A new resource has been produced to help communities across the Mid North Coast, Hunter and Central Coast support local koala populations and their habitat.
The Koala tree guide Mid North Coast, Hunter and Central Coast of New South Wales will make it easier for landholders and conservation practitioners to spot and protect koala habitat within these regions.
Designed as a user-friendly resource, the guide outlines methods and key characteristics to distinguish koala food trees with extensive pictures and figures to help with identification.
It also includes other common naturalised and exotic trees that koalas may be seen using in each area.
In addition to being used to identify tree species, the resource will also be used to provide guidance for tree planting projects and assist local council staff or contractors undertaking site assessments for planning and koala conservation projects.
The project is a result of collaboration between the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and councils including Kempsey, Port Macquarie Hastings, MidCoast, Port Stephens, Cessnock and Lake Macquarie, as well as Koala Conservation Australia to ensure it was relevant to local areas.
Four workshops were also held at South West Rocks, Port Macquarie, Taree and Port Stephens with key stakeholders who provided valuable feedback on a first draft and learnt how they could use the guide.
The Mid North Coast, Hunter and Central Coast edition complements a body of work previously completed for the Field guide to koala habitat trees – Far North Coast New South Wales (PDF 9.7MB).
A final copy will be printed as a booklet and made available to local residents during events and other community engagement efforts.
