Sarina Koala Habitat Restoration

Delivering koala habitat for the Sarina region

The conservation status of the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) was upgraded from Vulnerable to Endangered in 2022. Since then, the Australian Government provides funding to regional organisations to restore habitat while supporting koala conservation. Reef Catchments’ project will deliver habitat restoration for the Sarina area.

The Sarina Koala Habitat Restoration project has been established to improve the quality, quantity and connectivity of koala habitat by protecting and enhancing existing habitat, creating new habitat and by improving connectivity for koalas on the move from inland ranges to coastal areas within Reef Catchments’ boundary.

The Koala (combined populations in Qld, NSW & ACT) was listed as endangered under the EPBC Act 1999 in February 2022. Later that year, the National Recovery Plan for the Koala was published, and a national recovery team was established to stop the decline in koala populations across QLD, NSW & ACT. Federal Government funding was allocated for koala conservation and protection and an Investment Framework for Environmental Resources (INFFER) report commissioned by the Australian Government on Koala Conservation, determined that funding habitat improvement in the Sarina area would be a sound investment which would achieve positive outcomes for koalas.

With a primary objective to stabilise or improve the survival trajectory of koalas, the Sarina project aims to deliver:

• 150 ha of weed control to improve access for koalas and to reduce fire risk in established habitat areas
• 27 ha of koala friendly revegetation.

The project area is from Sandy Creek to just north of Koumala, from the Connors Range in the west to coastal areas in the east, with a number of priority areas identified within that zone. Reef Catchments is looking to connect with landholders who wish to take part in this exciting project which ends June 30 2025. To show your interest, please connect with Sandy Whittington-Shaw.

Photos courtesy of Charley Geddes.

This project is supported by Reef Catchments through funding from the Australian Government’s Saving Koalas Fund.