Landscape Homogeneity May Drive the Distribution of Koala Vehicle Collisions on a Major Highway in the Clarke-Connors Range in Central Queensland, Australia

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
File version

Version of Record (VoR)

Author(s)
Schlagloth, Rolf
Santamaria, Flavia
Harte, Michael
Keatley, Marie R
Geddes, Charley
Kerlin, Douglas H
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
2024
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract

After the loss and fragmentation of habitat, vehicle collisions are one of the main threats to the long-term survival of wild koalas. Koala road strike data were analysed for a section of the Peak Downs Highway between Nebo and Spencer’s Gap, west of Mackay, Queensland, Australia. The analysis was carried out on 345 records (October 2014 to November 2023), and results suggested the spatial distribution of koala road strike followed a random pattern along this section of the highway, assuming a Poisson point pattern on a linear network. An analysis of the candidate predictors of koala vehicle collisions, including habitat and road variables, found that the amount of high-quality koala habitat (as defined by the local koalas’ tree species preference) present and the driver visibility were the only significant predictors. The relative homogeneity of landuse and vegetation across this landscape may mean that koalas do not concentrate at specific crossing points. More research, including detailed habitat mapping, is needed into this population, which currently lacks government and conservation attention, to inform mitigation efforts and reduce mortality rates for this potentially nationally significant population.

Journal Title

Animals

Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume

14

Issue

19

Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement

© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

Animal production

Veterinary sciences

Zoology

Persistent link to this record
Citation

Schlagloth, R; Santamaria, F; Harte, M; Keatley, MR; Geddes, C; Kerlin, DH, Landscape Homogeneity May Drive the Distribution of Koala Vehicle Collisions on a Major Highway in the Clarke-Connors Range in Central Queensland, Australia, Animals, 2024, 14 (19), pp. 2902

Collections