Tweed Shire Council is actively involved in koala and koala habitat conservation initiatives. Through successful community and stakeholder partnerships, Council is implementing programs that aim to protect koalas and improve their habitat.
Investing in the future of Pottsville's koalas
The Pottsville Wetland is one of the Tweed Coast’s treasures. At just under 300 hectares, this important Council bushland reserve sits to the west of Pottsville Waters and Black Rocks residential estates and acts like a giant sponge for both Cudgera and Mooball Creeks. It also provides essential koala habitat, critical for the future survival of the Endangered Tweed Coast koala population.
Watch this video to find out how the community and Council have worked together to restore and conserve this special place and its unique biodiversity.
Tweed Coast Koala Plan of Management
The Tweed Coast Koala Plan of Management is being implemented by community, Council and the Tweed Koala Management Committee.
Some of the priority actions currently underway include:
- Continue to work with landowners to create new koala habitat and improve existing habitat
- Reassessment of koala activity throughout the Tweed Coast for the Tweed Coast Koala Study 2021
- Continue planning and implementation of prescribed burns on Council bushland reserves to reduce the hazard of high intensity wildfire and to improve koala habitat
- Support operation of the Tweed Coast Koala Research Hub
- Establish new Koala Zones and wildlife protection infrastructure in priority locations
- Continue to work with regional Council, State Government and community partners to coordinate recovery actions and strategic communications
Please click on the headings below to view more information.
The second reassessment of koala activity across the Tweed Coast has recently been completed. This substantial on-ground survey program is essential to track the status and recovery of the Tweed Coast koala population, and the success of the Tweed Coast Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management (KPoM).
The findings of the Tweed Coast Koala Study 2018 (3.39mB PDF) are encouraging, and provide support for ongoing investment in implementation of the KPoM, as it works to support population recovery.
The results suggest that populations may be beginning to expand again into areas that had experienced decline as reported in 2015, most notably around Cudgen Nature Reserve and the Round Mountain area. Koala occupancy and activity levels remain relatively stable in the Pottsville Wetland and Black Rocks areas.
A summary of the study (2.44mB PDF) was presented to Council in March 2019.
There are many ways to get involved and help to recover the Tweed Coast koala population. The survival of koalas is now totally dependent on humans. Every koala is precious and fundamental to local population health and therefore koala survival.
Everyone can make a difference by doing the Tweed Coast koala Top 5!
- Call Friends of the Koala on 02 6622 1233 if you see a koala
- Drive with care at night, especially in koala zones
- Keep your dog away from koalas
- Plant koala trees on your property or join your local Landcare group
- Get involved – join a local group working to help koalas
Council can provide assistance and advice to landholders wanting to contribute or get involved in koala conservation. Depending on the size and location of your property, there are a number of opportunities. Find more information on Council-supported programs at the Private Land Conservation and Environmental Grants pages. If your property is in a high priority location, Council may be able to assist with site preparation, planting and initial maintenance.
There are many other organisations working to assist with the recovery of koalas on the Tweed Coast. Organised participation is the best way to contribute as an individual to koala conservation.
The following groups provide opportunities to get involved:
- Friends of the Koala – 24 hour koala rescue hotline 02 6622 1233. Koala care, rescue and rehabilitation organisation on the Northern Rivers providing volunteer opportunities, koala conservation advocacy, koala food tree nursery and habitat restoration.
- Team Koala – Koala conservation advocacy and education.
- Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers – 24 hour wildlife rescue hotline 02 6672 4789. Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organisation providing training and volunteer opportunities.
- Tweed Landcare – supports people caring for the environment and natural resources of the Tweed. Provider of information, training, project coordination, advocacy and representation for our members, locality groups, landholders and community.
Koala zones are areas where koalas are known to regularly cross the road to access food and habitat. Driving with care is required at all times, but especially at night when koalas are most likely to be on the move
Fire is a natural component of the Tweed Coast and plays an important role in maintaining the habitat of koalas and koala food trees. While large, high intensity canopy fires have the potential to eliminate koalas from extensive tracts of forest, fire is nonetheless essential for the maintenance of koala habitat, and long-term fire exclusion can lead to irreversible habitat decline and displacement.
The major fire-management issues threatening the Tweed Coast koala are:
- high intensity bush fires killing individual koalas
- peat fires that cause widespread collapse of koala habitat
- fire exclusion resulting in progressive koala habitat decline and displacement
The management of fire as a key element for the recovery of koalas on the Tweed Coast is identified in the Tweed Coast Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management. A number of the key fire related actions of this plan have been addressed through the preparation of the following documents:
Tweed Coast Koala Fire Management Plan (7.04mB PDF)
Hazard Reduction Burn Guidelines for Koala Habitat on the Tweed Coast (4.21mB PDF)
You can also view a fact sheet (1.28mB PDF) providing an overview of the approach to managing fire for koalas, life and property on the Tweed Coast as detailed by these plans.
Tweed Shire Council is working with the NSW Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity Consortium, Friends of the Koala and landholders to implement these plans including for the management of Council bushland reserves throughout the Tweed Coast.
The Hazard Reduction Burn Guidelines for koala habitat on the Tweed Coast assist land managers to undertake hazard reduction burns with minimal impact to koalas and their habitat. Use of these guidelines will ensure the persistence of healthy koala habitat and reduce high intensity wildfires to the benefit of human life, property and koalas
One of the priority actions of the Tweed Coast Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management is the reassessment of the status of the Tweed Coast koala population, as it is now five years since survey work for the Tweed Coast Koala Habitat Study was done in 2010. The Tweed Coast Koala Study 2015 (5.72mB PDF) was completed in December 2015 and describes the methods, results and implications of the most recent survey.
