Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Koala rescue

20 minutes

Find Out: The koalas' changing habitat

25 minutes

Take Action: Koala data and what we can do with it

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: Koala rescue

Step 1

Watch the following video with your class, which shows a recently rescued baby koala being introduced to another koala at their new home.

Ranger the Rescued Baby Koala 🐨 Izzy's Koala World - Netflix Jr (youtube.com/watch?v=pL5Oz5es1pI)

Discuss this clip with you students by asking them:

Why did Izzy try to get Ranger comfortable with the toy koala first?
Why do these koalas need to be rescued and cared for?

Students may suggest a few possible reasons, including

injury or illness
being orphaned or separated from their mum
losing their home due to habitat destruction.

During your discussion, lead students towards habitat destruction being a major factor in koalas' need for rescuing. Habitat destruction forces them to move down on the ground where they come into contact with threats. Injury is often a result of car strikes or interactions with dogs, cows, or horses, which mistake koalas for a threat. Elevated levels of stress also make koalas prone to sickness and disease, including chlamydia. When too many koalas are in a small area, diseases can spread faster. These scenarios can also cause the orphaning of koalas.

Protecting and restoring habitat is a critical action to reducing the threats koalas face, preventing population decline and minimising the need for emergency care.

Step 2

Explain to students that the koala's habitat is being destroyed due to deforestation for human use, including urbanisation (building suburbs and cities), agriculture and timber production. Since Australia was colonised, approximately 80% of koala habitat has been destroyed. The 20% of their habitat left is not adequately protected to ensure the koala habitat remains. Source: Australian Koala Foundation

The destruction and fragmentation of habitat means koalas must spend more time on the ground moving from tree to tree. This makes them much more vulnerable to being hit by cars and attacked by dogs, while elevated levels of stress make them prone to sickness and disease. Fortunately, sick and injured koalas often make their way to koala hospitals where they can be treated and, once they recover, can be returned to the wild. Source: WWF Australia.

Find Out: The koalas' changing habitat

Step 1

Ask your students to brainstorm - What is a koala’s habitat?

Prompt them with questions such as:

Where do you think the koala can be found?
What things does it need to survive?
What type of climate does a koala need?

Students may know that koala habitat has to have Eucalyptus trees.

Step 2

Head to this koala map and project the image to your students. In map layers, change the view to ‘satellite view’ and in koala sightings, ensure you have ‘view sightings’ turned on.

Explain to students that this map shows where koalas have been sighted in Australia. What can students now tell about the habitat of the koala?

Suggested response: While koalas are a national symbol of Australia’s unique wildlife, they can only be found in the wild on the southeast and eastern sides of Australia, along the coastlines of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria. They live high up in eucalyptus trees of native bushlands and forests, usually perched between the forks of the tree’s branches. Source: WWF Australia.

Step 3

Now project the first page of this McCrindle report showing the population of Australia. Explain to students that the darker the blue, the more people live in that area.

Ask your students:

What do they notice about the map of where koalas live and the map of where most of the Australian population live?
What do they think this means for koalas and their habitat?

Explain to students that in 2022, koalas on Australia’s east coast were officially listed as an endangered species after dramatic population decline. Habitat destruction, climate change and extreme weather events, including bushfires and floods, have had a significant impact on koalas.

Step 4

Divide your students into small groups and encourage them to use the internet to search about the koala and its changing habitat.

Invite groups to focus on the following questions

What is the habitat (features and location) of the koala?
What are the threats to the habitat of the koala?
How are these threats changing the habitat of the koala?
How has this impacted the survival of the koala?

The main threats facing koalas are habitat destruction and fragmentation, climate change and extreme weather events. For students requiring extension, you could allocate each student in the group to focus on a different threat to koalas. For students requiring support, you could allocate each group one threat to focus on as a team.

Some great resources for students to use:

Step 5

Bring your students back together to discuss their findings, focusing on the main threats to Australia's koalas, the change in their habitat and how their survival has been impacted.

Take Action: Koala data and what we can do with it

Step 1

Explain to students that there are many efforts underway to protect koalas and their habitats as well as restore their habitats.

In pairs, give your students the following scenario. You and your partner have been given $100,000 dollars to do something to save the koalas. What do you do? Give students about three minutes to create a plan. (If students find this difficult, that’s ok, it’s meant to be a difficult task!)

Invite pairs to share their plans with the class.

Step 2

After you have discussed the students' sprint plans as a class, ask them

Why was this a tricky task?
What other information would you want to know to be able to make an effective plan?

Explain to students that being able to help koalas (or any animal!) in a meaningful way involves us knowing important information about them, scientists call this information data, You may like to ask students to brainstorm what data they think is necessary to understand if we are trying to create a conservation movement! Some suggested responses are below.

What koala habitats/locations are the most threatened?
What is the main threat in that location?
How many koalas are in that location?
Has the population declined in health or in number?

Step 3

Share with your students the list of different methods of koala data gathering below. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it shows just how much data can be gathered and needs to be collected in order to understand our koala communities and the best way to help them!

Suitable for individual work

Scat Chat - Using koala droppings to help them thrive (2:05 mins - 4:26 mins)
VHF ear tags
Genome survey
Scent detection dogs
Using GPS collars to track Koalas
High tech tracking and citizen science - solar-powered Bluetooth, smartphone apps and drones
Simple koala number surveys

Suitable for students requiring extension or using appropriate scaffolding

Step 4

In the same groups as before, encourage students to research a particular data topic to answer the questions below. The aim of this research is to see how scientists use data to inform their conservation efforts.

What is the data that is being collected in this activity?
How is the data collected?
What information does it give about the koala?
How can it help to focus koala conservation efforts?

Depending on the time you have available and the level of scaffolding your group requires, you could focus on one data topic as a whole class or allocate each group to a different topic. The list has been segmented into those suitable for individual work and those requiring a little more guidance and support.

Reflection

Reflect on today's lesson by asking your students: what data would you need to find to make sure your koala conservation plan could have a real impact?

Understanding Koala Conservation

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

Understanding Koala Conservation

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables