Koala Habitat Conservation
The future is in our hands
Habitat Conservation
Habitat degradation and loss are, by far, the leading causes of koala illness, injury, and death.
Urban development squeezes habitat, forcing koalas onto roads and into backyards, where they face road strikes and dog attacks. Along with drought, bushfires, and floods, food sources become scarce.
Koalas like to spread out; however, due to their shrinking habitat, they are mingling more than they should, and diseases such as Chlamydia are wreaking havoc.
Here at Koala Conservation Australia, we help conserve koala habitat by:
- Our Habitat Recovery Partnership, where we work with landholders to identify, rehabilitate, and protect koala habitat, and deliver koala education workshops to communities.
- Purchasing and maintaining land identified as critical koala habitat.
- Working with Landcare, Forestry Corporation of NSW, National Parks and other agencies.
- Educating the community on how to reduce koala threats.
- Establishing & maintaining large Koala Food Tree plantations.
- Organising large-scale koala food tree giveaways and advice on strategic planting to establish safe corridors for koalas.
What does sustainable koala habitat require?
Koalas can live sustainably in areas where:
- Annual rainfall is above 500 millimetres per year.
- Maximum daily temperatures do not exceed 40°C for more than a few days. Any longer and it causes heat stress and mortality.
- Altitude is less than 1200 metres above sea level (Australian Koala Foundation 2019).
- Eucalypt-dominated woodland and forests exist. These include coastal forests, woodlands of the tablelands, woodlands of the western slopes, and riparian vegetation of the western plains.
- Koala food trees are present: Koalas feed primarily, but not exclusively, on eucalyptus leaves. They are known to use 137 tree species, of which 103 are Eucalyptus. However, their diet is quite specialised. At a single site, an individual koala will get most of its nutrition from one or a few species.
- Koala corridors exist: Increasing connectivity between existing koala habitats is essential to allow for koalas to travel safely between sites. This can be done with corridors of vegetation, preferably at least 20 metres wide, with appropriate openness to allow koala passage. Any increase in connectivity is valuable. Narrow tree lines also have a place in habitat restoration. Tree lines can connect larger patches. When planted along waterways, they provide valuable habitat for koalas.
Koalas also use isolated paddock trees, trees planted as windbreaks, along fence lines, and in utility corridors, and some non-native vegetation for shade and shelter.
*Source: NSW Department of Planning and Environment 2022, Koala habitat restoration guidelines.
Restoring koala habitats
Planting koala food trees
The first principle in habitat restoration is to protect existing habitat, even if it's individual mature trees. Improved management of existing habitat, particularly if it shows signs of degradation, can lead to rapid recovery of highly suitable koala habitat.
However, planting and direct seeding are often needed to create new habitats because existing koala habitats have been extensively cleared and fragmented.
Planting considerations
There are a number of things to consider for optimal koala food tree planting:
- Optimal tree-spacing and selecting the right tree species - For detailed information on koala habitat restoration relevant to the Mid-North Coast, see here.
- Avoid planting koala food trees near main roads when restoring habitat. Instead, locate stepping-stone plantings to direct animals away from roads and known ‘high strike’ areas.
- Fences can also create barriers to koala movement. Where there is a choice, avoid planting feed trees around fences or ensure fences are of plain wire.
- Avoid planting koala feed trees near locations where koalas would be at higher risk of domestic dog attack. Where such risks coincide with existing koala habitats, dogs should be kept on leads where possible and be restrained at night.
Unique Koala Habitat
Our 'Area of Regional Koala Significance' (ARK)
A large proportion of koala habitat in the Hastings-Macleay region has been mapped as “Areas of Regional Koala Significance” (ARKS) as part of work under the NSW Government’s Saving our Species Program. The three ARKS in Hastings-Macleay (the Port Macquarie, Crescent Head, and Comboyne ARKS) stretch from the small fishing hamlet of Dunbogan in the south to the surfing beaches of Crescent Head in the north, where the rich soils of the coastal floodplain support good populations of koalas. In addition, there is a known high-density koala population near Ellenborough on the Hastings River floodplain. The Federal Government has also recognised the area around the Lake Innes Peninsula as a “Nationally Significant Source Population”.
These coastal floodplains (usually the best koala habitat) are also the areas most prized for urban development. The resultant combination of habitat loss and fragmentation and associated threats such as dog attack, vehicle strike, and stress-induced disease is now taking its toll on koalas. As a result, this once healthy and robust population is in decline. Urgent action is now required to save the species.
Partnering with Government & Locals
In 2021, the NSW Government set an ambitious goal to double koala numbers in New South Wales by 2050. The work to achieve this goal will be guided by a series of 5-year plans and investments, starting with the NSW Koala Strategy. As part of this program, we've been selected to deliver the koala habitat 'Recovery Partnership' for the local Hastings-Macleay region.
Under this program, we partner with private landholders (rural, semi-rural, and urban) to help identify and restore koala habitat in specific locations. Please see here for more information.
Koala Food Tree Giveaways
Over the past few years, we've partnered with Forestry Corporation NSW to give away up to 25,000 koala food tree seedlings annually. We've offered free koala food trees to local individuals, schools, and businesses and advice on strategic planting to create connections between koala habitats (corridors). 2024's giveaway event was our most successful yet.
Keep an eye on our social media channels and this site, as we hope to run another giveaway in 2025!
