AFTER years of grim headlines for one of Australia’s most loved icons, there’s finally some good news for koalas on Redlands Coast.
Redland City Council has become the first local government in south-east Queensland — and within the koala’s federally listed northern endangered range — to report that its city-wide koala population has stopped declining.
Independent analysis by the University of the Sunshine Coast and Griffith University has found no evidence of further population decline since 2018, marking a major turning point for the embattled species.
Mayor Jos Mitchell said the findings showed years of hard work were paying off.
“Council’s officers have advised me that the investments made by Redland City Council in science-based conservation, innovative technology and community engagement and education have contributed to a stabilised population at this time,” the mayor said.
“Council’s investment and strategic partnerships, along with the work being undertaken by our committed community in Council’s Koala Conservation Program initiatives such as Redlands Coast Koala Watch and Koala Safe Neighbourhood, have played a pivotal role.”
But while the trend has finally flattened, the mayor warned the fight was far from over.
“There is an estimated 350 to 500 koalas on the mainland, facing threats such as urbanisation, habitat fragmentation, vehicle strikes, domestic dog attacks and disease,” she said.
“Increased state and federal government investment is needed to accelerate critical koala conservation work, including strategic habitat enhancements, advancing genetic connectivity and strengthening disease management.”
Scientists backing the research say the data is the most comprehensive ever collected for Redlands Coast koalas, showing a stable genetic structure, no further signs of population collapse and encouraging improvements in survival outcomes.
University of the Sunshine Coast Detection Dogs for Conservation co-founder Dr Romane Cristescu said her team had monitored the population closely for more than six years.
“Our work has included repeated population density surveys at more than 20 sites, three genetic surveys, over 1000 detection dog surveys, and genetic analysis of more than 1500 scats,” Dr Cristescu said.
“Our key findings show the estimated effective population size has remained stable since 2018, despite increasing urbanisation pressures.”
She said disease remained the biggest threat.
“Chlamydia infection prevalence – an escalating threat across Queensland – has also remained unchanged, though it continues to be the primary threat to Redlands Coast koalas,” she said.
“Importantly, signs indicating genetic erosion observed in 2018, compared to the 2006 Redlands Coast koala population, have not been detected when comparing 2018, 2021 and 2024 genetic surveys.”
Griffith University Senior Research Fellow Dr Douglas Kerlin said hospital admissions and sightings data also showed positive change, with more koalas surviving encounters that once would have been fatal.
“Since 2020, there has been a significant increase in the number of koalas entering care alive, receiving treatment and successfully being released back into the wild, allowing them to continue contributing to the population,” Dr Kerlin said.
“We attribute this positive trend to heightened public awareness, facilitated by Council’s Koala Conservation Program initiatives such as Redlands Coast Koala Watch and Koala Safe Neighbourhood.”
However, he warned the population remained fragile.
“While there is evidence of recent population stability, koala abundance on Redlands Coast remains severely diminished compared to the 1990s,” Dr Kerlin said.
“The population remains at risk, particularly from major random events such as drought, flood or bushfire, which could easily send this population into a downward spiral.”
Environment Portfolio representative Cr Julie Talty said the stabilisation reflected years of focused action to tackle the biggest threats, including disease, habitat fragmentation, road strikes and dog attacks, all of which have shown signs of reduction.
“We know that disease and fragmentation in urban areas are the main threats and our programs since 2018 have been tailored to track and treat ill koalas,” Cr Talty said.
“To this extent, Council’s koala conservation program has established strategic research partnerships with four universities to integrate cutting-edge science and technology into conservation efforts.”
“This includes groundbreaking work on koala food tree nutritional ecology and seed propagation, koala genetics and disease monitoring, and strategies to reduce road mortality.”
She said technology and community involvement had been critical to the turnaround.
“Council has also championed using technology and applied science such as Bluetooth koala ID tags, drop-off high-fix GPS collars, koala scat detection dogs and AI-powered koala recognition software,” Cr Talty said.
“The work of our community has also played a pivotal role in this success, with residents empowered to become active custodians of their local koalas.”
Mayor Mitchell said Council would not be easing up.
“Thank you to Council officers, Council’s partnering universities and our community for working to achieve positive outcomes for our iconic Australian koalas,” she said.
