Landholders are being supported to conserve and restore koala habitat.
This Project is being managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation.
It is one of the private land conservation incentives offered by the Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority .
Would you like to participate?
Planting koala feed trees in the Cuttagee Lake area
Koalas have been part of the Australian bush for millions of years.
They remain a significant part of the spiritual and cultural life of Aboriginal people. As with many animal and plant species, specific family networks care for the areas that are sacred to traditional stories about Ancestral Koala Spirit Beings. These places were usually habitats that were ecologically important for Koalas.
In the 1800s there was an abundant population of koalas on the Far South Coast. Thousands were shot for their skins, mainly for export. By the early 1900's koala numbers had crashed because of land clearing for agriculture, hunting habitat degradation and disease that swept through the stressed survivors.
Many local landholders have reported that koalas are no longer seen in areas they once occupied. This suggests that the decline in koala numbers has continued in recent decades.
The greatest threat to koalas is the further loss, fragmentation and degradation of their habitat.
The surviving gene pool of this once abundant population is nationally important. That is why the South Coast Koala Recovery Program is working to conserve koalas where they survive and support their recovery in areas they once occupied.
In the early years of European occupation the highest number of koalas existed in the fertile alluvial areas where forest redgum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) predominated. This is known as "primary" habitat. Most of these areas have been cleared, fragmented and degraded.
Harvesting forest redgum seed in the Bega Valley Koalas are now found in "secondary" habitats that do not support dense populations Woollybutt, monkey gum and the coastal greybox are the most important trees koalas use. Yellow and white stringybarks are also important when growing near to the first three species. Manna gum, bluebox, yellowbox and maiden's gum are probably also suitable koala browse species in this region.
If there is habitat like this on your land it Could be important for koalas.Carefully looking after helping to restore koala habitat in areas near to where they survive is vital to helping large numbers recover
The largest known population of koalas in the Far South Coast region is very small, perhaps less than 50 animals. These are in the coastal forested areas to the south west and north west of Bermagui. The population is made up of a few small and scattered breeding associations.
Dispersing young koalas are moving round and between these resident breeding groups.
Koalas are probably still surviving in forests in the centre of the region. Most records in recent decades are clustered in the Yurammie and Tangawangalo Forest.
Further research is needed to determine whether there are breeding populations of koalas elsewhere in the study area.
Koalas occur in breeding associations within these the home ranges of males and females overlap, whilst the young disperse.
Studies from elsewhere have shown that each mature koala in a stable group maintains its own home range and if undisturbed, will usually remain there for life. Within each home range there are trees that the koala visits regularly. These are used for browsing, shelter, or marking home range boundaries.
Koalas in our region have large home ranges, often more than lOO ha.
This is mainly because of the nature of the habitat they occupy.
Young animals leave their mother's home ranges and can travel many kilometers in search of other koalas.
The Program has the following aims :
- To work in partnership with the Aboriginal community on recovery actions,particularly in and near to national parks that are being returned to Aboriginal ownership.
- To assist the conservation and restoration of important koala habitat.
- To work with local governments to ensure planning processes conserve koala habitat.
- To continue to improve understanding about koalas through surveys monitoring and research.
- To reduce impacts of fire, dieback and predation.
- To increase community understanding of, and involvement in, the care of koalas and their habitat.
- To assess the feasibility of a sanctuary-based koala reintroduction program.
Conservation volunteers and Greencorps team planting koala feed trees in the Yurammie area.
The Threatened Species Recovery Project supports the conservation and restoration of key areas of koala habitat on private land on the Far South Coast.
The project provides specialist advice and on- ground outcomes (including fencing, tree planting and weed and pest control) at strategically selected locations, concentrating initially in parts of the Bega Valley and coastal catchments near Bermagui.
Because endangered ecological (particularly red-gum dominated) communities often have a high proportion of koala browse species and their conservation is crucially important, these communities are a key focus of the project. The two key communities are the Bega and Candelo Dry Grass Forests.
If you would like further information about koala habitat restoration or any other aspect of the koala recovery program contact:
Chris Allen
South Coast Koala Recovery Program
Department of Environment and Conservation
PO Box 656 Merimbula 2548.
Ph 0264955008.
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