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April 14, 2022

Anna Murray 

To improve genetic diversity in koalas, scientists from Deakin University, Macquarie University, the University of Newcastle, and the University of Queensland propose setting up a biolab using collected sperm. Biobanking, according to a recent research article, "Modelling Genetic Benefits and Financial Costs of Integrating Biobanking into the Captive Management of Koalas," published in the journal Animals on April 12, could future-proof the species by capturing the genomes of vital populations and long-dead individuals and re-introducing them into at-risk populations. The new study reveals that biobanking, which entails preserving sex cells and tissues for use in aided breeding koalas, is beneficial.

In April 2012, the Australian government declared the Koala "VULNERABLE" in New South Wales, the Act, and Queensland under the Federal EPBC Act. The states of Victoria and South Australia were left off the list. The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) thinks that the Koala should be protected in all states. The AKF's research strongly supports that the Koala's conservation status in the South East Queensland Bioregion should be raised to "CRITICALLY ENDANGERED," as the Queensland Minister for the Environment has declared them "functionally extinct."

Due to habitat degradation, koalas are in critical decline. Bushfires have claimed the lives of tens of thousands of koalas in recent years. Domestic dog attacks and road accidents pose additional threats to the animals. According to AKF estimates, less than 100,000 wild Koalas remain, with as few as 43,000 possibly remaining. As a result, koala sperm freezing may become an important part of a plan to save the creatures by 2050.