Dr. Diana Fisher, from the University of Queensland and Ripper Corporation, is conducting a study to help count the Burleigh Koalas and observe how they move across the Burleigh Headlands, Ridge Park, and Tallebudgera Conservation Park reserve. The study is supported by the Queensland government under a grant titled ‘CSAKAR827 – Improving monitoring and community-led awareness for koala conservation’.
Burleigh Heads is one of the busiest tourism hotspots on the Gold Coast, and there is a very healthy population of koalas living in an area surrounded by very busy roads, high-rises, homes, and threats such as dogs and vehicle strikes.
First of its Kind Study
This study with University of Queensland is the first of its kind on the Gold Coast. It will run over 2 years, and each survey mission is flown by Ripper drones over consecutive nights to track numbers in real-time. It also shows where they cross the many roads that cut through the koalas’ Burleigh habitat. The areas surveyed cross three government jurisdictions: Burleigh Heads National Park (Federal), Burleigh Ridge Conservation Park (Council), and Tallebudgera Conservation Park (State). The information will also hopefully help with the planned terrestrial overpass across the highway.
Ripper Corp drones found 64 koalas in the first survey over 107 hectares.
Ripper Corporation is acknowledged as a leader in using this state-of-the-art tech on it’s drones that pinpoints locations (longitude & latitude) and imagery of each animal identified in a survey, including joeys on the back of females.
This quick, efficient, and comprehensive method replaces most surveys conducted in traditional methods on foot and looking for scat and animals, which is not particularly efficient or accurate. And can be dangerous for frontline personnel who have to move through rough bushland with threats such as snakes, etc.
Dr. Diana Fisher – University of Queensland – lead researcher – Burleigh Koala Study
“We are aiming to find the best methods to accurately survey koalas using cameras on aerial drones, to find out how many koalas there are in patches of urban bushland such as Tallebudgera Creek Conservation Park and Burleigh Head National Park. Urban bushland in south-east Queensland can support high densities of koalas. Our first survey showed that although Burleigh Heads is one of the busiest centres on the Gold Coast, it has a particularly high population of koalas. These surveys and community participation with camera trapping can tell us where these koalas are most likely to cross roads, and where we should focus to protect them.”
