Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00555:body:0:p79
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00555
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Character Range: 244181–247125

in overlapping home ranges rarely used the same trees, indicating resource partitioning on fine scales. Juveniles tend to have relatively smaller home ranges than adults (Thompson 2006). Koalas use both natural and built features as home ranges or boundaries (Close et al. 2017) and for dispersal (e.g. tracks, Lassau et al. 2008).
Both sexes disperse from their natal home-range between about 18 and 36 months of age (Dique et al. 2003b; Mitchell and Martin 1990) where daughters are reported to occupy home ranges embedded within their maternal home range (Ellis et al. 2009; Tucker et al. 2007) or adjacent areas (Close et al. 2017). Typical of mammal behaviour, the species exhibit male bias dispersal (Dique et al. 2003b; Mitchell and Martin 1990) although this is not perhaps such a dichotomous characteristic in the Koala (Thompson 2006). During natal dispersal, juveniles are susceptible to vehicle strike, especially males (Canfield 1991; Dexter et al. 2018; Dique et al. 2003a). Dispersing individuals are recorded to move up to 20 km from their natal areas (Close et al. 2017; Matthews et al. 2016; White 1999), with average distances reported at 3.5 km in south-east Queensland (Dique et al. 2003b). While studies indicate a predominance of short-range movements (e.g. Dique et al. 2003b), genetic modelling in slightly fragmented landscapes of north-eastern New South Wales suggests longer movements may be in fact relatively common (15–20 % of movements at 16.8–20.3 km) (Norman et al. 2019).
Collars carrying radio-transmitters are used to track movement patterns of individual Koalas. Image: © Desley Whisson.
The ability to disperse among habitat patches is critical for Koalas in maintaining metapopulation persistence (section 20), although this is not well understood. The amount of habitat required to support a population varies by location and will be influenced by factors such as habitat quality, spacing of trees in the landscape and the availability and use of climate refugia. A decrease in connectivity can precipitate the local population extinction of a dispersal-limited species (Bascompte and Sole 1996) like the Koala in fragmented landscapes. Furthermore, within intact landscapes, a mismatch between the scale of spatially and temporally shifting habitat suitability (shifting habitat mosaic) such as that caused by disturbance from timber harvesting or fire, and the ability of a species to disperse and recolonise, may also have adverse impact on long-term metapopulation persistence (Wimberley 2006).
Analysis of Koala densities before and during drought indicates that Koalas die out from habitat surrounding climate refuges, rather than migrating to refugial areas (Seabrook et al. 2011). Natural migration away from climate-affected areas cannot be relied upon as a rescue for at-risk Koala populations.

28. Foraging ecology
Koalas are recorded to feed on more than 120 species of Eucalyptus, Corymbia