The MidCoast and Port Stephens region has some of the highest recorded densities of koalas in New South Wales, as well as large areas of remnant native vegetation that provide important habitat.
These regions include 4 of the 19 populations identified as a priority for support under the NSW Koala Strategy. Our regional koala conservation partnership with MidCoast Council builds on the success of previous NSW Government support and recognises the important role local and cultural knowledge has in conserving koala populations in the MidCoast region.
How does the regional partnership support koala conservation?
We are supporting a regional koala conservation partnership with MidCoast Council with funding of $600,000 under the NSW Koala Strategy. This funding supports a dedicated koala officer, based at MidCoast Council, who coordinates local projects to help conserve koalas and their habitat in the region.
Funding is also being provided to the broader MidCoast and Port Stephens region for koala habitat restoration, vehicle strike mitigation and to develop koala habitat maps and koala monitoring. Local councils involved are:
- MidCoast Council
- Port Stephens Council
- Lake Macquarie Council
- Cessnock Council.
Other agencies and organisations that support the partnership include the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hunter Local Land Services, Landcare, Biodiversity Conservation Trust, local rehabilitation groups, Transport for NSW, Forestry NSW and the Aboriginal community Taree Indigenous Development Enterprise.
What work is being undertaken?
A range of on-ground koala conservation actions are being conducted across the region that include:
- coordinating habitat restoration actions within priority koala habitat
- reducing koala vehicle strikes
- coordinating and supporting koala surveys and habitat mapping
- supporting landholders to protect koalas and their habitat
- supporting the local koala carer community
- engaging with Traditional Owners
- community engagement and education.
Some of these projects include:
- Engaging more than 300 landholders within the MidCoast and Port Stephens local government areas to undertake koala habitat conservation and restoration.
- Delivery of more than 30 koala conservation community engagement events, delivered and attended by over 3,500 local community members.
- Koala surveys conducted at more than 100 landholders’ properties across the MidCoast and Port Stephens local government areas.
- Construction of koala fencing and a purpose-built koala culvert to allow koalas safe movement across Port Stephens Drive in partnership with Port Stephens Council.
- Construction of koala fencing and a wildlife platform to allow koalas safe movement across the Pacific Highway near Coolongolook in partnership with Transport for NSW.
- Development of MidCoast Council's Koala Conservation Strategy.
- Development of a vehicle strike mitigation strategy by MidCoast Council.