It’s in everyone’s interests to ensure our environment stays healthy – including farmers. What did the Nats think they’d gain from this destructive game of brinkmanship?
Koalas are notoriously difficult to detect. Traditional methods are costly and labour intensive. So we found a more efficient way to locate koalas in eastern NSW, using drones.
Researchers expected to find koalas killed by the fires. But they were heartbroken to find those that died afterwards from starvation, thirst or injury.
Birds are disoriented by smoke and often cannot escape a fire.
James Ross/AAP
During an emergency it’s vital you know what your animals need, where you can take them and what your local rules are. Fortunately, there are plans in place and guidelines to help.
After gum trees are cut down, the koalas that lived in them must take a hike.
Esther Wong
A staggering 7.7 million hectares of critical habitat has been destroyed since environment laws were enacted - and 93% was not referred to the federal government for assessment.
Maya the detection dog was part of a team sniffing out koalas.
Marie Colibri/USC
Koalas can adapt to urban areas with enough suitable green spaces but would benefit from wildlife crossing areas to reduce their risk of being hit by cars.
Julian Smith/AAP
The koala genome, published today, gives us new and valuable information to aid conservation of this marsupial. It identifies special genes that evolved to adapt the koala to its unique lifestyle.
You can see koalas at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, but the city council has won a planning battle to preserve their wild population too.
Dave Hunt/AAP
Local planning rules have prevailed in a long-running dispute over a proposed Gold Coast quarry that threatened the amenity of nearby residents and koalas.
Koalas are stressed out by a range of pressures, from habitat loss to dog attacks.
Edward Narayan
Koala numbers in parts of Australia are in decline as they move from development of their land. But they can learn to take safer routes if they are built as part of the urban design.
Koalas face many threats, and our conservation efforts are failing them.
Koala image from www.shutterstock.com
Koalas are under threat from a range of factors, from urban expansion to climate change. Unfortunately there is no quick fix, and it may be that not all populations can be saved.
Koalas are again in the firing line. But should diseased animals be culled for the greater good?
moon-dog/flickr
Research has shown that culling koalas could help stop the spread of deadly chlamydia. But how open will Australians be to killing one our favourite animals?