An exciting $4.2 million project is going to keep our team and partners very busy safeguarding and securing the future of koalas for the next three years!

The mission is crystal clear: to identify and address the priority threats looming over our beloved koalas in South East Queensland.

SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives program

Our iconic, beloved koalas face an array of threats, the combined effect of which led to their status being recognised as ‘endangered’ in 2022. From habitat loss to the devastating impacts of intense bushfires and the unrelenting march of climate change, koalas face challenges on multiple fronts. Adding to this, the risk of disease and encounters with vehicles on our roads, it has become increasingly evident that if we don’t manage the threats now, it will soon be too late.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, the Queensland Government has come in with a $4.2 million SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives program.

Funded by the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science and led by Healthy Land & Water, the program aims to identify and mitigate priority threats to koalas through data-driven strategies, in partnership with local governments, community and non-governmental organisations. Threat reduction is one of the four key targets under the South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020-2025, and this project is to work towards a 25% reduction in disease, injury, and mortality in the priority threat areas.

Hunting for trouble: identifying priority areas and related key threats

The cornerstone of the SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives program is the identification of priority threat areas, and narrowing down which are the most significant threats for each of the target areas.

Working closely and in collaboration with local and state governments, non-government organisations, Traditional Owners, and communities, the program seeks to pinpoint where to act and upon what.

This crucial data will be used to create targeted and transparent threat reduction programs.

From data to action

The first step is gathering information through initial workshops with stakeholders. This will set the stage for developing a suite of proposed actions to address threats faced by koalas. This encompasses disease, injury, habitat loss, and climate change, to name just a few of the potentially debilitating threats to this iconic Australian species.

The next step will work out how to allow on-ground activities to be carried out across private and public land seamlessly and effectively. Koalas don’t adhere to property boundaries, so collaborating with stakeholders to ensure landscape-scale actions are delivered is essential to the success of this project.

All the actions will be tailored specifically to the needs of each area. This includes the deployment of on-ground works to help increase stakeholders’ knowledge of what can be done to support koala conservation over time and encourage them to continue their legacy.

Cutting-edge technology for koala conservation

All activities will be guided by new state-of-the-art koala habitat mapping for SEQ. Developed using advanced modelling techniques and incorporating comprehensive regional ecosystem mapping, the new mapping utilises extensive data and innovative tools developed by Healthy Land & Water. This includes a developing Koala Bayesian Network Platform, which has been co-designed by Healthy Land & Water in collaboration with QUT and Mirror Analytics.

This technology not only aids in threat management but also informs habitat restoration and protection priorities for land managers.

Measuring success

How do we know if we're winning the battle? A robust monitoring program is being put in place to establish baselines and measure progress toward threat reduction. This data-driven approach ensures that the program remains adaptive and responsive to the evolving needs of koala conservation in SEQ.

Read the full project snapshot here.

This program is funded by the Queensland Government and runs in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Science, Local Governments, the Australian Government, Queensland Trust for Nature, Griffith University Social Marketing, SEQ Wildlife Hospital Network, Traditional Owners, and Landcare and community groups.