Koala research at UQ
Protecting Australia's iconic koalas
Koalas are among Australia's best known — and most loved — native species, yet their future is increasingly uncertain. As highly specialised feeders that rely almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, koalas are particularly vulnerable to threats from habitat loss, disease, climate change and human encroachment.
It’s estimated that 7 out of 10 koalas die just crossing the road to get from one feeding tree to another. Add to this the truly existential threat from rampant chlamydia infection and there is real concern that these beautiful creatures may one day be relegated to Australian folklore. Sadly, already they are listed as threatened in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT.
The good news? Committed partners in Queensland and beyond are working hard to turn things around. At The University of Queensland, researchers lead innovative, multidisciplinary efforts to better understand, conserve and protect koala populations.
From investigating gut microbiomes, genetics and Koala Retrovirus (KoRV), to advancing wildlife health surveillance, reproductive technologies, epidemiology and field ecology, UQ scientists are developing evidence-based solutions to support koala conservation. Their work includes long-term population monitoring, non-invasive diagnostic tools, genetic biobanking, disease management innovations, and cutting-edge genomics, artificial intelligence and environmental DNA applications.
Together, these talented and dedicated individuals are improving koala health, resilience and long-term survival, ensuring that intervention strategies are informed by the best available science and designed to protect a treasured species for generations to come.
Koala research topics
- Developing and translating molecular and genomic technologies to improve koala health and conservation
- Health and ecology of koala populations across Queensland
- Koala sperm and egg bank conservation research
- Koala reproductive science for conservation
- Koalas on Australian islands: first database and exploration
- Optimising koala surveys to detect changes in distribution: turning poo into conservation evidence
- Research into the biology of koalas, their conservation and management
- Transforming koala conservation through evolutionary and genomic science
- Understanding how environmental and management factors affect koala wellbeing
- Understanding koala retrovirus (KoRV)
- Understanding of koala biology and disease including koala morbidity and mortality
- Understanding the koala microbiome
Support koala research and conservation efforts at UQ