Since 1989 koalas in central Queensland have been monitored as part of a range of collaborative research projects between The University of Queensland, Central Queensland University and Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Since 1994, Blair Athol Coal Mine has funded a full time researcher based at The University of Queensland to investigate the ecology of koalas at Blair Athol in central Queensland. The project combines the logistical expertise of the mine staff with the research objectives of the project scientists in many ways; for example, the novel koala capture method, where mine equipment is used to take the researchers right up to the koalas to assist captures. Usually researchers are required to climb trees to catch koalas, but at B.A. the bucket truck is a regular feature of captures, reducing time, effort, danger and potentially stress for both the researcher and the koala concerned. 

Koalas on the mine lease are radio collared and undergo annual health checks as part of the project which is looking at their diet, habitat use and breeding ecology. Several members of Blair Athol Coal's environmental staff have been trained to handle the koalas, assisting the researchers and building a great working relationship between the mine staff and the researchers. Although the project has a number of specific management objectives for both the monitoring of the koalas on-site and the revegetation planning, the project is most notable for its interesting and remarkable  scientific aspects.

This is the first ever study of the breeding ecology of free-ranging koalas using DNA testing. Because the project has been running for over 10 years, with an intensive collaboration for the past five years, some major scientific breakthroughs have been made, for example,  in the understanding of how koalas breed.

Many koalas have been born on-site during the last five years. Monitoring the growth of these koalas has provided the first comprehensive data on the growth of free-ranging koalas in Australia. As the project has progressed, some young koalas born at the site have grown up and produced young themselves, so the project is spanning generations of koalas, providing information about gene flow, how koalas disperse, how they establish home ranges and who they are likely to breed with, things which were previously beyond the scope of shorter studies.
Some of the most significant practical findings have related to tree use and diet of koalas at Blair Athol

Previous work by members of The Koala Study Program at The University of Queensland disproved the long held belief that koalas ate only one or two species and that they ate only those species in which they were seen during the day. The Environment Section at Blair Athol Coal Mine had some specific questions for the Uni researchers to answer, e.g.: what species should be planted to maximise the likelihood of providing all the requirements of the koalas in the post-mining landform? In order to determine this we used  diet analysis . This method was developed by a Burmese masters student, U. Nyo Tun, under the guidance of Dr. Frank Carrick A.M. and completed in 1993. A subsequent masters student, Motohiro Hasegawa, from Japan, and researcher Petra Lundgren, from Sweden, carried out the laborious task of developing a microscopic key for the identification of all the potential food species at Blair Athol, then processing faecal pellets into microscope slides so that the diet of each koala in the study could be determined.
 The findings were very interesting. Koalas from different areas of the mine ate different species of trees to one another, and ate different species of trees between seasons. Although several species were found to be the most popular for eating across the site e.g.. Eucalyptus populnea , the poplar box, day time observations were not accurate for determining the proportion of each species eaten. In addition, several koalas utilised non-food trees, such as brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) and ti tree (Melaleuca bracteata) for much of their roosting. These results are keys to effective rehabilitation at the site.
 

This is also the first study to examine the long term impacts of disturbance on the diet and home ranges of koalas. Very little is known about the way koalas respond to habitat disturbance. In near urban areas where koalas are displaced, these animals are likely to end up dying on roads or being attacked by dogs as they try to find suitable habitat in an ever diminishing space of land.

 Over the years of the study, many koalas have vacated the mine area, some have established home ranges near to the mine site, others have wandered far afield and been lost to the study. Those that have established home ranges near the mine site have continued to be monitored, and their tree use and diet patterns make for interesting reading.

Once every twelve months the koalas at Blair Athol are captured so that their radio collars can be replaced (the specially designed collars degrade in sunlight and fall off within two years). At this time the koalas’ health is examined and measurements are made to determine growth. Blood samples are collected from each koala and swabs are taken so that the rate of infection with Chlamydia  (The predominant pathogen of koalas, causing blindness and infertility) can be determined. The stress hormone profiles of the koalas have also been monitored to see just how they are affected by the procedures at the mine.
 

Koalas at Blair Athol have an unusually low rate of infection with Chlamydia, compared with natural populations in other regions of Australia, and this may have contributed to the high birth rate and longevity at the site. The researchers are now looking at a new generation of koalas at Blair Athol, koalas they have seen grow from the pouch to adulthood, some with offspring of their own. Every year a new group of school students is introduced to this unique animal by the Blair Athol staff and the researchers. The ground breaking research at Blair Athol has been part of the education of students from primary level to Ph.D. and is leading the way in koala research in Australia. Although it will be many years before the koalas at Blair Athol are again able to roam freely across their former home range, their outlook has been considerably enhanced thanks to the collaboration between Blair Athol and The University of Queensland.

The StBees Island Koala Study

 Ranging