National Koala Disease Risk Assessment
The Koala Health Hub (in collaboration with Wildlife Health Australia and the IUCN) has recently completed a national Koala Disease Risk Assessment (KDRA). This is the first disease risk analysis to examine disease risk for an Australian wildlife species at the national level. This nationwide approach was made possible through the support of the Australian Government and with the enthusiastic participation and engagement of a range of stakeholders. The stakeholder group each brought their unique perspective to evaluation of disease in this iconic species and developed the following Vision Statement which underpins the recommendations of the KDRA:
Sustainable, resilient and healthy populations of koalas, living in positive welfare within healthy ecosystems across their range. Koalas are well-managed in their local context and populations are supported by robust and consistent legislation, informed community engagement and long-term funding.
The report and appendices (available below) identify the knowledge base, information gaps, risk assessments and critical control points for koala disease hazards.
A series of implementation planning workshops, facilitated by Wildlife Health Australia, will be conducted later in the year to consider the KDRA recommendations and to develop koala health and disease actions in alignment with other national koala conservation initiatives.
