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Koala hunt with a difference, in the Adams Creek Nature Conservation Reserve
By Kelly Smith
NOW that the Victorian Koala Report has been released, we know something very exciting – koalas living in the Western Port Woodlands are part of the special Strzelecki genetic lineage.
But there is still so much we don’t know.
- Where are the koalas in the Woodlands?
- How many are there?
- What can their DNA tell us about their health, sex and genetic connections?
The Western Port Koala Corridor Project is now starting surveys across the Woodlands to help answer these questions, and you can help.
We need volunteers to help us deploy song meters at 120 sites to listen for koala bellows and help identify where koalas are living.
We’re also looking for volunteers to help collect scat and koala spotters to let us know where koalas are being seen.
If you spot a koala in the Western Port Woodlands, please let us know. And if you happen to find fresh scat, you can help us collect it!
Koala workshop
Sunday 4 October, 10am
Adams Creek Nature Reserve
Park at the Equestrian Carpark at the end of Hookers Road, off the South Gippsland Highway.
We will walk for approximately 2 hours through the reserve.
Please bring boots, long pants, a hat and water. There may be snakes, and we may occasionally leave the tracks and walk through the bush, so gaiters are recommended if you have them.
Yes – we need koala poop, which can provide an incredible amount of information. DNA analysis can help us determine:
• The koala's sex
• Disease status
• Genetic lineage
• Whether they are related to the Strzelecki or French Island populations
• And other important information to help guide conservation efforts.
Scat needs to be fresh — green/olive to black in colour with a shiny coating. No gloves are needed. Simply use a toothpick to pick up the scat. Place it somewhere upright to dry, such as into polystyrene foam or cardboard. Once collected, please email me at kelly.smith@biosphere.org.au
I’m holding monthly workshops across different sites in the Western Port Woodlands from October through to May next year, where you can learn more about koala surveys, scat collection and how you can get involved.
If you are part of a Landcare group, Friends group, community group, organisation or other local group and would like Kelly to come along and present the findings from the Victorian Koala Report, talk about the Strzelecki koalas of the Western Port Woodlands, or explain the work being undertaken through the Western Port Biosphere and Western Port Koala Corridor Project, please get in touch.
Every koala sighting, every scat sample and every piece of information helps us build a better picture of this important population and protect the special Strzelecki koalas of the Western Port Woodlands.
Come along, learn something new and help us find our koalas.
Kelly Smith is project lead of the Western Port Biosphere’s Koala Corridor Project.
The status of Victoria’s Koala population
Key findings
- Victoria’s Koala population is estimated to be 225,000 koalas.
- A higher-than-expected rate of chronically poor health was found across several koala populations.
- Victorian Koalas are genetically vulnerable, with low adaptive potential to face emerging threats and future climates.
- The Victorian Koala population is characterised by three main genetic clusters: South Gippsland and two clusters, potentially representing ancestry from Koalas translocated from Phillip and French Islands.
- Koalas in the South Gippsland region – from Corinella and Western Port to Loch Sport – have higher genetic diversity than the rest of the state
- Due to its higher genetic diversity, the South Gippsland population may possess a greater capacity to adapt to future environmental challenges, making the conservation of both the population and its genetic diversity critically important.