Partnerships delivering 400+ hectares for koalas in South East Queensland
On properties across South East Queensland, one of Australia’s most iconic species—the koala—is watching its new habitat grow.
The Koala Habitat Restoration Partnership Program is a five-year $4.48 million project funded by the Queensland Government and implemented by Queensland Trust for Nature (QTFN). Since 2019, the program has addressed habitat loss and fragmentation. The first two rounds will restore more than 400 hectares of koala habitat.
The program is helping to restore landscapes and connect habitat, planting more than 245,000 trees and assisting natural regeneration of koala habitat. Landholders are already seeing positive outcomes with koalas moving safely through the linking corridors created and maintained by the on-ground works.
Acting Program Coordinator for Koala Habitat Partnerships and Programs, Rachael Williams, explained that more than 68 landholders initially applied for the program with projects then selected through a competitive process.
“After thorough research and analysis, a team of koala experts met to prioritise the properties based on location, size, connectivity, and restoration potential,” Rachael said.
“In the first round, 7 landholders received support for revegetation and natural revegetation projects to restore 250 hectares. In the second round, another 7 new landholders received support to restore 150ha.
“We can already see the great progress they are making to restore habitat.”
The Queensland Government has announced that a further $5 million in funded will be allocated to extend the Koala Habitat Restoration Partnerships Program and support the delivery of additional revegetation and natural regeneration projects.
QTFN Restoration Project Officer Dave Madden said partnerships underpin the program’s success.
“We collaborate with many stakeholders, from landholders to local councils to community volunteers, to maximise our outcomes for koala habitat restoration,” Dave Madden said.
“At each property, we develop a restoration plan with the landholder. The plan is specific to the needs of their site so that all the project works are restoring and creating the highest quality habitat for koalas possible.
“On-the-ground action can include re-planting cleared areas, in-fill planting, weed control, fencing, ecological burning operations, and maintenance work. We work with a team of people to achieve this on a large scale.
“Habitat restoration faces many challenges, including unpredictable weather like flooding, drought, and frost. We work closely with passionate people willing to work hard to mitigate these risks and ensure project success.”
Apart from improved koala habitat, the program achieves other benefits for the environment, landholders and the community, including soil stabilisation, water quality improvement, and education.
The program has supported citizen science events and workshops as part of its commitment to educating and engaging the local community in koala conservation. For example, co-funding citizen science camps where the community visits a property to learn about different koala monitoring techniques and conduct surveys for wildlife.
Interest in the Koala Habitat Partnership Program continues to grow, with over 100 expressions of interest received for the third round. With the rigorous project selection now complete, QTFN is working with the selected landholders to develop their plans and get the work started.