Koala Research Conference, Rockhampton QLD, 1-3 Feb 2012

The following is a summary of the Koala Research Conference, as taken from their website. It provides a brief overview of the background, agenda, and outcomes of the conference - which took place between the 1-3 February, in Rockhampton, QLD.

{Bill and Sean recently co-organised} an expert workshop on the conservation of Central Queensland’s koalas. Specialist koala researchers, captive population managers, conservation managers and planners {met} to plan a future for koalas across the species’ range in tropical Australia. The workshop {was} open to all with an interest in practical approaches to conserving this great Australian icon, {particularly} land managers and property owners.

The theme of the workshop, “Conserving Central Queensland’s koalas”, encompasses a review of research and monitoring, strategic planning in regional landscapes and the significance of local and international captive populations for global koala conservation.

{Participants sought to} achieve a more holistic and strategic approach to koala conservation founded on the application of ecological knowledge and principals.

The aim of this workshop {was} to bring together those with practical knowledge of koala ecology, captive animal managers and conservation practitioners to develop conservation principles informed by direct experience of koalas, their habitat and the environment within which they persist.

The workshop follows on the recent review by the Australian Senate into the status of the koala and the forthcoming re-assessment of the classification of the koala in Queensland. It will provide both researchers and managers with a structure for monitoring and managing conservation processes in a rapidly changing region.

{They discussed}:

• regional research and monitoring of koalas and their habitat
• information gaps and future needs for informed conservation management
• {the role of} captive management in global koala conservation (local, national & international refuges for koala genotypes)
• drought responses in koala populations at a local and landscape level
• the role of disease (including koala retrovirus & chlamydia) in koala ecology and importance for conservation planning
• the significance of fire, drought, severe weather events and climate change predictions in conservation planning.
• the influence of resource extraction and regional land management practice on regional koala persistence.
• regional planning for long term conservation (accommodating population growth, resource extraction, highways & infrastructure corridors)
• habitat management & restoration and population recovery with climate uncertainty.

And the workshop outcomes were:

• A framework (informed by research & natural history) to support practical conservation and management actions; 
• Publication of the proceedings and conclusions of the workshop;
• Dissemination of position statements in relation to regional koala conservation, management and monitoring.