The Southwest Sydney Koala Project is a partnership between Greater Sydney Landcare and the NSW Koala Strategy and aims to improve outcomes for koalas and their habitat, focussing on the southwest Sydney region.
Southwest Sydney Koala Project Events in 2024
- Wollondilly Koalas meeting – Feb, April, June 2024 (Bi-monthly)
- Wednesday Feb 28 (6-8pm); Appin Scout Hall
- NSW Koala Summit – 22 March 2024
- Koala citizen science training day in Sutherland – 23 March 2024
- Basic Bush Regeneration & Weed ID Course – April 2024 (TBC)
- Community Koala Network (Greater Sydney) meet – May 2024
- Koala Drone event (Koala discovery series) event – June 2024
- Koala Spotlighting event (Koala Discovery series) – August/September 2024
NSW Koala Summit
The Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe, announced that the NSW Government will host the NSW Koala Summit on Friday 22nd March 2024 at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
The Summit is an opportunity for key stakeholders to come together to review the NSW Koala Strategy and shape actions that governments, community groups, businesses and individuals can take to conserve koalas in New South Wales.
The Summit will be the key consultation point in the Koala Strategy review process. It will examine whether the current actions, targets and delivery approach are working for koala program areas and locations around NSW. Advice from the Summit will be provided to the Minister to inform the refresh of the Strategy.
To supplement advice from the Summit, a discussion paper will seek community views on the NSW Koala Strategy and current koala conservation actions.
There will be additional opportunities for members of the community to comment on the Koala Strategy review.
For more information you can email: koalasummit@environment.nsw.gov.au
Koala Citizen Science Training in the Sutherland Shire
Come along to the Citizen Science Training Day if you’d like to learn about koala ecology and how to record key data about Sydney Basin Koalas that will contribute to their conservation.
Whether you live in the Sutherland Shire or elsewhere, you are welcome to join in. The event will include exploring lush koala habitat, and learning about koala ecology and how to record information about koala sightings, scats and habitat.
Tickets are limited so bookings are essential. Find out more and book your free tickets to attend on Humantix.
For more info contact Jade Peace of Sydney Basin Koala Network by email: jade.peace@tec.org.au
Koala Discovery Event Series
In November 2023 interested people, including local landholders, came to the first Koala Discovery Day as part of the Southwest Sydney Koala Project.
The event started with some theory about the ecology of Koalas leading into surveying methods and ways to recognise Koala habitat.
Dr Chad Beranek led the theoretical aspects of the day, which was followed by a networking lunch and then a walk into local Wilton bushland identifying the Koala’s favourite food tree, the Grey Gum (Eucalyptus punctata). We were also lucky enough to have MP Judy Hannan and her team along with us for lunch and the Wilton walk.
Participants then travelled into Appin, where Appin Park boasts established old growth Grey Gums that highlight koala scratches. Scats were also identified at the base of these trees before the group walked along the upper reaches of the Georges River in search of a wild Koala.
Although we didn’t see a wild koala on the day, participants were thrilled to be able to recognise koala habitat, if they were not already familiar with it.
The next event in the series, which will add to our chances of spotting a wild Koala in Appin, will be a spotlight. This is planned for March 2024. More information about this event will be posted on the Southwest Sydney Koala Project’s Facebook page.
About the Southwest Sydney Koala Project
Greater Sydney Landcare received funding from the NSW Government to help deliver the NSW Koala Strategy across the Campbelltown and Appin/Wilton areas.
The Southwest Sydney Koala Project includes conservation efforts such as encouraging connectivity with corridor plantings that include preferred koala food trees on private and public property. Numerous other conservation actions will be carried out in this partnership program between July 2022 and June 2026, including road kill mitigation, wildlife carer support, community engagement and awareness raising and education.
