Tree loss sounds alarm for koalas

THE Great Ocean Road may be a popular koala spotting site but it is also one of the most threatened habitats for the beloved animal in Australia.

Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife head Ian Darbyshire said the koala population along the Great Ocean Road was one of many that had fallen by 80 per cent over the past 20 years.

“People would say there are lots of koalas there because you can visit the area and see them, particularly around Cape Otway, but in that area there is also a small gene pool, so they are prone to a range of diseases that can kill them,” Mr Darbyshire said.

“Our dearly beloved exotic species is in need of help and more research to survive.”

The manna gums that make up much of the bushland along the Great Ocean Road have either been destroyed by drought or a series of bushfires in recent years, along with being cleared for human habitat or invasive species such as feral dogs that have invaded the area. Dogs are a particular threat to koalas.

Mr Darbyshire said 70 per cent of the manna gums that the Great Ocean Road koalas favour have been lost and koalas have a particular diet, only eating certain types of eucalyptus trees.

“If you take a koala from one area to another their gut flora struggles to adapt unless we help transplant the flora for them by introducing species from other areas,” he said.

“It’s very important that we plant more trees for koalas and we’d like to put collars on to them so we can track where they go. We just don’t know any more how much longer they will survive.”