Global effort to keep koalas safe
With generous support from the Australian Wildlife Society, international PhD student, Charlotte Rigolot, is tackling one of the biggest challenges facing wildlife conservation today: how to protect our wild koala populations from extinction.
The bushland between Dunghutti and Worimi Country may be a long way from her home in the Pyrenean mountains of France, but the opportunity to study the koala populations around the Hunter Region is close to Charlotte Rigolot’s heart. Passionate about conservation biology, she hopes to tackle critical ecological problems worldwide and help safeguard koala populations in the process.
“Low-density koala populations in New South Wales are under constant threat from the devastating effects of increasing wildfires and habitat loss. By monitoring how different koala populations behave and respond to threats, we can work out which conservation strategies will have the biggest impact on their survival,” says Charlotte.
Data collection is vital to inform effective conservation strategies. Scholarship funding from the Australian Wildlife Society is enabling Charlotte to conduct critical fieldwork studies exploring koala movements, interactions, and health to understand what major threats are locally impacting the species. When linked to landscape models predicting forest evolution over time, the data will allow Charlotte to assess the risk of extinction under different scenarios over the next 50 years.
From South-West France to the Mid-North Coast
As an international student, Charlotte says studying in Australia has been an incredible opportunity to contribute directly to conservation efforts in a country renowned for its unique and diverse wildlife. She finds it especially inspiring to collaborate with so many dedicated conservation professionals working together to protect native species and habitats.
“Koalas are iconic in Australia and recognised worldwide. They serve as both a flagship and an umbrella species for the endangered native fauna of Australia's eastern coast, symbolising the vulnerability of wildlife to habitat loss. Being able to contribute to their conservation here, in one of the most affected regions, is incredibly meaningful.
I love tracking koalas into the bush. It can be hard work in such remote and wild areas but when you get to see a koala climbing a tree, in the middle of a swamp, in the morning mist, after crossing a thickly vegetated area to get there, it is always worth it!”
Fieldwork can be costly and I’m so grateful to the Australian Wildlife Society for their valuable support which has allowed me to get more data and present better results."
Charlotte Rigolot
2024 Australian Wildlife Society Research Conservation Scholarship Recipient
PhD Student, School of Environment and Life Science
To learn more about how you or your business can philanthropically support an area you are passionate about, such as sustainability, please contact Kade on 02 4921 8612 or email philanthropy@newcastle.edu.au
Contact
- Kade
- Phone: 02 4921 8612
- Email: philanthropy@newcastle.edu.au
Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.