KOALA NEWS & SCIENCE
An informative monthly newsletter about successes & important announcements in koala conservation, and the latest scientific publications about koalas.
September/October 2025
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Bangalow Koalas about to plant their 500,000th tree!
To celebrate, they are running two planting days on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 November at Possum Creek, NSW. All welcome, but bookings essential. Email president@bangalowkoalas.com.au to book.
https://www.bangalowkoalas.com.au/
Latest Koala Science:
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Clough, J., Prangell, J., Fallon, K., Beranek, C.T. and Mikac, K.M., 2025. Abundance estimates of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and southern greater gliders (Petauroides volans) on the Illawarra Range, New South Wales, from spatiotemporally-replicated thermal drone surveys. Australian Mammalogy, 47(3), p.AM25026. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM25026
Reliable estimates of abundance are critical for threatened species conservation. This study aimed to provide baseline abundance estimates of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and southern greater gliders (Petauroides volans) on the Illawarra Range, New South Wales, from spatiotemporally-replicated thermal drone surveys. Koalas were detected at 19/47 sites (40.4%), whereas southern greater gliders were detected at 30/47 sites (63.8%). Using N-mixture models, 147 koalas [95% CI: 121, 173] and 195 southern greater gliders [95% CI: 174, 216] were estimated across the surveyed sites, with respective detection probabilities of 0.14 [95% CI: 0.05, 0.36] and 0.25 [95% CI: 0.18, 0.34]. After correcting for imperfect detection, the mean koala density was estimated at 0.13 individuals ha−1 [95% CI: 0.10, 0.15] and the mean southern greater glider density was estimated at 0.17 individuals ha−1 [95% CI: 0.15, 0.18]. These findings provide baseline data that will be valuable for monitoring population trends and potential declines of two endangered arboreal marsupials occurring on the Illawarra Range.
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Santos Neto, C., Dwyer, R.G., Michelot, T. and Cristescu, R.H., 2025. Effects of urbanisation on the movements of an arboreal specialist using hidden Markov models. Movement Ecology, 13(1), p.66. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40462-025-00569-y
Background Species with specialised ecological niches rely heavily on specific resources or conditions, making them less resilient to habitat fragmentation and land-use changes. For specialists with limited mobility, the challenges are even greater, as they may struggle to locate new habitats for their survival. While some highly mobile species adjust their movement behaviours in human-modified environments by either avoiding areas with faster, straighter paths or adapting to forage for human-related resources, little is known about how arboreal species with low mobility adapt to urban landscapes. Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are highly susceptible to the impacts of urbanisation due to their unique adaptations and reliance on tree canopy cover, which is thought to be a major factor driving population decline in the increasingly urbanised Australian coast. Methods In this study, we applied biotelemetry to track the movements of 72 koalas in urban and nonurban environments. We then applied hidden Markov models (HMMs) to these data to investigate how environmental factors (such as human land use), as well as biological factors (e.g., sex) and temporal cycles (e.g., time of day), influenced koala movement behaviours. Results We detected little effect of land use type on the movement behaviours of koalas in urban and nonurban landscapes, suggesting that the type of land use does not play a substantial role in how koalas shift between different movement behaviours. However, urban-dwelling koalas exhibited faster and more directed movements at night (rather than at dusk) and showed less pronounced changes in their movement behaviours across seasons than those typically observed in natural environments. Conclusions Our findings highlight the adaptability and flexibility of koalas in modifying their movement behaviours to navigate human-modified environments. By focusing their movements during times when human activity is lower, koalas may be able to reduce the likelihood of agonistic interactions with humans. We suggest that creating low-disturbance areas in urban and peri-urban environments could allow wildlife to maintain more natural behaviours, potentially improving their overall well-being.
