Koalas are being decimated by highway traffic

An endangered population of koalas is being decimated by speeding cars bisecting critical habitat in central Queensland, Australia, scientists are warning.

Should the roadkill incidents continue unabated there is very little chance that the population can recover, they say.

Researchers recorded incidents of koalas being hit by cars along a stretch of highway between the community of Nebo in central Queensland and Mackay, a city on Queensland’s coast. The Peak Downs Highway cuts through Epsom State Forest and runs adjacent to Spencer Gap State Forest and Ben Mohr State Forest.

All told, the scientists involved in the study said they know that at least 145 koalas were hit by cars along this stretch of the Peak Downs Highway from January 1 to November 25, 2023.

83 percent of the koalas hit were killed. The rest were sent to special shelters for recovery.

“There are horrendous numbers of koalas getting hit and killed by vehicles every year on this relatively short stretch of road, with no reduction in sight,” said Dr. Rolf Schlagloth, a Central Queensland University scientist and the lead researcher on the study.

The study was published in the Australian Journal of Environmental Management. The research was conducted primarily by scholars from Central Queensland University, with assistance from a researcher based at Griffith University.

According to the research team, migrating koalas can cross the busy highway at certain points where special underpasses have been constructed to help aid wildlife habitat connectivity. At least three of the highway’s bridges were retrofitted to encourage safe animal crossings.

However, this infrastructure appears to be ineffective.

They also argue that highway visibility is a factor. Where drivers have a clearer line of sight, they are less likely to hit koalas crossing the highway. Unfortunately, much of the highway isn’t designed for optimal visibility.

Though one of Australia’s most iconic species, the koala is now considered endangered. Traffic deaths, government mismanagement, and now climate change are all cited as factors in the decline of wild koala populations. Devastating wildfires have taken a particularly heavy toll on koala populations.

Schlagloth said authorities need to take steps to reduce koala deaths from vehicle strikes along this particular stretch of highway, which happens to run through important koala habitat. Failure to do so could mean that the health of the koala population will decline even further, he warned in a statement publicizing this research.

“This is most definitely not a sustainable situation for this endangered species,” he said.

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