More than 3,000 native trees have been planted in bushland behind Byron Bay in a bid to stop the region’s koalas vanishing for good.
The planting took place in July across Arakwal National Park, the Tallow Beach area and Cape Byron State Conservation Area, with nine native tree species going into the ground to rebuild a wildlife corridor connecting fragmented patches of koala habitat.
It is the latest push under WWF-Australia’s Koalas Forever program, delivered with Bangalow Koalas, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Arakwal National Park Rangers, and backed by a newly renewed three-year partnership with Australia Post.
Since 2020, Bangalow Koalas and WWF-Australia have planted more than 104,600 trees across the Northern Rivers, and organisers say koalas could be using the latest plantings within two years.
The stakes could not be higher. Koala numbers have fallen 62 per cent in New South Wales and 50 per cent in Queensland since 2001, according to figures cited by WWF-Australia.
WWF-Australia Chief Regenerative Officer Nicole Forrester said every tree in the ground was a step toward reversing that decline.
“Every tree planted today is helping reconnect habitat and create a healthier more resilient landscape for wildlife,” Ms Forrester said.
“By restoring degraded landscapes and reconnecting habitat, we’re helping build healthier ecosystems that support wildlife, strengthen communities and create a more positive future for the generations to come.
“The future isn’t written yet and the actions we take today will shape the Australia we leave for future generations.”
Australia Post General Manager of Community and Stakeholder Engagement Nicky Tracey said the three-year extension of its partnership with WWF-Australia would bring more hands into the effort.
“What’s really special about working with WWF-Australia for another three years is that we have an opportunity to gather our team members, our customers and communities to help support WWF to regenerate nature,” Nicky Tracey said.
Bangalow Koalas President Linda Sparrow said protecting koalas meant protecting entire ecosystems, describing them as an “umbrella species”.
“Koalas are what you call an umbrella species. By planting and trying to create habitat for them, you’re creating habitat for a multitude of different species, whether it’s kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, birds,” Ms Sparrow said.
She said the fight to save the species was personal.
“They’re the most iconic animal in Australia, so we have to care for them because if we don’t, they could be extinct by 2050, and that’s not going to happen on my watch.”
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