Can our findings be used to improve koala population
management?
Management of the threat of chlamydia to koalas has been difficult thus
far: vaccine development is promising, but still a work in progress ,
and treatment is effective only in certain koalas or for a limited time
. Therefore, although treatment of isolated koala populations can
decrease chlamydia prevalence and reverse population decline , in
non-isolated populations into which diseased animals may immigrate,
maintaining effective treatment will likely require intensive and
repeated interventions. Heritability of susceptibility to disease found
here might open the door to enhancing adaptation through genetic rescue
or artificial selection . Individuals that are the most resilient to
disease could be identified and selected for breeding programs and/or
translocations into struggling populations . Strategies such as this are
not without risk or concerns. In general, these centre around the
potential decrease in genetic diversity that can be associated with
selection, ethical and moral concerns regarding anthropogenic
interference with natural processes, or whether resources might be
better allocated to more urgent or productive causes . One also needs to
ensure that efficient selection in the face of current challenges does
not compromise resilience to uncertain future challenges .
Disease management is one of the greatest challenges of wildlife
management. It is hard to gain knowledge of diseases in the wild,
although non-invasive methods are promising. For example, surveillance
can be enhanced by the use of detection dogs and pathogen detection from
scats (for examples with koalas and chlamydia, see ). Ultimately,
disease management options must be supported by decision makers and the
public, and usually need to balance a multitude of factors – including
risk and ethical perception, cost, concern and tolerance about
(perceived or real) impacts on wildlife, livestock and human health,
values and social acceptability of management actions as well as
scientifically expected outcomes and uncertainties. Incorporating
information about genetic susceptibility for disease when assessing risk
to populations and in conservation planning is therefore important in
ensuring we implement effective management strategies.