Koala Habitat

Koala habitat is the major determining factor in how koalas live their lives and indeed if they are to continue to survive in any particular area. Habitat serves many purposes such as providing shelter from the elements, food supply, a mating place, a safe haven from predators. It is KIC's goal to start purchasing land for koala habitat in the near future for further tree planting & enhancement for the local koalas.

Due to past clearing of vegetated areas for farming, logging and more recently, residential and industrial developments, koala habitat has significantly declined since European arrival. Much of the remaining koala habitat consists of a mosaic pattern of disturbed forest remnants and inadequate corridor linkages. Koalas are constantly struggling to survive in these depleted areas and are at increased risk of predator attack ie dogs, foxes, & livestock or being struck by motor vehicles while migrating through disturbed areas that roads transverse.

There are large variations in habitat across our area Including:

• Sandy loams of the coastal areas
• Fertile alluvial floodplains and riparian areas
• Rich volcanic of the upper escarpments and plateaux
• Low fertile clay/shale ridges
• Sub alpine areas of the Barrington Tops

Over 30 Eucalypt species are known to exist within our area, some quite common, whilst others are only in limited locations and some at their geographical limit. Koalas are also known to forage on non-Eucalypt species such as Melaleucas and Angophoras.

It is essential that when any project is being planned to increase koala food trees in an area that only tube-stock grown from locally collected seeds from known koala food trees are used. Unfortunately, some plant nurseries supply non-endemic species that our local koalas will not eat and these species have only weed value. It is also important to plant a variety of species to provide koalas with a varied diet.