The plight of Noosa’s koala population, and how scientists are using detection dogs and genetic research to improve conservation methods, will be the topic of the next Noosa Parks EnviroForum to be held on 27th March.
Guest speaker Katrin Hohwieler will discuss how she and other researchers on the Sunshine Coast have enhanced their methods of mapping koala habitats and populations using specially trained detection dogs to locate koala scat. This in turn has enabled her to study the degradation of genetic diversity with fragmentation of habitat and the genetic connectivity of koalas.
Ms Hohwieler, as a representative of the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Global Change Ecology Group, will discuss the achievements so far of the “Koala Forever Noosa” project.
This will be the second Noosa Parks EnviroForum, after the event was successfully launched in February. The EnviroForum events are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month.
Noosa Parks EnviroForum organiser, Lyn Graham, said the events were an opportunity to bridge the gap between locals and experts. “We have some of the top environmental scientists in the world living right here on the Sunshine Coast and these forums allow community members to meet them one-on-one, as well as listen to them speak to the group about their work,” she said.
Ms Hohwieler has studied biology and ecology at universities in Germany, Vienna and Norway. Her PhD studies at the University of the Sunshine Coast are focused on koala conservation and more specifically, how the destruction of koala habitats can affect their genetics.
The EnviroForum will be held on 27 March at Noosa Parks Environmental Centre, 5 Wallace Drive, Wallace Park, Noosaville from 5.30pm. Entry $5.
