Habitat Restoration Projects Flourish, Aiding Koala Survival

September 9, 2024

Every tree counts! Koalas are facing a critical decline, with habitat loss being the primary driver. Vehicle strikes, dog attacks, and even disease are symptoms of this loss. Habitat restoration initiatives not only help re-establish koala habitats but also link fragmented areas of existing habitat, essential for supporting healthy koala populations. Let’s plant for the future – because their survival depends on it!

Habitat degradation occurs with changes in land use, which reduces the amount of habitat or the overall health of the ecosystem. Some causes include the introduction of invasive plant and animal species, pollutants from industry and agriculture, overexploitation of natural resources and changes in environmental conditions.

Fragmentation of habitat, caused by construction of roads and other barriers, restricts movement of individuals in populations, reduces an individual’s ability to browse, can lead to compression of home ranges, population bottlenecks, inbreeding and increased occurrence of disease and illness.

Habitat loss from clearing habitat for urbanisation, logging, mining, and agriculture can result in immediate death, as well as those stressors previously listed. River systems are increasingly affected by water extraction for industry and agriculture. This can lead to altered river flows, loss of connectivity and catchment changes such as altered land use and vegetation clearing, and ultimately affect water availability, river health and ecosystem integrity.

Estimates of survival of small populations are usually based on genetic models.

Population (or genetic) bottlenecks are more likely in fragmented or isolated populations, and the resulting smaller populations are typically subject to genetic drift, which can easily drive them to extinction in only a few generations. Genetic drift can cause genes to disappear completely from a population, and forevermore limit genetic variation. It may also cause once rare and detrimental genes to become

Maria River plantation

A grant received through the WIRES National Grant Program (2021/2022), has enabled the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital to establish our first tree and plant nursery at Maria River Plantation. WIRES is Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation with a mission to actively rehabilitate and preserve Australian wildlife and to inspire others to do the same. Plantation Manager, Rory Thoms, built and created the nursery along with a team of volunteers. The weather has definitely got in the way of progress sometimes, with ongoing heavy rain causing flooding and awkward delays. So we congratulate and thank Rory and the volunteers for their dedication to the project. They have been collecting seeds from local eucalypts and other koala food species, plus other endemic trees and plants in order to encourage biodiversity throughout the plantation.

New plantings at Maria River Plantation at our Moripo Plantation, west of Wauchope. With the careful attention of Koala Hospital volunteers over forthcoming years, these trees will support the rehabilitation of sick and injured koalas into the future.

Prime habitat saved

Looking south over Lake Innes, image courtesy of Port Macquarie Hastings Council. Koala Conservation Australia announced in December that we have partnered with National Parks and Wildlife Service to jointly purchase 194 hectares of prime koala habitat on the Lake Innes Peninsula, Port Macquarie. area of outstanding environmental value within greater Port Macquarie has now been saved from residential and infrastructure development, after more than a year of complex negotiations. The land is also known by the property address, 147 The Ruins Way. The Lake Innes Peninsula is biologically significant because its moist, fertile, red volcanic soil supports diverse vegetation and a diversity of fauna species. The land is defined as ‘Core Koala Habitat’ under SEPP (State Environment Planning Policy) 44.

Koalas here have been described by Dr Steve Phillips, Koala Ecologist with Biolink, as ‘the cornerstone of the most important koala population in Australia’. Between 2012 and 2015 the Wildlife Genomics team at the Australian Museum analysed samples collected from this specific area by Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and identified this koala population as very genetically diverse, giving these animals national significance.

This vital habitat is home to a genetically diverse and nationally significant population of koalas. The land is not only important for koalas, it also contains a variety of ecological communities which support a large number of threatened species.

Restoration on land property

Finding signs of koala habitation can be difficult and landholders may not be aware that their property supports koala habitat. You can recognise koala habitat by eucalypt forest with a significant proportion (approximately one third) of preferred food trees.Koalas prefer a mix of tree ages with young trees used for browsing and older trees used for resting.shelter trees with dense foliage are also used to stay cool during hot conditions, to evade threats or for other behaviours. So, a good habitat will have the combination of suitable food trees, be continuous and connected, have access to shelter, and be safe from threats. Priority should be given to protecting existing koala habitat and then if possible expanded and enhanced.

Often the easiest option is to allow vegetation to naturally regenerate.trees growing in wetter areas such as riverbanks, creek lines and wetlands do tend to provide a better source of koala food. However any increase in habitat and connectivity is of benefit, particularly when habitat areas are away from potential hazards such as roads and domestic dogs.

If done correctly tree planting is an excellent method to restore or create koala habitat. If koalas are present they can use new plantings in as little as 3-5 years.
Remember your property also provides habitat for a range of other wildlife. Maintaining all the different habitat types on your property is the best way to support this biodiversity.
More information on koala habitat restoration is available in the publication ‘koala habitat in new south wales',published by the NSW department of planning, industry and environment. For similar guidelines in other states in Australia please contact your equivalent state government body.

KOALA TREE GIVEAWAY

Every tree counts! Habitat loss is the main reason for koala population decline. Other factors such as vehicle strikes, dog attacks and even disease are a direct result, or a symptom of habitat loss. In a joint initiative with Forestry Corporation of NSW, we are offering free koala food trees to local individuals, rural land owners, schools and businesses. We would like locals to plant these seedlings anywhere there is space for a tree to flourish and provide future food for our koalas. As we have done for the past six years, we give away 25,000 trees of different species to suit different soil and habitat locations. Some of the tree species include tallowwood, grey gum, forest red gum and swamp mahogany. Seedlings will be available from the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. We also offer tree planting guides, with information on how to plant the trees and care for them to help them thrive. With koala habitat under ever increasing threat from urban development, this revegetation project will help re-establish habitat or link existing habitat for our local koala populations. We encourage private landholders to get involved, and plant as many seedlings as they can. Keep an eye out on our socials for KOALA TREE GIVEAWAY 2025 Help support koalas for generations to come - because their future is in our hands! Forests of seedling trees in the making.