A NSW Government website
Environment and Heritage
Environment and Heritage

Stakeholders collaborate on chlamydia management strategy for south-western Sydney koalas

NewsKoalasNative animalsAnimals and plantsTopicNews and media releasesContent type

The NSW Koala Strategy team recently convened a crucial technical workshop, bringing together over 60 stakeholders from government and non-government organisations to develop a chlamydia management strategy for the south-western Sydney koala population.

Stakeholders involved in koala conservation, including National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, WIRES, Sydney Wildlife Rescue, Wildlife Health Conservation Hospital, Save Sydney's Koalas, National Parks Association and the Sydney Basin Koala Network joined the workshop with koala disease experts. Attendees engaged in discussions around 3 major themes:

  • The Issues – Understanding koalas and the regional landscape.
  • The Options – Establishing a vision for the region's koala population.
  • The Actions – Exploring how rehabilitation, rescue practices and protocols can support effective management actions.

This collaboration will directly inform the chlamydia management strategy that the University of Sydney is developing, commissioned by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The strategy seeks to mitigate the risk of chlamydia in the southern Sydney koala population. It will evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of the full suite of potential intervention methods to develop a comprehensive approach to disease management.

The workshop allowed stakeholders to share insights, align efforts, and work towards the shared goal of managing the ongoing risk of chlamydia in the south-western Sydney koala population.