Coolart Conversations - Caring for Koalas: A Peninsula Conversation

Caring for Koalas: A Peninsula Conversation

Featuring

Trish Stewart from Cranbourne Botanic Gardens will speak about innovations used to reduce road kill and her inaturalist project (collecting road kill data)

Belinda Eden - As Vice President of Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation, Belinda plays a key role in advocating for the protection and restoration of koala habitat across the Peninsula.  Actively involved in wildlife rescue and on-the-ground conservation efforts, she brings a practical understanding of the challenges facing local koalas.  With a strong focus on community engagement, habitat restoration and collaboration with landholders, Belinda is committed to supporting long-term environmental outcomes

Kelly Smith from WesternPort Biosphere Foundation - Kelly began working with koalas about 10 years ago with Parks Victoria on the French Island Koala Management program. Whilst studying she would always choose to focus on koalas and wildlife corridors. For her final research project at university, she chose to do some genetic research of koala scats on the Mornington Peninsula. This project became an Honours Project. After she finished studying, she began working for the Western Port Biosphere where she continued to do genetic research of koala scats in the Western Port Woodlands. Her work in koala scat genetic research led her to lead the koala scat collection program for DEECAs Great Victorian Koala Survey.

There will be a Q & A opportunity on completion of these 3 presentations.