Between the Trees: Quantifying Koala Ground Movement for Conservation Action

Gabriella R Sparkes; Oakleigh Wilson; William A H Ellis; Sean Fitzgibbon; Benjamin J Barth; Christofer Clemente; Mathew S. Crowther; Robbie S Wilson

doi:10.3390/ani15243537

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Between the Trees: Quantifying Koala Ground Movement for Conservation Action

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Between the Trees: Quantifying Koala Ground Movement for Conservation Action

Gabriella R Sparkes, Oakleigh Wilson, William A H Ellis, Sean Fitzgibbon, Benjamin J Barth, Christofer Clemente, Mathew S. Crowther and Robbie S Wilson

Animals, Vol.15(24), pp.1-19

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15243537

PMCID: PMC12729488

PMID: 41463822

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Abstract

accelerometry

machine learning

movement ecology

koala conservation

behavioural ecology

Koalas are an iconic Australian species now classified as nationally endangered due to habitat loss, predation, disease, and vehicle collisions. Yet, because of their nocturnal and arboreal nature, koala movement on the ground between trees remains poorly described. Ground visits are fraught with danger, with two-thirds of koala deaths occurring due to vehicle strikes and dog attacks. Quantifying these behaviours can provide insights for conservation efforts targeted to their time on the ground. To quantify detailed movement patterns, we collared nine koalas in a highly fragmented agricultural landscape with tri-axial accelerometers for 8.50 ± 1.17 days. Using an annotated dataset of observed behaviours, we trained Random Forest models to classify four main behavioural states: Motionless in Tree, Feeding & Grooming in Tree, Other Movement in Tree, and Walking. Koalas spent 57.5% ± 14.2% of their time moving in trees, 26.8% ± 13.5% motionless in trees, 15.6% ± 2.7% feeding and grooming, and only 0.2% ± 0.1% walking on the ground (around 3 min daily). Koalas walked most frequently between 2 am and 5 am. Our findings highlight a major discrepancy between mortality rates on the ground and frequency of ground time, indicating that focused mitigation during these infrequent events could yield disproportionately high conservation benefits.

Details

Title: Between the Trees: Quantifying Koala Ground Movement for Conservation Action
Authors: Gabriella R Sparkes - The University of Queensland
Oakleigh Wilson - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
William A H Ellis - The University of Queensland
Sean Fitzgibbon - The University of Queensland
Benjamin J Barth - The University of Queensland
Christofer Clemente - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Mathew S. Crowther - The University of Sydney
Robbie S Wilson (Corresponding Author) - The University of Queensland
Publication details: Animals, Vol.15(24), pp.1-19
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.3390/ani15243537
ISSN: 2076-2615
PMID: 41463822; PMC12729488
Copyright note: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Data Availability: The datasets presented in this study are not readily available because the data are part of an ongoing study. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to the corresponding author(s). All code and supporting materials for analysis and the publicly available GitHub (v3.19.0) can be found at: https://github.com/OakAlice/KoalaAnalysis, accessed on 2 December 2025.
Grant note: This project was supported by The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, The Ecological Society of Australia, and The Queensland State Government Koala Conservation Grant.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991192343202621
Output Type: Journal article

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