Koala threat management and habitat restoration South East Queensland
Working with local governments, non-government organisations, Traditional Owners, and communities, to identify priority threat areas and deliver actions for koala conservation in South East Queensland.
Promote the results and outcomes from threat management activities and build capacity of local governments, the community and partner organisations to undertake effective threat management initiatives.
The Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020-2025 (the Strategy) details their commitment to reversing the decline in koala populations across SEQ and, in doing so, safeguarding the future of this iconic species. Healthy Land & Water is delivering the following two programs under the Strategy, funded by the Queensland Government, in partnership with SEQ local government.
SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives
In 2023, Healthy Land & Water commenced a partnership with the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) to deliver the SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives (KTMI) Phase 1, as part of the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020-2025. This program engages local governments, non-government organisations, and communities to identify 10 priority threat areas for koala threat reduction programs across SEQ. The data gathered is being used to create and carry out targeted and transparent threat reduction programs to reduce the impacts of disease, injury, and mortality rates on our koalas.
Healthy Land & Water is also delivering the Reducing the threat of chlamydia in SEQ's wild koalas program - a targeted chlamydia treatment and potential vaccination sub-program of the larger KTMI for wild koala populations across South East Queensland (SEQ) to reduce this critical threat to koala survival.
Restore & Reconnect: SEQ Koala Habitat
In 2024, Healthy Land & Water commenced a second project, in partnership with DETSI, Restore & Reconnect: SEQ Koala Habitat Phase 1, also as part of the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020-2025. To complement the work already underway and achieve additional habitat restoration outcomes. This program engages local governments, non-government organisations, and communities to revise existing SEQ Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) developed in 2020 and develop 2025 SEQ ARKS incorporating local priorities in consultation with DETSI and SEQ local government. The 2025 SEQ ARKS map will be a decision support tool to assist in identifying priority koala habitat and direct investment. The implementation of koala habitat restoration at priority sites will be delivered in partnership with state agencies, SEQ local government authorities, First Nations organisations, non-government organisations and other partners.
What we are doing
Programs to reduce the impacts from disease, injury, and mortality rates of our koalas.
SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives Phase 1 (2023-2026):
- Workshops and engagement with local government, non-government organisations, and communities to identify 10 priority threat areas for koala threat reduction programs.
- Proposed actions for a threat reduction program in each area, prioritising opportunities that address all threats to koalas, including disease, fire, climate change, and others.
- A targeted program across the areas co-designed and implemented in partnership with local governments and key partners.
- A monitoring program to establish baselines and measure the progress toward threat reduction.
- Support local governments, the community and partner organisations to undertake effective threat management activities.
Restore & Reconnect: SEQ Koala Habitat Phase 1 (2024-2027):
- Co-design and deliver a strategic koala habitat restoration program in collaboration with State and Local Governments, non-government organisations and First Nations Organisations to contribute to the key target: “Commence rehabilitation to restore 10,000 hectares of koala habitat.”
- Develop 2025 SEQ ARKS incorporating local priorities to identify and prioritise sites to deliver strategic restoration and assisted regeneration of koala habitat. This includes the Queensland Government’s koala mapping, Healthy Land and Water’s Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) and local government datasets.
- Collaborate with local government and other partners to deliver on-ground outcomes across these priority sites, including habitat revegetation, weed control and restoration and fire management.
- Development and implementation of a monitoring program, guided by existing efforts, to measure both the effectiveness of these habitat restoration activities and the response of koala populations to them.
2025 SEQ Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) mapping: The Restore & Reconnect Program has revised the 2020 SEQ Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) mapping to guide habitat restoration for South East Queensland's endangered koalas to produce the latest 2025 SEQ ARKS mapping tool. This aligns with one of the program’s key objectives to identify and prioritise sites across South-East Queensland to deliver strategic restoration and assisted regeneration of koala habitat in koala priority areas and koala habitat restoration areas. Development of this tool has been supported by funding from the Australian Government and the Queensland Government.
