Starvation fears for Mount Lofty koalas as numbers surge
SA’s Mount Lofty Ranges is now home to 10 per cent of the nation’s loved Aussie marsupial – and they are facing a struggle for survival, a new study warning a solution is urgent.
Koalas in Adelaide’s Mount Lofty Ranges risk starvation if the population is not brought under control, a new study warning sterilisation options should be pursued.
The study, led by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and supported by Flinders University and the University of Wollongong, found the booming koala population had reached an unsustainable level.
The Mount Lofty Ranges, located in the Hills, holds some of the highest koala densities in the country.
Currently, the area is home to about 10 per cent of Australia’s total koala population. But this figure is expected to grow by a further 17 to 25 per cent over the next 25 years.
Senior lecturer at UTS Frédérik Saltré, said this surging growth in numbers would impact food supply, vegetation and natural habitats.
“Koalas are in steep decline across much of eastern Australia, but in South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges, the opposite problem is happening: a booming koala population,’ Dr Saltré said in a statement.
“This should be good news, but these numbers are concerning.
“Many areas now have koala densities far beyond what the ecosystem can sustain … following this trajectory, there will almost certainly be a terrible situation of mass koala starvation and death.”
Dr Saltré and his team said the solution was to annually sterilise approximately 22 per cent of female koalas in density hotspots – at an estimated cost of $34 million over 25 years.
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An Environment and Water Department spokesperson told InDaily the government appreciated the role of researchers and citizen scientists in “contributing to future management efforts”.
But while they said the department “continues to monitor koala populations in the Mount Lofty region”, they did not comment on whether the sterilisation plans would be adopted.
“A range of measures have been used across the state, including habitat management as well as translocation – recognising the potential welfare impact of this measure on the protected species,” they said.
