Our Protecting Koala Program has an additional $800k to keep up the great work towards protecting this threatened species. Started last year, the program is protecting and restoring quality, extent, and connectivity of koala habitat, improving community engagement and knowledge, and monitoring koala numbers and distribution.

		Preserving and protecting koalas This work is crucial for preserving and improving the quality, size, and connections of local habitats, which are vital for the survival of koalas.
		Restoring native vegetation Initiatives such as tree planting and weed control will restore native vegetation in the designated areas and restore biodiversity.
		Empowering community Knowledge-building workshops to improve the capacity of our communities and land managers to contribute to this vital koala conservation work.

Longstanding efforts to protect and preserve koalas

In June last year, our Protecting Koalas Program was fast tracked with an injection of $1.2 m from the Australian Government. This June we are pleased to be able to continue this vital work with another $800k coming our way to roll out stage 2 and keep up the great work!

The program has been delivering improved koala habitat for over four years. It is achieving great results, with on-ground actions being rolled out in and around the Scenic Rim, Logan, Ipswich and Lockyer Valley areas.

This latest $800k tranche brings the funding for this round to $2 m. With it we will expand and extend our efforts in key koala habitats across Flinders Peak and Grandchester. These areas represent two of the top 20 koala habitat areas in South East Queensland, known as Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS).

Our works in the area includes an array of on-ground actions including targeted planting, weed control, and better fire management to protect and expand these important habitats.

This work is crucial for preserving and improving the quality, size, and connections of local habitats, which are vital for the survival of our iconic but endangered koalas. These efforts also provide benefits to other threatened plants and animals that share a habitat with koalas, like Swamp Tea-tree and the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby.

Thanks to funding from the Australian Government’s Saving Koalas Fund, our program is making real progress. Our on-ground actions are ramping up and expanding, ensuring a brighter future for koalas and other species that share a home.

Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann said activities like planting koala-friendly trees, removing weeds that are a fire risk, and knowledge-building workshops will play an important role in protecting South East Queensland’s koalas.

“Communities across Australia play a crucial role in protecting and conserving our beloved koalas,” he said.

“Healthy Land and Water is doing an amazing job at getting our local community involved in protecting this iconic species.

“The Australian Government has invested over $76 million to better protect koalas and improve koala habitat so that they not only survive but thrive.”

Protecting habitat, empowering communities and tracking koalas

Our work aims to protect and restore the quality, extent, and connectivity of koala habitat as well as bolster community engagement and knowledge, all while monitoring koala numbers and distribution.

Our work improves key koala habitats and builds knowledge of remaining koala populations by:

• Maintaining or enhancing existing koala habitat through initiatives such as tree planting, fire management, and weed control.
• Expanding and connecting koala habitat with revegetation, livestock fencing, and other initiatives that improve their capacity to move across the area.
• Building local capacity to improve land management practices to benefit koala habitat. This includes a series of knowledge-building workshops to improve the capacity of our communities and land managers to contribute to this vital koala conservation work.
• Implementing monitoring regimes to measure the impact of our activities on koala populations and their habitat.
• Building collaboration between governments, community, land managers, and Traditional Owners to improve outcomes for koalas.

Click here to find out more about this great koala work.

Project outcomes  

Koalas face critical challenges in SEQ

Koalas are endangered, and their populations in South East Queensland are at elevated risk for a variety of reasons.

Since European settlement, their numbers have plummeted drastically. Back in the early 1900s, Queensland saw a staggering annual toll of 450,000 to one million koalas killed for their fur alone.

Large-scale clearing of good-quality koala habitats has occurred throughout SEQ.

Add to that the challenges of droughts, fires, and a changing climate, along with diseases, road accidents, dog attacks, and dwindling genetic diversity, and it's clear why their populations are in freefall.

The success of this work is thanks to a high level of collaboration to ensure alignment and consistency and reduce duplication.
This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Saving Koalas Fund.
Other key project collaborators on our koala projects include the Queensland Government Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland Trust for Nature, local governments, and Landcare and community groups.