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Harwood, S.E. and Whisson, D.A., 2025. Bellowing for habitat on private land: distribution of koalas in a complex landscape. Landscape Ecology, 40(10), p.190. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10980-025-02183-0
Context Anthropogenic modification of landscapes through clearing, degradation and fragmentation of habitat for human land-use can cause biodiversity loss, population declines and shifts in species distributions. The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a forest-dependent specialist-folivore with a distribution overlapping areas of high anthropogenic use. Objectives Our study aimed to identify environmental and habitat factors influencing koala distribution across a modified landscape consisting of grazing land, plantation forestry and native vegetation, and identify areas for conservation action. Methods We used Passive Acoustic Monitoring to determine koala presence at 232 sites across South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. We examined the influence of habitat, soil, climate, topography and disturbance variables on koala occurrence. Results Koalas were present at 49% of sites. Probability of site occupancy increased with cover of preferred koala food trees at a site and total tree cover in the landscape (within 500 m), and trended towards a decline with increasing organic carbon in the soil. Over 40% of the region was predicted to have a 50% or greater probability of occupancy by koalas and 11% of the region had 75% or greater probability. Of the 11%, half was located within parks, reserves and state forest, suggesting these protected forests represent core habitat; and one third was located within plantation estate, highlighting the importance of effectively managing this tenure for koalas. Conclusions To improve outcomes for koalas in this region, we recommend promoting and facilitating revegetation on private land, which currently provides limited habitat extent. Conservation action is needed to mitigate anthropogenic land-use impacts on species distributions.
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Campbell, Y., Johnston, S.D., Palmieri, C. and Pini, T., 2025. The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) Prostate: A Proteomic Perspective on Gland Segmentation. Biology of Reproduction, p.ioaf209. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioaf209
Australia’s most iconic animal, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), faces significant population decline and while conservation has focused on assisted breeding technology and reproductive pathologies, koala reproductive biology remains poorly understood. In particular, the koala (P. cinereus) prostate has a vital role in the production of seminal plasma and facilitating successful reproduction. Furthermore, prostatitis regularly occurs as a consequence of chlamydiosis, a substantial factor in the ongoing decline of koala populations. Despite this, little is known about the koala prostate’s molecular physiology. This study presents the first proteomic profile of the koala prostate, offering insights into its histological segmentation and broader functional significance. Prostatic tissue was collected from six mature male koalas, with samples taken from the anterior and posterior segments. Proteins were digested using filter-aided sample preparation and analysed via liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry with Zeno-SWATH acquisition. Peptide spectra were processed using DIA-NN and evaluated in RStudio to identify differentially expressed proteins and compare the koala prostate proteome with those of other species. Functional annotation and pathway analysis revealed that whole prostate activity was primarily centered on protein translation and muscle function. Segment-specific proteomic profiles demonstrated slight proteomic differentiation, with secretory proteins contributing to segment-specific functions. Cross-species comparisons showed strong homology between the koala and human prostate proteomes. This proteome provides a foundation for future investigations into prostate-related pathologies in koalas. Furthermore, understanding the koala prostate at a molecular level helps advance wildlife conservation through a better comprehension of its role in male fertility and offers broader evolutionary insight into marsupial reproduction.
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McLean, C.M., Stanton, M.A. and Kavanagh, R.P., 2025. Home Range and Movement of the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in Fragmented High‐Quality Coastal Habitat. Austral Ecology, 50(9), p.e70108.
https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70108
The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal marsupial that has declined substantially, partially due to conflict with urban expansion. Understanding movement and home range size in urban habitat is therefore important, including road crossing propensity. The aim of this study was to use GPS collars to determine the home range size and road crossing propensity of the Koala in a fragmented, high-quality coastal habitat. GPS collars were fitted to seven Koalas between February 2014 and December 2015, with tracking periods ranging from 16 to 541 days, and positions logged hourly. We found that the home range of Koalas varied, from small to large (fixed kernel 95% range 1.33–68.63, median 2.75 ha), with small daily movement distances (μ 23–71 m). The frequency of road crossings was generally low, ranging from zero to 1.9 per month. These results suggest that high quality Swamp Sclerophyll Forest habitat where these animals were found is of the utmost importance to the local Koala population. Protection of this type of habitat is therefore paramount.
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Koala Science in brief
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Shapiro, A.J., Kimble, B., Hulst, F., Herrin, K.V., Marschner, C., Chen, C.J. and Govendir, M., 2025. Pharmacokinetic profile of oral firocoxib in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). PloS one, 20(9), p.e0332448. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0332448
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Previous Koala News & Science here: https://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/koala-news-science/koala-news-science-august-2025/
Written by Janine Duffy President, Koala Clancy Foundation.
with support from Cheryl Egan, Organiser, Wild Koala Day.