosa's koalas
Council is assisting a range of scientists and conservation agencies in a quest to conserve Noosa’s koala population. A number of projects are underway simultaneously across the Shire.
Council’s environment officer Tyron de Kauwe says: “One project is researching the movements, health and threats to local koalas. Another one is ‘ground-truthing’ where koalas are living in the shire, as well as checking on their health. A third project is carrying out a koala infrastructure audit.
“Council is assisting Endeavour Veterinary Ecology (EVE) and the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) scientists on a pilot project that is tagging and monitoring koalas in Noosa Shire. This is the initial project of The Richard Branson Koala Conservancy. EVE and USC have worked successfully with the Queensland Government on another successful koala project using these same methods.
“Koalas are captured and then undergo a comprehensive health assessment. If they are unwell, they are treated. If they are healthy, then they are fitted with a collar, and quickly released back into their habitat. These project koalas will also be the beneficiaries of the koala chlamydia vaccine developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast.
“The collars have a GPS tracking device that shows koala movements and relays that information back to EVE electronically.
“EVE can see when a koala slows down or stops. This information helps indicate whether the koala may be injured or unwell and helps identify where there are threats to koala movement or well-being.”
Council has also been working with USC with its koala tracking dog program. This program has been very successful in finding local koalas through scat detection. Under a project part-funded by the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation, genetic and health analysis is being carried out on the collected scat.
“Koala conservation is not a simple matter,” Mayor Tony Wellington said. “It’s vital to understand exactly where our local koalas are living, whether they represent healthy and viable populations and, otherwise, what management interventions are required to make these koala populations sustainable. To achieve a turnaround in koala numbers, and that is our goal, we do need to carry out these sorts of complementary scientific studies, with some urgency attached."
Koala sightings reported to Council are sent through to the USC program. Sightings also help to inform Council’s new planning scheme.
In addition, Council has engaged o2Ecology to locate koala hot spots where koalas come into regular contact with our human environment. This work will help Council identify where investment in infrastructure is required to help koalas move around safely.
All of these projects are consistent with Noosa Council's Koala Conservation Plan, which was adopted in 2016.
For more information about Noosa Shire Council’s Koala Conservation Plan or to help Council with koala sightings information please visit www.noosa.qld.gov.au/koalas
10 January 2017