tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137527319097135001.post5696350178043650395..comments2023-06-18T22:58:35.769+10:00Comments on Conserving Koala Country: Getting the facts rightAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15651348691273550187noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137527319097135001.post-18300800634107751142015-03-16T19:24:24.916+11:002015-03-16T19:24:24.916+11:00Thanks Desley for all your work with the koalas. W...Thanks Desley for all your work with the koalas. We appreciate your efforts!Karinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04114249320210808592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137527319097135001.post-57274883998350469732015-03-15T12:47:58.524+11:002015-03-15T12:47:58.524+11:00Hey Desley,
Thanks for putting facts behind this ...Hey Desley,<br /><br />Thanks for putting facts behind this story.<br /><br />It has taken the web by storm and only you has actually told the reality.<br /><br />Your blog is now getting shared by koala groups widely, so good for you for setting things straight, and also it's a sad story but the truth is slightly better than the media conspiracy theory. I think many people will feel slightly less sad - especially the part about planting 70,000 trees.<br /><br />Heart breaking times you had to live through...<br /><br />All the best,<br />romane.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03502372543562204385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137527319097135001.post-79135896343230095262015-03-09T13:08:03.435+11:002015-03-09T13:08:03.435+11:00Thanks for your questions Steve. I'll do my be...Thanks for your questions Steve. I'll do my best to answer them:<br />1. I agree that the government should take responsibility for creating and restoring koala habitat. I push for that at every opportunity. It should not be left to the landholders to fund it out of their own pockets, especially where mismanagement of koalas has resulted in widespread death of trees. Landholders have been planting trees for years. Last year alone, something like 70,000 trees (mixed species) were planted.<br /><br />Unfortunately, just planting trees will not be a solution and may simply increase the area of problems, unless there are other regulators of koala population growth (e.g. fire or disease). Blue gum plantations in Western Victoria are now full of koalas that have moved in from adjacent habitat.<br /><br />2. Fertility control - It has not taken a long time to discover this as an option. In fact, fertility control has been used successfully on Kangaroo Island, Mt Eccles National Park, and several islands where koalas have reached unsustainably high densities. The problem is, it's expensive (around $50 per koala plus catching costs, vet fees, program management etc), and because koalas are a long-lived species it takes a long time before populations return to a sustainable level. The Kangaroo Island program has been running since 1997 and in 2007 it was only beginning to make a real difference to habitat condition. Translocation of koalas to manna gum forests in south east SA was also part of that program. Without that, the time until effect may have been longer.<br /><br />In a place like Cape Otway effectiveness of fertility control may be limited by the potential for koalas to immigrate from neighbouring forests (>1000 km.sq of koala habitat in the Otway Ranges). However, if the government had have implemented a fertility control program in the early 2000s (and yes, this was suggested back then), it is highly likely we would have avoided the situation in 2013. It is only my recent research (supported by Earthwatch) that has revealed that most population growth within manna gum is due to breeding rather than immigration. My tracking work shows that koalas in manna gum at Cape Otway have considerably high site fidelity, and that movement of koalas into many patches (especially those farthest from the National Park forests) is minimal.<br /><br />I am very keen to see the government implement a fertility control program - with fewer koalas, a smaller area over which to work, and in light of our better understanding of koala movements it could be effective and is the only legal option. Habitat management including planting trees and actions to exclude koalas from some trees (to preserve local seed stock) should be part of a management program.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15651348691273550187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137527319097135001.post-28692424446672413422015-03-09T11:09:37.598+11:002015-03-09T11:09:37.598+11:00Thanks for sharing this information Desley. It cle...Thanks for sharing this information Desley. It cleared up a lot of things for me. A friend shared it on Facebook and that's how I came across it. If you have time to answer, I'd like to ask a few questions.<br />Is there anyone lobbying our government for more manna gum plantations to be created? <br />Surely the government needs to take some responsibility for planting these increasingly rare trees and not have that task rest solely on the surrounding landholders? <br />Why has it taken so long to discover that fertility control may actually be a viable option?<br />In relation to the comment "maybe if the government had of taken action sooner", what action do you speak of?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08760939772937028894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137527319097135001.post-81877640363459209712015-03-07T21:12:51.596+11:002015-03-07T21:12:51.596+11:00Thank you for your support Linda.Thank you for your support Linda.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15651348691273550187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137527319097135001.post-40289826146377800222015-03-07T12:11:02.816+11:002015-03-07T12:11:02.816+11:00Thank you, Desley, for sharing this information. T...Thank you, Desley, for sharing this information. The media has made a mess of it. It's fantastic of you to get the truth out. <br /><br />Cheers<br />Linda Dennis<br />Fourth Crossing Wildlife Indi Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02082631241090346240noreply@blogger.com