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With a significant area of koala habitat having been lost across Victoria over the past 20 years, funding from the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) is enabling the Conservation Ecology Centre (CEC) to expand key elements of its Great Ocean Road Koala Habitat Rescue Program.

Loss of koala habitat in the remote part of south west Victoria began when the koala population suddenly exploded and the manna gum trees which supported them came under immense stress. These trees began to die and after a few years, thousands of koalas were eating the remaining leaves so quickly that the trees were unable to keep producing foliage, causing dieback in immense sections of forest.

With more than 70% of the manna gum community lost over the past 20 years, intervention was required to prevent the permanent loss of this unique and rare habitat type, along with the koalas and many other plants and animals that rely on it.

Since 2014 the CEC and local fire authority have conducted 17 prescribed ecological burns across 40 hectares on seven private properties to provide a good ash bed to plant young tree seedlings that will eventually replace the koala habitat trees which have largely been lost.

The controlled burns have also played a role in reducing the invasion of coastal plants into the woodlands of Cape Otway.

Over the past four years the project partners have achieved 100 hectares of revegetation, including approximately 50 hectares of canopy replacement. A further 20 hectares of canopy replacement planting was completed in 2016.

Seedlings purchased with the support of FNPW have made an important contribution to the woodland revegetation, with mesh guards providing extra protection for trees in critical locations.

In 2014, CEC also spearheaded a program to plant new trees across Cape Otway – over 80,000 young trees were planted by an army of volunteers. A pioneering partnership with the Country Fire Authority has led to small gentle burns in the woodlands, encouraging germination of young trees, restoring biodiversity and helping create a healthier ecosystem.

Sadly, 2014 also saw hundreds of sick and starving koalas having to be euthanised by the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries (now the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning).

Koala Habitat Rescue described this as “a dreadful task, but when confronted with animals that were reduced to skin and bones, covered in ticks, too weak to climb a tree and suffering from malnutrition and starvation, the only solution was to humanely end their suffering by lethal injection. E

very koala was assessed by vets and those strong enough to survive were returned to the bush. Only those with no prospect of survival were humanely euthanised.”

To undertake this work FNPW and CEC require strong community support.

For more information go to www.fnpw.org.au and conservationecologycentre.org

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20th August 2014 - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPOINTS COMMISSIONER FOR THREATENED SPECIES

15th January 2014 - TIDBINBILLA’S KOALA POPULATION BOOSTED BY ANOTHER SIX ARRIVALS

20th December 2012 - NATIONAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS PLAN RELEASED

30th April 2012 - KOALAS TO BE LISTED AS THREATENED AMID RAPID DECLINE

28th December 2011 - FOUNDATION CHIEF URGES AUSTRALIANS TO MAKE THE MOST OF ‘PARKS FOR PEOPLE’ 

1st August 2011 - DREAMWORLD HIGHLIGHTS PERILOUS STATE OF KOALA COLONIES 

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