Alistair Melzer : Season 3, Episode 10

CQUniversity Podcast - Greatvine

This week on the Greatvine we chat with CQUni's koala researcher Dr Alistair Melzer. While he grew up on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, and initially studied at the University of Queensland, we hear that Alistair was destined to work in Central Queensland. And while his research spans a variety of environmental management fields, for the past 20 years he has been dedicated to the research of Australia's iconic native animal, the koala. We learn that a stint as a research diver on the Great Barrier Reef, looking at the crown of thorns starfish, somehow led him to CQUni where he has been since 1996 and today is an adjunct research fellow. We learn that much of his koala research has been in conjunction with other organisations, such as Earthwatch, and has been greatly supported by a group of committed community volunteers. We learn that the koala's story is both one of gloom and opportunity and he sheds some light on what we can do to help koala populations survive in Australia.