Prepared by Dr Keith Joliffe, Conservation Council Gula volunteer

Conservation Council volunteers are studying the viability of ACT woodlands to carry wild Gula. The study is guided by researchers of the Fenner School, ANU and staff of City and Environment Directorate, ACT Government. and builds upon the ACT Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Advice 2023. The research carried out aims to provide policy advice next year that will enhance the ACT Government Native Species Conservation Plan – Gula (Koala) Phascolarctos cinereus, 2023.

Our method comprises review of scholarly research, collection of background materials on ACT woodlands and Gula presence/absence, overlaying vegetation type, habitat connectivity and other GIS derived maps, ground-truthing through transect surveys, and leaf collection for nutrient and toxin analysis.

We have now completed the lowland transects (a total of 34 plus two preliminary plots, ranging from the ACT Northern Border to Bullen Range) mostly in Canberra Nature Reserves with a couple on private properties. We are taking a winter break to plan sub-alpine transect sites in Tidbinbilla and Namadgi, resuming fieldwork in spring. Strategically located leaf collection will occur after the transects, followed by analysis, conclusions and recommendations in 2027.

ANU Masters students are undertaking supplementary projects on digital field-based data collection, communication theory, early work on a Mulligans Flat sub-project and a data analysis model built on our research parameters.

We invite critical feedback. We are happy to share our data. For details please email info@conservationcouncil.org.au.

We use the Kamba Pool (KP) site to display an example transect and how this transect data has been combined with a range of existing spatial data sets to analyse habitat suitability.

Figure 1: Zoomed-in section of transect points overlaid on the Urban Ecological Network from Stromlo to Waniassa (North to South) and from Uriarra to Queanbean (West to East) showing different completed transects throughout Canberra’s Nature Reserves as small coloured circles.