Habitat restoration win for koalas in Guula Ngurra National Park

In a heartwarming habitat restoration win, staff from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers recently spotted a koala in Guula Ngurra National Park. The koala was found in a tree planted in 2020 as part of a large-scale habitat restoration project in the state’s Southern Highlands.

The finding is significant as it’s the first koala sighted in restored habitat at Guula Ngurra National Park. This discovery highlights the vital role habitat restoration plays in supporting koalas and other threatened species that rely on healthy ecosystems to survive.

In 2020, National Parks and Wildlife Service acquired Guula Ngurra National Park as an action under the NSW Koala Strategy to conserve koala habitat. The park complements the surrounding national park estate by improving habitat connectivity and boosting the resilience of local koala populations.

Since the acquisition, National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken a significant restoration effort. Over 100 hectares of cleared land has been restored, transforming former paddocks into healthy forests with more than 20,000 native seedlings. The restoration efforts will continue with the goal to restore 600 hectares of land, providing vital habitat for koalas and other threatened species.

The 2018–19 drought significantly affected Guula Ngurra and the western Southern Highlands koala population. There have been few records of koala sightings since then, reinforcing the need for habitat restoration initiatives to support koala recovery in the area.

The tree planting event has been a collaborative effort between National Parks and Wildlife Service, the NSW Koala Strategy, Gundungurra Traditional Owners, Mullyang Bushcare and the Wingecarribee Council's Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project.