This week the NSW Government released its new ‘roadmap’ Koala Strategy - but some local campaigners say it doesn’t go far enough to ensure the preservation of habitat, which is critical to the survival of our threatened koalas.

Backed by nearly $200 million in funding, the new Koala Strategy is set out in a five year plan, with more than 30 actions to conserve and double koala population numbers in the wild.

Environment Minister James Griffin said the NSW Koala Strategy is the biggest financial investment ever made, to conserve any single species in Australia.

“It demonstrates how committed we are to conservation and achieving our goal of doubling koala numbers by 2050,” he said.

“We know there are multiple threats to koalas, including loss and fragmentation of their habitat, compounded by the impact of the devastating 2019–20 bushfires, as well as vehicle strike and dog attack.”

This strategy is set to better secure 10 climate resilient koala stronghold locations from the Southern Tablelands, to Campbelltown and Lismore.

Mr Griffin said these areas will receive “intensive action” in the next five years to support the existing populations there – and includes partnerships with community conservation groups.

“Some of these actions include preventing vehicle strike and dog attacks, and restoring and protecting 47,000 additional hectares of habitat,” Mr Griffin said.

Conservationist criticism

Koala conservationist and ex-president of Friends of the Koala Ros Irwin said it was good to see the government allocate “impressive funds” for koalas, and that the strategy is for five years rather than three.

“It’s also good to see support for wildlife carers and community groups that carry out koala-related activities,” she said.

Habitat and corridors

“However, yet again the strategy ignores the fact that protecting our forests from logging and important existing koala habitat and corridors from development are the only ways to prevent koalas heading for extinction in the long term.

“Planting their food trees is great, and as a person whose property has a Biodiversity Conservation Agreement over it because of koalas, I know how important these activities are.

“But it takes years for koala food trees to reach the maturity that koalas prefer, and in the meantime we see huge amounts of trees being removed and important colonies being impacted by development.

“As the experts have said consistently, loss of their habitat is the critical factor in causing chlamydia and retrovirus, and in pushing them towards the tipping point that, once passed, will mean the end of koalas except in select areas.”

Koala Strategy details

The NSW Koala Strategy focuses on conservation actions under four themes:

• $107.1 million for koala habitat conservation, to fund the protection, restoration, and improved management of 47,000 hectares of koala habitat
•  $19.6 million to supporting local communities to conserve koalas
•  $23.2 million for improving the safety and health of koalas by removing threats, improving health and rehabilitation, and establishing a translocation program
• $43.4 million to support science and research to build our knowledge of koalas.

A key part of the Koala Strategy involves establishing partnerships with conservation groups and communities.

Projects funded by the new Koala Strategy include:

•  Partnering with Taronga Conservation Society Australia to restore more than 5,000 hectares of Box Gum grassy woodlands around the Western Slopes of the Great Dividing Range. Koalas will be translocated to the site once the woodland is re-established.
•  Partnering with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Australia to protect 500 hectares of high quality koala habitat on private land under conservation agreements across the Northern Rivers region through the Biodiversity Conversation Trust.
• Working with volunteer wildlife rehabilitators, vets and other partner organisations to enhance co-ordination of emergency response for koalas and other wildlife due to bushfire or extreme weather events.

Minister Griffin said “we all want to see koalas thrive in the wild for generations to come, and everyone, including land managers, local councils, wildlife carers, citizen scientists and the NSW Government needs to be involved".

“Protecting and restoring habitat will also support other threatened and endangered species, such as powerful owls and glossy black cockatoos,” Mr Griffin said.

“The Strategy will help to fill key knowledge gaps and fund priority scientific studies to support koalas, including chlamydia vaccine trials.

“The new Strategy builds upon the previous $44.7 million NSW Koala Strategy, which protected more koala habitat, invested in fixing koala roadkill hotspots, provided wildlife care training and funded scientific research, among other things.”

To read the Koala Strategy, visit: environment.nsw.gov.au/koalas