Burnett Mary Regional Group receives $2m for koala research over two years

A key environmental group has received $2m for the protection and restoration of koala habitats throughout the Gympie region as the population grows.

Burnett Mary Regional Group has been granted $2 million in funding towards restoring koala habitat within the Gympie region. Picture: Supplied

A Gympie environmental group has been given $2m in funding to help restore critical koala habitats and improve connectivity across the Gympie region.

As Gympie and Mary Valley rapidly expands in population and infrastructure, planning ahead to ensure the future of the much-loved koala in the region has become an increasingly important focus.

The funding will mean the Burnett Mary Regional Group can work on identifying, restoring and improving connectivity for koalas in 178ha of land around Gympie.

The group’s research manager Dr Sydney Collett said most of its work will be connecting koala populations to ensure they have food and vegetation.

Dr Sydney Collett holds a Mary River turtle. Dr Collett is a research manager at Burnett Mary Group Region which has been granted $2 million for restoration and connectivity in koala habitat in the Gympie region. Picture: Supplied

“Working in a multifaceted manner with landholders, traditional owners and environmental groups, such as Koala Action Gympie Region means we’ll have more brains for the project and be able to identify the best place possible for the koalas,” Dr Collett said.

Restoring and connecting the habitat for these iconic Australian animals will also be a win for other creatures and plants in the corridor.

“There are lots of threatened species within these areas that will also benefit from that revegetation even though it comes under koala specific funding – honeyeaters, skinks, and other animals will also use the habitat,” Dr Collett said.

While it takes 10-15 years for trees to mature, wildlife advocates have questioned whether it is too little too late. 

Dr Collett said she grew up visiting her grandparents outside of Gympie and was no stranger to slowing down on the road as to not hit a koala, or having to mourn the loss of passing one on the side of the road.

“It is always in the mind of people visiting the region how it is such a critical hotspot for koalas,” she said.

Dr Collet’s parents live in Langshaw and have a regular koala that visits.

“We call him Wally, because it’s always a game of Where’s Wally to find him,” she said.

Dr Collett specialises in threatened species and studied the Mary River turtle in 2017. She said she is excited about the scope of this project because it means so much more than just the koalas.

Koala Action Gympie Region has been tracking the planting trees for renewal and maintenance of koala habitat. Picture: Koala Action Gympie Region

“We’re in an extinction crisis in Australia and koalas are such a critical ecosystem provider, to lose them would be catastrophic,” she said.

“So it’s on us to create a habitat that they can use.”

The first phase of works is funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water through the Australian Government’s Regional Land Partnerships program.

Noosa Landcare, Gympie Landcare, Koala Action Gympie Region and Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation are also involved.