Unexpected sightings of koalas near the Blue Mountains have given hope a disease-free colony is recovering after the Black Summer bushfires.
Key points:
A koala has been spotted near Lithgow, the first reported sighting in the area for five years
Researchers say the sighting raises hopes for the species’ survival following the Black Summer bushfires
Koalas were listed as endangered earlier this year amid fears they will be extinct by 2050
A koala seen this week at Hassans Walls, near Lithgow, is the first time the native species has been reported in the area for five years.
It follows sightings in the past 12 months in the Newnes Plateau, Wollemi National Park, and Kanangra-Boyd National Park.
More than 80 per cent of the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains Area was burned during the 2019/20 bushfires, sparking fears and unmapped koala populations had been destroyed.
Local Margot McGinnes said she was “extremely surprised” to see a koala while walking in an area “generally not known to have koalas”.
“It was just a magnificent sighting. It really was very, very exciting,” she said.
Margot McGinnes (pink jacket) and Kate Smith spotted the koala while walking along Hassans Walls.(Supplied: Margot McGinnes)
Research group Science for Wildlife has been studying koala populations in the Blue Mountains and Lithgow area.
CEO KellieLee said it was a promising development for the recovery of the species in the region “because that area was really badly hit” and indicated a possible koala colony near Lithgow.
“We weren’t sure there would be any koalas left,” Dr Lee said.
The cartoon koala indicates the recent sighting, the first near Lithgow for five years.(Supplied: Science for Wildlife)
“It is suggesting that there could be another colony or perhaps that the Newnes Plateau colony might be connected up with koalas close to Lithgow.
“The fact they are popping up in these areas where they are just not common is a good sign they are out there and expanding.”
Disease-free koalas
Earlier this year, the New South Wales government listed koalas as an endangered species amid fears the animal could become extinct by 2050.
Early testing indicates the koala population near Lithgow is free of diseases.(ABC News: Curtis Rodda)
Habitat destruction, bushfires, road accidents, and chlamydia are all reasons behind the decline.
Chlamydia causes blindness, and cysts in koalas’ reproductive tracts lead to infertility or, in some cases, death.
The antibiotics used to treat the disease can destroy the koalas gut, leading some to starve to death even after being cured.
Dr Lee said the koalas they had found were disease-free, making them crucial for the native species survival.
“All of our testing so far has come back negative so we haven’t seen any signs of chlamydia in these populations,” Dr Lee said.
“That is obviously very good news and one less threat that they are facing.”
Central Queensland’s Shoalwater Bay may be better known as a military training ground for human conflict, but nearby graziers and conservationists are fighting for the survival of a unique species.
Key points:
Shoalwater Bay graziers’ work protects the critically endangered Capricorn yellow chat
There are only about 250 birds left in the wild and conservationists are worried a bad weather event may send the species extinct
Locals believe it’s an example of agriculture and the natural environment co-existing to benefit all
The Capricorn yellow chat is a critically endangered flycatcher unique to the region including near the bay better known for military training and war games involving soldiers from across the world.
Birdlife Capricornia secretary Allan Briggs said the endangered species survives in a flat environment which is also attractive for cattle grazing.
“Wherever we find them they are in what we call a marine plain environment which is basically a treeless environment, that’s right on the [coastal] edge and experiences some tidal flooding,” he said.
“That’s one of the reasons why people don’t see yellow chats, because they’re in very harsh environments and they’re difficult to access.”
Marine plains are treeless, flood plain country with some tidal inundation.(Supplied: Craig Mace)
Grazier Craig Mace lives at Toorilla Plains and has about 4,000 hectares of marine plains on his property.
Rather than seeing it as lost productivity he said preserving the yellow chat habitat as a healthy environment benefited his business.
“If you look after the environment it looks after you, and the birds, that’s the environment they love,” he said.
“It’s just an aviary for birds and waterbirds. There’s plenty of them out there at the moment.”
He said that his cattle and the natural ecosystem worked effectively side by side.
“The birds just fit in with the cattle,” he said.
“I think the cattle keep the grass down to a degree and you just have to make sure you don’t overgraze the country.”
In the event of heavy rainfall graziers have to muster cattle from marine plains to higher ground.(Supplied: Lawson Geddes)
Down the road, Lawson Geddes also has marine plains on his property Couti-Outi.
He said it was a simple question of healthy environment, healthy cattle.
“They’re all animals,” he said.
“I think it’s all part of the environment isn’t it? They’re all a part of the ecosystem and I think they seem to get along quite well.”
The habitat has been working so well that Mr Geddes was surprised to hear the bird was endangered at all.
“Until a few years ago I didn’t know they were endangered,” he said.
“An environmentalist came back very excited one day because he’d found a bird that, apparently, they thought was extinct elsewhere.
“He showed us a photo and it was this yellow chat and we just said ‘Oh, we see that all the time’.”
Bird on the brink
Mr Briggs said the population of yellow chats is on a knife edge and any loss of population or habitat could have a detrimental impact.
“There’s only 250 left in the wild,” he said.
“That means the bird is critically endangered and you can well imagine if we had a major environmental event, like a cyclone or a huge fire that went through, we could end up reducing the population to a level that is not viable and it would end up going extinct.”
Mr Briggs said it made the landowners’ management of marine plains critical to the survival of the species.
“These land managers do a really great job,” he said.
“There’s, for example, invasive weed species and ferals which affect the yellow chat’s habitat and the landowners, the graziers, are keeping these problems under control.
Craig Mace said his cattle have lived alongside endangered Capricorn yellow chats for years. (Rural ABC: Pat Heagney)
“The cattle as well, they graze the grass and weeds down to a manageable level so they are effectively controlling the fire risk.
“Without them there is no management, and I don’t think the habitat would last very long if it was just left to be in its wild condition.”
Conservation cooperation
Mr Geddes said their work with the Capricorn yellow chat was an example of farmers working with the land, and that agriculture and the natural environment can co-exist.
“This bird has been here as long as I can remember, the cattle don’t worry about it at all,” he said.
“You can see the cows lying down and the bird on its back just going around doing its thing.”
Graziers say marine plains are home to a unique ecosystem and cattle feed almost all year round.(Supplied: Craig Mace)
Mr Mace agreed and said it was rewarding to challenge the negative perceptions of agriculture, but they needed to showcase more examples.
“I think the only thing you can do is to get people out and look at it,” he said.
“You can tell people all you like but they have to see it for themselves.
“That’s why we have a lot of environmental groups that come out and survey the place and count the birds”
Mr Briggs said that without the cooperation and management of the graziers it would be a very different story for the Capricorn yellow chat.
“I do want to congratulate the landowners that we’ve been working with,” he said.
“It’s a really delicate balance in these complex environmental scenarios and it really needs the cooperation of everybody — land managers, conservationists — all working together to maintain that population into the future.”
