1881
The first living koala
arrives in Britain,
purchased by the
Zoological Society
of London.EARLY 1900S
Approximately 3 million koala
pelts go to market during the
early 1900s and as many as
10 million are thought to be shot
during this time.1919
A six-month open
season on koala hunting
yields an estimated
one million skins.of select trees in each area. So protecting these sites is
a priority. “Habitat is key,” confirms the CEO of the
Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), Deborah Tabart (see
box, right). “We spent over AUS$8 million [£4.4 million]
researching and mapping the habitat and trees across
Australia. If you don’t know where the koalas are, you can’t
protect them or hold politicians to account.”
Deborah prides herself on being a thorn in the side
of developers and government alike. “It seems that state
politicians aren’t willing or capable of doing anything
to protect the koala: they are too closely connected to
developers,” she says. “But we’ve shown what’s possible
with our Koala Beach project [on the coast of New
South Wales]. We wanted to build 500 houses without
cutting trees down, so we started by asking, ‘How do we
put humans in among the wildlife?’ And as a result the
residents have koalas, echidnas, glossy black cockatoos and
a host of other native animals on their doorstep.”
Koala refuges
But progressive developers and proactive politicians are
rare. And proximity to urban development puts significant
stress on koala populations, often evidenced by increased
rates of chlamydia. “An estimated 90 per cent of koalas
in Australia would test positive for chlamydia, but
These koalas are
at the Currumbin
Wildlife Sanctuary
too. Eucalypts are
low in nutrition and
contain toxins, so
koalas have special
adaptations to deal
with this diet“ Koalas evolved
over millions of
years to become
specialised feeders
reliant on specific
habitat.”
those in the bush often don’t show signs of the disease,”
explains Cheyne. “The disease expresses itself as a result
of disturbance and loss of habitat as stress levels rise. And
with urban koalas being forced into smaller areas, it means
there’s an increased risk of sexual transmission.”
So some experts are now trying to focus attention away
from the politics of urban planning, towards identifying
key ‘refugia’ that could offer a more viable long-term
solution. “Many koalas are surviving in an urban matrix
and it’s just a matter of time before they are pulled under a
car or train line,” says Christine. “Move a little way inland
and there are still larger, more interconnected areas of good
habitat, where I’d like to see proactive conservation.”
Koalas have been identified by the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of 10 species
worldwide that is highly vulnerable
to climate change. “These arevery
specialised animals,” explains
Christine. “Over the millions of years
it took Australia to transform from
a land of lush vegetation to a much
drier landscape, koalas evolved to
become specialised feeders reliant on
very specific habitat. Now similar
climatic change is being compressed1844
Increases in koala
numbers are linked to the
demise of Aboriginal
populations.