The updated 2025 SEQ ARKS incorporates local stakeholder datasets and additional criteria to help identify where restoration efforts will contribute to the greatest positive impacts for koala conservation across the SEQ region. Stakeholders can use to make informed investment decisions with focus on protecting, managing and restoring habitats to stabilise koala numbers in the region. Informed by SEQ regional and local government information and datasets. These products are not statutory in nature.
The 2025 mapping identifies three key landscape categories:
- ARKS – larger connected habitat areas that currently support koala populations, with opportunities for protection and management.
- Habitat Nodes – smaller habitat areas important for koala populations and dispersal, with high potential for habitat consolidation and improvement.
- Habitat Connecting Buffering areas – strategic areas that allow koalas to move across the landscape, with opportunities for restoration to connect fragmented habitats.
These mapped areas provide investment guidance for a range of conservation activities, including habitat protection, revegetation, weed control, and fire management. The tool supports strategic decision-making by governments, conservation organisations, and other stakeholders working to secure a future for SEQ's koalas.
Explore the map below.
Measuring success
| The two projects will deliver | |
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Project 1 SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives Phase 1 (2023-2026) ($4.2m) |
Project 2 Restore & Reconnect: SEQ Koala Habitat Phase 1 (2024-2027) ($3.5m) |
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Workshops and engagement with local government authorities, non-government organisations, and communities to Identify and prioritise 10 priority threat areas for koala threat reduction programs. |
Cooperatively deliver project outcomes with state government land management agencies, local government authorities, non-government organisations, First Nations and private landholders. |
| Co-design targeted threat reduction programs across priority areas. | Support project delivery to contribute towards the achievement of the key target: "Commence rehabilitation to restore 10,000 hectares of koala habitat." |
| Contributing to a reduction in disease, injury, and mortality. | Measure both the effectiveness of koala habitat restoration initiatives and the response of koala populations to habitat restoration. |
| Develop and implement monitoring to measure progress. | Promote the results and outcomes from koala habitat restoration activities and build capacity of local governments, the community and partner organisations to undertake koala habitat restoration activities. |
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Start threat reduction activities within the 10 priority threat areas.
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On-ground actions:
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Why this project is important
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In Queensland, the greatest concentration of koalas is in SEQ. They were first listed as vulnerable in SEQ under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act) in 2005, and in 2015 this was expanded to koalas across the entire state. In 2022 the conservation status of the koala was upgraded to Endangered both within Queensland under the NC Act and nationally under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Koalas face a range of environmental stresses including habitat loss, impacts from high-intensity bushfires and climate change, disease, and car strikes. Threats do not occur in isolation and koalas can be simultaneously affected by multiple threats. Threat management and habitat restoration are key action areas in the strategy and are essential for ensuring the long-term viability of koalas in SEQ, particularly given the increased vulnerability of populations due to increased threats, habitat loss and fragmentation. |
Project snapshot
| Projects |
SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives - Phase 1 (2023-2026) $4.2mil Restore & Reconnect: SEQ Koala Habitat - Phase 1 (2024-2027) $3.5mil |
| Project manager: | Natalie Hillcoat, Healthy Land & Water |
| Project team: | Tom Lally and Indigo Kuss-Patterson, Healthy Land & Water |
| Catchment: | South East Queensland |
| Partnerships: |
The SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives pProgram is funded by the Queensland Government and runs in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Local Government Authorities, the Australian Government, Queensland Trust for Nature, Griffith University Social Marketing, University of Sunshine Coast, University of Queensland, SEQ Wildlife Hospital Network, Traditional Owners, and Landcare and community groups. The Restore & Reconnect Program is funded by the Queensland Government and runs in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Local Government Authorities, Traditional Owners, and Landcare and community groups. |
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Project collaborators
The SEQ Koala Threat Management Initiatives Program is funded by the Queensland Government and runs in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Local Government Authorities, the Australian Government, Queensland Trust for Nature, Griffith University Social Marketing, SEQ Wildlife Hospital Network, Traditional Owners, and Landcare and community groups.
The Restore & Reconnect Program is funded by the Queensland Government and runs in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Local Government Authorities, Traditional Owners, and Landcare and community groups.
