Flavia Santamaria

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Researcher/Senior Lecturer at Central Queensland University

Thirty Chlamydia-free koalas, Phascolarctos cinereus, were moved from French Island National Park to three forests near Ballarat (Victoria). Chlamydial exposure and infection were monitored by antibody Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Direct Immunofluorescence (DIF) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of swabs; its impact evaluated by cli...

Our paper investigates the conservation and planning implications of the use of an individual flagship species. The koala was chosen, as an example, in a community education intervention in a regional Australian city. Educating the community to accept changes in planning laws aimed at the protection of a single species such as the koala has never b...

Simple Summary Koala habitat is threatened by urbanisation, agricultural activities and by increased temperatures and droughts caused by climate change. Habitat loss may cause stress in koalas, which, in turn, may exacerbate disease occurrence. Stress is associated with an increase of glucocorticoids, of which cortisol is the main one in most mamma...

We present an ecological history of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population and its environment in South Gippsland, Victoria, both pre- and post- European settlement. We consider the role that the region's history may have had on the genetic structure of the current koala population in South Gippsland, which is the only known koala population...

Simple Summary After losing their habitat or having it broken up by infrastructure developments, one of the major threats to wild koalas is being hit by cars. Researchers analysed data for 345 koalas that were hit by cars on a 51 km section of the Peak Downs Highway in Queensland, Australia, from October 2014 to November 2023. We found that the spa...

Since the publication of the article ‘Koalas, Climate, Conservation, and the Community: A Case Study of the Proposed Great Koala National Park, New South Wales, Australia’ in June 2023, the Government of New South Wales has continued to permit logging operations within the footprint of the proposed park on the state's Mid North Coast. Conflicts bet...

Koalas are one of the most globally recognized conservation species. With populations rapidly declining in core forest habitats in northern New South Wales, pressure has mounted on successive governments to create a regionwide park to protect this population from further decline. Establishing a conservation-effective national park at a landscape le...

The Australian Government recently ‘upgraded’ the status of the koala across New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland from vulnerable to endangered. This change is a result of the impact of prolonged drought, bushfires, and the cumulative impacts of disease, urbanisation and habitat loss. In contrast, little is known about t...

Loss of habitat, urbanisation, climate change and its consequences are anthropogenic pressures that may cause stress in koalas. Non-invasive monitoring of faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) can be utilised to evaluate the impact of stressors. The aim was to determine if the tetrahydrocorticosterone (50c) and cortisol enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) coul...

We provide a comparative analysis of two koala management plans for populations in two Australian municipalities, based on principles of landscape management: Ballarat (Victoria) and Bellingen (New South Wales). A landscape-based approach is required to protect the species, but evaluation of landscape management is limited. We present an assessment...

A Central Queensland University (CQU) partnership with the Queensland Government National Park management agency has developed a koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) habitat managers’ toolkit for vegetation health assessment. Private and public landholders use the field-based toolkit to assess habitat suitability or monitor conservation outcomes for the...

We investigated the success of the Koala Conservation and Education Program conducted in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia from 2000-2009 by interviewing 28 individuals, from various stakeholder groups involved in the project. Transcripts were analysed using grounded theory to identify common themes, keywords and phrases. We conclude that the chosen 'f...

Faecal material can be a valuable source of information for a range of animal health aspects and can be used to measure faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs). FCM values can relate to physiological stress responses. However, freshly defecated pellets are not always available and environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, might affect...

Koalas moving across open ground risk dog attacks and collisions with vehicles when crossings roads. Historical records from a resident survey, two regional wildlife carers and a state government department wildlife shelter returns database for Victoria, Australia, were examined to determine the importance of certain admission types. Koala Vehicle...

In order to better understand urban koala populations and their tree-use patterns, it is widely acknowledged that more research is needed. This study provides an overview of the tree use patterns of koalas at the Mount Gravatt Outlook Reserve (MGOR) through the use of the Spot Assessment Technique (SAT) at 12 different sites, covering the five diff...

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal folivorous marsupial endemic to Australia. Anthropogenic activities and climate change are threats to this species' survival and are potential stressors. A suitable non-invasive method is needed to objectively detect stress in koalas. Under conditions of stress, the concentration of the hormone cort...

Our paper investigates the conservation and planning implications of the use of an individual flagship species. The koala was chosen, as an example, in a community education intervention in a regional Australian city. Educating the community to accept changes in planning laws aimed at the protection of a single species such as the koala has never b...

Tertiary education has traditionally been accessible to only the wealthier sections of society, despite a worldwide effort to expand access for people described as disadvantaged. Increasing tertiary education access for minority groups and/or people seen as disadvantaged is just and equitable, as it opens new opportunities to social groups that wou...