By Sonia Isaacs
A new project ‘Saving Sunshine Coast Koalas’ will see Sunshine Coast Council partner with local conservation groups and organisations to gain further knowledge about the local lifestyle and habitat choices of this much-loved Australian species. Securing an almost $200,000 federal government grant, the collaboration will enable five partners; Sunshine Coast Council, First Nations Peoples, University of Sunshine Coast Detection Dogs for Conservation research group, Brush Turkey Enterprises and Mooloolah River LandCare to deliver a specific project that aims to fill the current knowledge gap surrounding this iconic Australian species, while also working together to improve local koala habitat options.
Spencer Shaw from Brush Turkey Enterprises said the funding will extend the existing Howells Knob Koala Restoration Project by an extra two hectares, and the organisation will be looking to host a local landholder koala habitat workshop day with neighbouring properties in Reeseville.
“Thanks to this project, the future is looking brighter for the koalas of Reesville, with habitat extension and connection, and perhaps more importantly, education and engagement with residents about the amazing country we share with koalas,” Mr Shaw said.
Peter Shuttleworth from Mooloolah River LandCare said they were looking to provide 3,500 trees for planting and also provide a Mooloolah Catchment koala community planting day. He said MRL was currently assembling a new nursery area at their Glenview site in preparation to grow the tube stock ready for a Spring 2024 delivery.
“MRL are happy to participate in this project and support the expansion of our Sunshine Coast’s koala habitat. We will be providing a mixture of habitat trees which will feature predominantly koala feed eucalyptus trees,” Mr Shuttleworth said.
To date, local data regarding the movements of the Sunshine Coast’s koala population has been relatively limited and this funding will create opportunities to gain further knowledge around the lesser known lives of these animals, in a bid to improve recovery efforts.
As well as planting thousands of new koala friendly trees, the funding will assist to extend habitat to create safer passage, as well as facilitate community engagement programs and koala sighting workshops. State of the art science, such as drone-mounted thermal imagery, artificial intelligence, koala bellow recognition programs, detection dogs and next-generation scat genetic analyses will also be used to collect valuable data.
These tools will provide additional insight into the local koala population, including where they live, numbers, state of their health and what they eat. On-ground surveys in the region’s relatively inaccessible habitat will also look for koalas that need care, and more trees will be planted to extend and connect existing koala habitat.
The project has been funded by Australian Government’s $76 million Saving Koalas Fund and delivers on the Sunshine Coast Council’s Strategic Pathways of the Environment and Liveability Strategy by implementing threatened species management plans to protect and enhance natural landscapes and its inhabitants.
