Supporting Koalas in the Suburbs
New Housing Developments Make Room for Marsupials as well as People
Apr 24, 2009
Master of Science student Maren Dammann is studying the movements of koalas in a new housing estate in South East Queensland, which contains high numbers of koalas. She is learning about habitat use and what a development design should look like in order to sustain koalas over a longer term when humans live there too.
“Many developers claim to be ‘green’ but we don’t really know if their development designs and approaches are actually good at saving wildlife,” she said.
Koalas will not be the only beneficiaries of this collaboration between research and housing development. Birds, butterflies, frogs, native insects, even dung beetles, will all benefit from green development that protects biodiversity as well as providing a pleasant new suburb.
‘Coomera Waters’ has extensive parklands and reserves with large amounts of native vegetation. Corridors connect the patches, and koala food trees are planted along the streets. Butterfly-friendly plants grow in some parks, and residents are advised about which plants they should grow to attract wildlife, especially birds.
“The findings of this study will contribute to greater knowledge about koala habitat and how to enhance the species’ survival in areas of residential development,” Ms Dammann said . “Austcorp (the developer) is very interested in our results and outcomes and wants to use them for further development projects.”
Sampling The Koala Population
To study how koalas live in the area, Ms Dammann and her team from the University of Queensland’s School of Integrative Biology, first humanely caught 12 of the marsupials and assessed them for weight, body condition, tooth wear, gender, head length, and head width, and reproductive status. Tooth wear and weight were used to estimate age. Most of the animals caught were adults, and two of the females had young babies on their backs.
Collecting Data on Koala Habitats
Eleven of the koalas, including the two mothers, were fitted with GPS data-logging collars. They were also given different coloured ear tags, to make it easy for individual animals to be recognised. After a few months, the animals were caught again, the collars removed and the data downloaded.
Over this period, the animals were observed regularly to make sure that their collars were still on, to check if the animals were alright, and to get an indication of their preferences for particular trees during the day.
“This data gives us an indication of the size and shape of the home ranges of the koalas and their movements through bush patches and the broader urban landscape,” she said.
Involving the Community in Caring for Koalas
Because people are sharing the green spaces with the animals, community involvement is very important in protecting habitat, Ms Dammann said.
“Community involvement plays a great role, and our research project integrates the public. The residents were invited to participate and report sightings of koalas to us. Every koala has a different coloured ear tag, which makes them easy to recognise.
“We hope that an active involvement leads to a positive attitude and appreciation towards the species and the natural environment. Residents can assist the koalas through their own actions, such as restraining their dogs and planting native vegetation.”
One family were so excited about having a koala in their yard and learning more about the animals, that their little daughter took photos of ‘their’ koala to school next day to show her class.
Active involvement by residents will not only protect the koalas’ habitat, but birds and other creatures as well. Ms Dammann’s supervisor, Dr Sean FitzGibbon and another UQ researcher, Ben Barth, are focusing on the diversity and abundance of birds, dung beetles and microbats in similar new developments that claim green credentials.
See also: Dingoes Protect Smaller Native Animals
Saving Biodiversity in Sarawak
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