Meet the Team at Koala CQ
Dr Rolf Schlagloth
Research Program Lead
Dr Rolf Schlagloth has been working on many aspects of the Koala in different capacities, in Victoria and Queensland since 1992. He has worked with universities, industry, government and community to investigate issues associated with koala history, ecology and management.
These include:
- Flora and fauna surveys, some associated with formal impact assessment (e.g., Golden Plains Shire, Ballarat (Vic); St Lawrence, St Bees Is (Qld)),
- Koala management plans (KPoM) and associated monitoring,
- Revegetation strategies and restoration projects, restoration of koala habitat (e.g., Ballarat KPoM, Golden Plains Koala Habitat Atlas, Framlingham Koala Habitat Revegetation Project) and,
- Koala conservation biology (e.g., research on Koala diet and movement in a roadkill blackspot).
He has provided impartial, expert advice to community, industry, state and federal agencies (e.g., National Koala Strategy, Eton Range Realignment Project – Dep. TMR) and local governments (e. g. Ballarat, Golden Plains, Moorabool, Macedon, Central Goldfields) on a variety of issues associated with koala conservation. Rolf is also very interested in exploring historical aspects of the flagship species koala including the relationships that existed between it and Indigenous Australians.
Email: r.schlagloth@cqu.edu.au
Dr Flavia Santamaria
Dr Flavia Santamaria’s PhD, carried out in Victoria at the former University of Ballarat (now Federation University), studied the impact of translocation on the health, food selection and movement of thirty koalas relocated from French Island to three forests around Ballarat. Both in Victoria and Queensland, she has worked on projects that included GIS mapping, vegetation and koala surveys. Flavia's current and future research focus are on koalas' response to stress and koala ecology, and in particular:
- the impact of anthropogenic environmental changes on koala populations, including the potential pressure of environmental stress on the health of koalas (i.e., Chlamydia),
- educating communities on sustainability, as a way forward to improving the health of ecosystems using the koala as a flagship species,
- how habitat structure influences the diversity of koala microbiome,
- movement of koalas in relation to human-made structures.
Email: f.santamaria@cqu.edu.au
Dr Michael Hewson
Dr Michael Hewson is an environmental geographer at the Rockhampton North campus of CQUniversity.
Michael's research projects involve applying GIS, satellite remote sensing and weather models for the spatial analysis and mapping of weather and climate questions. Current research revolves around satellite image analysis of threatened species climate varying habitat health. Previous research projects have included numerical weather modelling of wind and aerosol transport (environment, energy and health impacts), land surface temperature mapping, and land-use change mapping for ecological applications.
Residing within the CQU College of the Arts, Michael explores Environmental Humanities as a public policy voice for concerns of the Anthropocene - biodiversity, climate change and sustainability. Amongst his geographical science publications, Michael has contributed creative artefacts of eco-poetry and strategic storytelling to influence environmental policy.
Michael's academic motivation is the Earth System Science imperative of inter-connectedness - economic-induced change in one part of the system affects the other parts. Secondly, Michael is concerned that evidence is vital to public environmental policy debate and decisions.
Email: m.hewson@cqu.edu.au
Dr Michael Danaher
Dr Mike Danaher is an environmental historian, with a number of publications, including an edited book, on the environmental history of the Capricorn Coast. His interest in koala research is more recent and is from a humanities perspective, particularly in understanding the human/koala relationships over time. His work/outcomes in this field includes:
Danaher, M., Schlagloth, R., Hewson, M. & Geddes, C. 2023 ‘One Person and a Camera: a relatively non-intrusive approach to Koala citizen science’. Australian Zoologist.
Successful CQU Internal Grant with Dr Rolf Schlagloth et al, ‘Understanding Community Attitudes to further Koala Conservation in Central Queensland’, with $14,307.15 awarded in 2022.
Schlagloth, R.; Hewson, M.; Schultz, M.; Danaher, M. & Santamaria, F. 2023 ‘Gauging landholder attitudes and willingness towards koala conservation in a Central Queensland region’. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management.
Co-Supervisor of Bachelor of Arts Honours student, whose dissertation title is ‘Translocations and Critical Habitats: A History of Koalas on Queensland Islands’ 2023.
Dr Bradley Smith
Dr Bradley Smith works as a senior lecturer in psychology at CQUniversity (Adelaide campus). He combines his background in comparative psychology and ethology with a multidisciplinary approach to the study of animal behaviour and human-animal interactions. Bradley is actively involved in research examining the human dimensions of wildlife (namely how people’s knowledge, values and behaviours relate to the conservation of nature and wildlife) as well as the cognition, behaviour and management of a variety of Australian wildlife in natural settings. He aims to utilise his expertise to explore ways to foster co-existence between humans and wildlife, including examining the nature of human attitudes and values toward wildlife, the impact of humans on wildlife (and vice versa), and finding solutions to resolving the conflict.
Email: b.p.smith@cqu.edu.au
Howling Dingo Website
Charley Geddes (BSc hon.)
Charley is now a dedicated koala researcher after years of looking after our koalas and other wildlife as a citizen scientist. She not only rescues and monitors ‘her’ local koalas around the greater Clark-Connors Range but also across the rest of the range of this flagship species. Charley has exceptional skills in finding and identifying individual koalas as was reported on in a dedicated 'One Person and a Camera: a relatively non-intrusive approach to Koala citizen science' journal article.
Sophie George (BEnvSc, BScBio)
Sophie is a dual-degree CQUniversity graduate and current academic, passionate about Indigenous-led conservation and community-based science. As Coordinator of Capricorn Conservation Council and a sessional lecturer in environmental science & biology, Sophie supports culturally informed biodiversity advocacy across Central Queensland. Her work spans biodiversity protection across the region in partnership with Traditional Owners & Elders, community education, and mentoring the next generation of environmental leaders. She is deeply committed to embedding Indigenous knowledge and leadership into environmental policy and research, while ensuring the next generation are empowered to be a 'voice for the environment!'
