Truss joins koaladiaries.com.au to help conserve koalas
11th June, 2010
Federal Member for Wide Bay Warren Truss is calling on people to assist in the conservation of koalas by recording sightings of koalas on the www.koaladiaries.com.au website.“Koalas are a unique and special Australian animal which face threats from disease, dogs, motor vehicles, urban development and through the loss of their natural habitat,” Mr Truss said.
“A conservation initiative, Koala Diaries Project Location — Koala Sighting Census has been established by Sunshine Coast residents Carolyn Beaton and Alex Harris to spot koalas and plot their location,” Mr Truss said.
Warren and his wife Lyn are regularly visited by koalas in their yard, prompting them to join the website to assist in conservation efforts.
“My wife frequently scans our trees, looking for koalas and we are often visited by mother and joey and occasionally by larger males,” Mr Truss said.
“Contributions to Koala Diaries will help to identify where koalas are and map their population in specific areas. Being so vulnerable to disease and to urban development, it is important to gather as much information as possible about the koala population to assist in conservation efforts so that at risk population areas can be identified,” Mr Truss said.
“By tracking the changes in the population, we can gain a better understanding of what we need to do to ensure the survival of the species.
The website builds the knowledge base about the spread of the koala population. Koala Diaries was launched in February to record sightings throughout Queensland, but it has now expanded to record koala sightings across the nation.
Chlamydia and the koala retrovirus particularly threaten koalas in Queensland and in some places where koalas should be expected to thrive, they face extinction from these diseases. Urban development and infrastructure also impact on koalas as they devastate their natural habitats.
The Australian Wildlife Hospital has estimated that there could be as few as 10 koalas left in the Noosa National Park.
“More needs to be done to secure the survival of koalas. Governments need to fund more research into the diseases that affect koalas and safe, sustainable habitats should be established.
“I am hoping as many people as possible join and contribute to Koala Diaries Project Location — Koala Sighting Census to help secure the future of koalas.”
