Koalas are listed as Endangered in Queensland, and while South East Queensland is a stronghold for the species, urbanisation, habitat loss and a range of other threats have placed their populations under significant pressure. Knowing where to act and directing investment to the right areas has never been more important.

Through the Restore & Reconnect Program, Healthy Land & Water has revised the Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) mapping, a decision support tool developed by ecologist and spatial scientist Shannon Mooney. This tool identifies where restoration efforts will have the greatest impact for koalas and other threatened species across SEQ. The updated 2025 SEQ ARKS incorporates local stakeholder datasets and identifies 22 Areas of Regional Koala Significance, 160 habitat nodes, and 194 habitat connecting buffers across the region. These areas represent where koala habitat exists but needs management to improve connectivity, extend range, and improve overall condition.

“The 2025 SEQ ARKS allows us to prioritise areas significant to the preservation of koalas throughout SEQ,” says Natalie Hillcoat, who leads the Restore & Reconnect Program. “It helps us identify specific areas that could be improved to provide additional and improved habitat for koalas and other threatened species of South East Queensland. “

Explore the map on this page.

Restoration on the ground

The mapping directly informs on-ground restoration work under the Restore & Reconnect Program. We are now working across the identified regions in SEQ with a range of stakeholders to select priority management actions aligned to support key targets in the Queensland Government South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020–2025.

The planned management actions will improve the condition and extent of koala habitat up to 650 hectares across the SEQ local government areas. Work will include:

• Over 32 ha of strategic revegetation to connect wildlife corridors.
• Fire management to protect habitat (1,000 m of fire trails creation and over 13 ha of ecological burns).
• Up to 600 ha of Intensive weed control.
• Removal of over 4,200m of mesh and barbed wire fencing.

Each action will be monitored to measure ecological improvements and koala population responses, building knowledge for future conservation work. Read more in this article.

Multiplying impact beyond the program

The value of this work extends beyond what is delivered on the ground. In March 2026, Queensland Government’s Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) opened the Grassroots Environmental Grants program for koala habitat restoration, a community grant round guided directly by the 2025 SEQ ARKS decision support tool, revised and updated through this program.

This means the mapping and evidence base built under Restore & Reconnect is now directing investment by others, helping community groups across SEQ target the right activities in the right places.

This is an example of the broader role Natural Resource Management (NRM) organisations like Healthy Land & Water play in leading biodiversity initiatives and threatened species habitat restoration. The impact of NRMs is not only through what is delivered on the ground. The data, innovation and science developed through programs like Restore & Reconnect become shared infrastructure for the region, generating environmental outcomes well beyond the original program. Through this evidence, others can target the right activities in the right places, conservation funding is directed more efficiently, and everyone can build on a shared foundation of knowledge.

“Investing in Natural Resource Management delivers returns that extend well beyond any single program," said Healthy Land & Water CEO Julie McLellan. "For funders, it means dollars directed to where evidence shows they'll have the greatest impact. For communities, it means healthier landscapes, more resilient waterways, and wildlife that can thrive alongside a growing population. The science we build doesn't just serve one project; it becomes a regional asset that multiplies the value of every future investment in our environment.”

Community groups interested in applying for the Koala Habitat Restoration of the Grassroots Environmental Grants program can find details here.

Working together

Protecting koalas relies on collective action, from government agencies and councils to Traditional Owners and local communities. As South East Queensland continues to grow, programs like Restore & Reconnect help ensure koalas can move safely between habitat patches that connect across the region.

This program is funded by the Queensland Government and runs in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Local Government Authorities, Traditional Owners, and Landcare and community groups.