Want to count a koala?

As we’ve previously reported, koalas are not uncommon in our area. But how many are there?

You might want to add to the sum of human knowledge by participating in DELWP’s Koala count on Saturday November 7. For details, check out how to register here

Koalas have had a chequered history in Victoria. The population was reduced to 500 individuals by the 1920s, but relocations have brought a revival. As DELWP’s briefing notes point out:

‘In most areas of Victoria, Koala densities are naturally low (on average about one per hectare).

‘In some places in Victoria, Koala population densities are so high that the resulting browsing pressure on their preferred food trees is unsustainable and is a threat to the integrity of entire forest patches and the health and welfare of the resident Koalas. This is due to favourable climatic conditions, presence of preferred Eucalyptus food trees, the absence of predators and a high fertility rate.’

The Strezlecki ranges is now thought to hold the only genuine remnant koala population in the state.