Indigenous rangers are working to protect koalas on a Queensland island from fire, one of the biggest threats to the marsupials.
The koala populations on Minjerribah or North Stradbroke Island are the only naturally occurring island koalas in Australia.
They have only a small amount of chlamydia, a disease that has decimated koala populations on the mainland.
Rangers from the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation use drones to locate koalas in advance of planned fires to protect the marsupial population of Minjerribah.
Using thermal imaging cameras, the drone detects hot spots in the trees, which the pilot can then zoom in on, staying far enough away to leave the animal alone while determining whether it is a koala.
“We are making the island fireproof so that when we have our cultural fires or wildfires, we can better control where the koalas are and help protect them,” Kiah Morgan, the Aboriginal Corporation’s lead drone pilot, told AAP.
Ms Morgan, a Quandamooka woman, said it was important to be able to protect her land and native wildlife while participating in cultural slash-and-burn practices.
“It’s really special… I get to be out in the country and help with the fires and take care of the environment and the native animals,” she said
Rangers can take precautionary measures, such as watering vegetation around trees inhabited by koalas or keeping a firefighting aircraft on standby in areas with known populations of these marsupials.
With a drone that can cover up to 50 hectares per hour, locating the koalas is much easier and faster than a ground search and can improve accuracy.
Combining cultural knowledge and modern technology is important for protecting and revitalizing the island’s wildlife, says the company’s chief drone pilot, Ryan Kucirek.
“For me, the combination of cultural fire and koala drone exploration is everything,” he said.
“It provides the best protection for our wildlife. And the fires bring life back to the soil.”
The $600,000 Koala Fire Resilience project is a collaboration between conservation organization WWF Australia, Danish nonprofit Qato Foundation and Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Corporation.
For Djarra Delaney, a Quandamooka tribal owner and Indigenous lands management specialist at WWF Australia, it is an exciting project to be part of.
“We want to use traditional knowledge in the care of koalas while also using the latest technology to support them,” he said.
“Koalas are special animals to the Quandamooka people. We have a responsibility to ensure that they are happy, healthy and cheerful.”