NSW Government announces koala reserves in attempt to reverse declining populations

In an attempt to reverse the decline in koala populations - which have fallen by more than 25% in the past 20 years - the NSW Government has announced a  $45 million intervention package that will set aside areas of forest for reserves.

The measures include almost 25,000 hectares of state forest on the NSW mid-north coast as a koala habitat along with a new koala hospital will also open at Port Stephens to care for sick and injured koalas.

In an announcement at Taronga Zoo, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the the reserves will be a place for koalas to breed freely, advising "we know that there are around 36,000 koalas left in the state, but we don't know that for sure.

"It would be such a shame if this nationally iconic marsupial did not have its future secured."

The NSW Government's goal is to stabilise and eventually increase the population of koalas.

More than 20,000 hectares of state forest on the Central Coast, Southern Highlands, North Coast, Hawkesbury and Hunter with koala habitat will be used as new koala reserves.

Over 4,000 hectares of native forest on the Mid North Coast will also be transferred to the National Parks Estate.

About $20 million from the NSW Environmental Trust will be used to purchase land with prime koala habitat that can be permanently reserved as national parks.

NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said the strategy was a comprehensive policy which involved fixing road kill hotspots, introducing more vaccines, conducting more research, and engaging local communities.

The actions to conserve koalas were informed by a 2016 review of the state's decline of koala populations, led by the NSW Chief Scientist Professor Mary O'Kane.

Professor Rebecca Johnson, the Director of Science at the Australia Museum, was also involved in the review.

Dr Johnson said the strategy was exciting as it "embeds science as policy", telling the ABC “it's an excellent first step … the most important thing is trees for them to live in, and leaves for them to eat.

"Koala conservation is complicated - they have a very coastal distribution, they have a very specific diet, of largely, entirely eucalyptus leaves.

"They've suffered the impacts of urbanisation when land is cleared for developments or housing."

Other actions in the NSW Government's strategy include creating a network of koala and wildlife hospitals and establishing a single wildlife rescue call number.

The strategies will be implemented and monitored over three years, and reviewed in 2021.

Lower image shows the plan of the NSW koala reserves.

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