The Beagle
Feb 1, 2022
A recently published review of Bodalla State Forest, where a koala was sighted last October, indicates that the area must be a priority focus for any Eurobodalla-wide revival of the population.
Local volunteer group Eurobodalla Koalas reviewed the koala habitat significance of Bodalla State Forest.
“With its remnant habitat and history of koala presence, the forest is a viable location for home ranges of about 350 hectares each,” says lead researcher Keith Joliffe. “Bodalla State Forest is also needed as a breeding connector for a sustaining regional koala metapopulation.”
The review lists challenges for land managers in and near Bodalla State Forest if local koalas are to revive. Threats to address are landscape drying, further severe wildfire impacts, atmospheric carbon dioxide affecting leaf nutrients, degraded soils, dieback, historical clearing of the Tuross River lowlands, over-intensive logging and new clearing for urban development.
The study is being supported through a partnership between the Great Eastern Ranges and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia that will see $325,000 spent locally on environmental restoration projects from 2021 to 2024 in the Great Eastern Ranges: Cores, Corridors, Koalas South Coast project as part of a broader bushfire recovery effort. The Eurobodalla’s environment group Coastwatchers is delivering the south coast component of the effort with Eurobodalla Koalas.
“Over the next three years, the GER-WWF funded South Coast project plans to work with adjacent private property owners to survey and rehabilitate strategic wildlife corridor areas,” Dr Joliffe said.
The review is available at website link https://eurokoalas.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/review_bodalla-sf.docx.pdf
Above: Historical koala sightings in and around Bodalla State Forest