More than 150,000 trees are being planted on private properties across New South Wales to create habitat highways for struggling koala populations after they were officially listed as an endangered species under the Biodiversity Conservation Act last month.
The project will re-populate paddocks with native trees strategically placed to reconnect pockets of vegetation across the South Coast, Border Ranges, Blue Mountains and Coffs Coast hinterland.
A former dairy farm near Moruya on the South Coast is one of the first properties to sign up for the scheme, which is being led by conservation group Great Eastern Ranges in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund.
A study funded by the World Wildlife Fund found almost 3 billion native animals were estimated to have been killed or displaced in the Black Summer bushfires.
It was the worst single event for wildlife in Australia, among the worst in the world, and was likely to push some species into extinction, according to the organisation.
From dairy farm to koala highway
Vanessa Findlay and her husband James bought a former dairy farm near Moruya 18 months ago, after the catastrophic fires passed through the region.
She said getting involved in the project was a win-win for the market-garden farm, which would gain biodiversity and plant cover, and the native animals that lost habitat during the fires.
"We think being able to contribute to the outcomes of that at the same time as being able to achieve what we want to achieve on the farm just makes good sense," she said.
Some 3,000 trees have already been planted on the property, which sits along a critical spur connecting the Deua National Park and habitat pockets along the coast.
"This area in particular is a biodiversity hotspot, so there are a couple of really important species here that we've already found on the farm," Ms Findlay said.
Ms Findlay said she had already seen lyrebirds and gang-gang cockatoos living on the property, and suspected there were koalas in the trees too.
Koalas an endangered species
Gary Howling from Great Eastern Ranges said the koala population in the area had been dwindling for years.
But he was confident the population could bounce back once the freshly planted trees reached maturity.
"In time we are pretty confident koalas and other species will use the corridor to move through the landscape," he said.
There were hopes the new bushland would not only help bolster wildlife populations, but also help more animals escape the next time there was a fire by providing them with an escape path.
"It's beholden on everyone — landholders, government, and everyone in between — to work together to invest in habitat for the future," Mr Howling said.
