The catastrophic fires won't spell the end of the koala as a species, a Queensland-based koala expert says.
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CQUniversity koala expert Dr Alistair Melzer said the koala as a species was not faced with extinction from this fire event.
He said in any one region, survival was dependent on the local extent and severity of the fires and on the size and condition of the unburnt fire refuges.
Fires, dog attack, car strike, habitat loss and disease are among the threats to koalas.
Dr Melzer said some populations would have been lost as a consequence of the fires.
The characteristics of the fires varied from north to south and also east to west, he said.
"In some areas, they have had catastrophic fires and the extent of intense burning will determine the extent of the local losses," he said.
Dr Melzer said within the fire-affected landscape, there were areas which didn't burn - some by chance, others due to topography.
"It's those sorts of places where koalas and other wildlife will have persisted through the fires," he said.
"The size of those will determine the likelihood of the remaining animals being able to persist after the fires."
Dr Melzer said koalas would be able to recover, but that was dependent on the climate change-driven drought, aquifers and tree recovery.
"Right now, the immediate concern has to be with the welfare of the animals that have survived and that's already happening," he said.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is among those caring for koalas impacted by fires.
Worldwide support for the koala hospital has surpassed $5 million in funding through a GoFundMe campaign to establish a wild koala breeding program and provide automatic wildlife drinking stations in fire-affected areas.
Dr Melzer said after the animal welfare phase, the community support needed to go into the less glamorous aspects such as supporting habitat management and habitat recovery.
"You could have a program where people could adopt a local koala habitat," he said as an example.
Dr Melzer said it was important not to forget the other wildlife impacted by the fires.
It is feared billions of animals have died in the blazes.
Dr Melzer said the fires were a symptom of the underlying drought and the associated heatwaves.
The koala population is in decline.
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