This project requires bush regeneration and revegetation works within the Coffs Harbour – North Bellingen Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) as part of the Regional Land Partnerships Program protecting Koalas of the North Coast of NSW. The project is partnering with landowners, local government, and NSW government agencies to protect and restore priority koala habitat in selected ARKS in the north coast region of NSW.

The works have focused on properties within the Bellingen and Coffs Harbour Local Government Area over 12 separate privately owned sites. The works consisted of primary, secondary and maintenance weed removal with a focus on maintaining, enhancing and expanding Koala habitat. The works will benefit native forests by reducing the ongoing impacts of weeds, particularly Lantana camara (Lantana) in high conservation areas, expanding existing areas of habitat and improving existing wildlife corridors.

Revegetation areas were selected for planting native endemic species, with 60% of the trees planted in this project consisting of Koala feed trees of the area including Eucalyptus microcorys, E.pilularis, E.propinqua, E.saligna,E.robusta and E.tereticornis.

The project has been successful in restoring and rehabilitating primary koala habitat that contain preferred feed tree species through reducing and eliminating major infestations of high threat weed species, especially Lantana. The works have reduced the threatening processes and spread of Lantana and other detrimental weeds encountered across the project area. A total of 110ha of weed control and habitat enhanced.

The revegetation works has improved connectivity, through the creation of corridors of revegetated areas that will help establish vital connections between fragmented habitats. This enables koalas to move safely between different patches of forest in search for mates, and access new food sources. A total of 8,400 trees have been planted across an area of 8ha.

The ongoing efforts are not just benefiting Koala’s, the works will have secondary benefits to a range of other threatened species and Threatened Ecological Communities (TECs).