Heat could cause 'massive' koala decline

AUSTRALIA'S koala population could face "massive decline" unless more is done to protect the iconic Aussie marsupial from extreme weather.

The University of Sydney found koalas were seeking shelter from hotter weather, not just in their traditional eucalypt homes, but also in pines, casuarinas and kurrajongs.

Koalas were making the move was because these "shelter trees" were cooler than eucalypts during heatwaves, Lead researcher Mathew Crowther said.

However, he said koala populations faced a "massive decline" unless more was done to retain and plant trees given increasing temperatures across Australia.

"Koalas are actually down at the bottom of trees dying," Dr Crowther told AAP.

"We could see massive declines ... it would be disastrous."

He said it was tough to put a timeframe on how fast numbers could fall, but said the impact of hotter weather was already being seen.

"It could be quicker than we hope for," Dr Crowther added.

He said the research paper, published in the online journal Ecography, showed the need for governments and landholders to place an "urgent emphasis" on retaining taller, mature trees.

"The implication is that longstanding land management practices of retaining and planting feed trees for koalas needs to be expanded to include shelter trees within the home range of each koala," he said.

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