Eight high quality scientific research projects will be funded under the Koala Research Grant Program—a key program under the government's Investing to protect koalas policy. The funded projects address different aspects of key research priority areas, focusing on koala diseases and other preventable causes of death, injury and illness in Queensland’s iconic koala population.
Under this initiative, a total of $3.13 million is being provided over 4 years to fund the successful projects, with grants ranging from $182,000 to $656,000.
The anticipated research outcomes from the funded projects will help fill information gaps concerning preventable causes of koala disease and mortality, and will provide tangible outcomes to better inform koala management.
List of recipients and research projects selected for funding
- Professor Hamish McCallum, Griffith University—$449,621 for the project titled: Modelling to assess the risk posed by disease to the viability of Queensland's koala populations.
- Dr William Ellis, University of Queensland—$322,824 for the project titled: Pathways of pathogen transmission in the koala.
- Dr Steve Johnson, University of Queensland—$655,875 for the project titled: The pathology incidence, treatment and management of Chlamydiosis in the male koala.
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland—$420,723 for the project titled: KoalaBase – standardised diagnostic procedures and epidemiological approaches, enhancing passive surveillance of SEQ koala disease.
- Dr William Ellis, University of Queensland—$527,237 for the project titled: Behavioural and physiological adaptation to heat in the koala; and dynamics.
- Dr Adam Polkinghorne, Queensland University of Technology—$227,946 for the project titled: Koala Chlamydia pecorum virulence profiling: tools to inform management of health and diseased koala populations.
- Dr Greg Simmons, University of Queensland—$342,664 for the project titled: Investigation into koala retrovirus pathogenesis for the improvement of koala conservation.
- Dr Wilhelmina Huston, Queensland University of Technology—$182,038 for the project titled: Development of a koala chlamydia specific therapy.
Anticipated outcomes of funded research projects
The research projects to be funded under the Koala Research Grant Program will deliver a variety of outcomes for koala conservation including:
- modelling tools to assess threats posed by infectious disease to the continued viability of Queensland's koala populations
- identifying how infectious disease is transmitted within and between populations of koalas
- an impact study on the effects of Chlamydia on infertility rates in male koalas, an area that has not been well researched in the past
- developing a standardised post-mortem examination and disease recording nomenclature for koala mortality and morbidity, including a reference diagnostic service, a centralised tissue collection bank and an online database and research tool summarising koala mortality in Queensland
- modelling tools which will incorporate eco-physiological data into predictions of the effect of climate change on koala populations
- identifying virulent and avirulent strains of chlamydia that may be responsible for different levels of disease
- identifying links between koala retrovirus and disease to produce tools for management of koala retrovirus in Australia's koala populations
- further developing and evaluating a chlamydia specific antimicrobial for use in anti-chlamydia therapy.
For further information about the Koala Research Grant Program, phone 3330 6317.
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