See the Koala Study 2015 FAQ (445kB PDF) for a summary of the study.
The Tweed Coast koala population has declined by approximately 50 per cent in the last decade and without action there is a very real risk that koalas could disappear from the Tweed Coast within the next 15 – 20 years.
Tweed Shire Council has prepared a Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management (PDF) to help the Tweed Coast koala population recover to more sustainable levels over the next two decades. The plan was adopted as a strategy of Council on Thursday 19 February 2015 and approved under State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) on 17 March 2021.
The plan has been prepared in conjunction with the Tweed Coast Koala Advisory Group and is based on the outcomes of the Tweed Coast Koala Habitat Study. The plan aims to ensure a strategic and comprehensive approach to issues including:
- habitat protection and restoration
- management of bushfire
- mitigation of threats from motor vehicles, dogs and disease
- community education
- research, monitoring and evaluation
- resourcing and implementation
To see what was achieved, view the following Tweed Coast Koala Plan of Management reports:
Tweed and Byron Shire Council collaborated to deliver the Tweed Byron Koala Connections project with the financial assistance of the Australian Government.
The four year project was completed in June 2016 and resulted in:
- Planting more than 73,000 trees on over 120 sites
- Creation of 55 hectares of new koala habitat and improvement of another 150 hectares of habitat
- Koalas including breeding females using planted trees at many sites
- Monitoring and evaluation of project sites continues to demonstrate excellent planting establishment rates of consistently greater than 90%
- More than 800 people attended training, working bees and other events
- Vertebrate pest management monitoring and control over nearly 4000 hectares
- Relevant agencies and land managers have access to new resources to improve fire management to benefit the protection of koalas, their habitat and human life and property
- Corridor linkages have been established between properties, which together with areas of clustered project sites, create landscape scale improvement for koala habitat and connectivity
- Actions taken to reduce threats to koalas from vehicles have resulted in innovative techniques that have proven successful and are being adapted for use in other locations
- The Tweed Byron Koala Connections Forum was a highly successful strategy to communicate the outcomes of the project to a broad audience including sharing lessons learned to the benefit of environmental works throughout koala habitat areas
- Proven success of chemical free techniques for large scale revegetation projects at two sites
One of the key elements of the success of the project was the active involvement of partner organisations including Friends of the Koala, Brunswick Valley Landcare, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Team Koala, Tweed Landcare and Local Land Services. Together with the dedicated and inspiring commitment from landholders, local contractors and volunteers – the project has demonstrated what can be achieved through a whole of community effort.
Read the successful Tweed Byron Koala Connections Banksia Awards nomination (3.58mB PDF).
News Feed
Volunteers plant another 150 koala trees at Pottsville Wetland 27 October 2015
A group of dedicated volunteers brought together by a joint initiative of Team Koala and Council have planted another 150 koala food trees in Pottsville Wetland. The group have been planting and maintaining koala plantings each month with more....
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Koala Connections announced as finalist in Banksia Sustainability Awards 14 October 2015
Tweed Byron Koala Connections has been selected as a finalist in the 2015 Banksia Sustainability Awards The Banksias are regarded as the most prestigious and longest running environmental awards in Australia. These awards recognise....
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Koalas already benefiting from young planted trees at Pottsville 27 August 2015
Koalas have been recorded using trees planted by the Koala Connections project at two sites around Pottsville Wetland. This is a highly significant and exciting outcome given the trees being used are less than 18 months old. The previous....
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Pottsville Eco Warriors help local koalas 17 August 2015
Pottsville Beach Public School Eco Warriors are working with Council to save Tweed Coast koalas. Based on an information session delivered by Council, the students developed a list of actions that they could take to help. Their work....
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Koala Connections Tree Competition Awards announced 27 July 2015
The Koala Connections tree competition awards night was held on Friday 17th of July celebrating dozens of entries in the categories of 'Tallest tree', 'Best maintained planting' and 'My special forest'. More than 50 people attended the awards....
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Koala Connections finalist in World Environment Day Awards 28 May 2015
Tweed Byron Koala Connections has been selected as a finalist in the United Nations Association of Australia's World Environment Day Awards. The project is one of five finalists in the Best Specific Environmental Initiative category of the....
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Koala Connections committee visits Byron sites 19 May 2015
The Koala Connections Steering Committee has completed field visits to a number of the project sites in Byron Shire. It was an excellent opportunity for the committee to meet some of the dedicated landowners involved in the project and to see....
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50,000 Tweed Byron Koala Connections trees planted! 1 April 2015
The 50,000th Tweed Byron Koala Connections tree was planted on Saturday 28th March by volunteers at Pottsville Wetland. A swamp mahogany, one of the coastal koala's favourite feed species, was planted to celebrate this highly significant....
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Top 5 things you can do to help koalas 18 February 2015
Saving the koalas on the Tweed Coast requires a whole of community response. New information materials have been produced that list the Top 5 things that anyone can do to help conserve koalas. The tips apply throughout the Tweed....
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Clothiers Creek 'koala road' works commenced 4 December 2014
Works have commenced to establish a 3 kilometre section of Clothiers Creek Road as a 'koala road'. This section of road bisects known koala populations in Cudgen Nature Reserve and is unfortunately responsible for the death of 1 - 2 koalas per....
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NSW Green Globe Award 4 November 2014
The Tweed Byron Koala Connections project has won the Natural Environment Sustainability category in the NSW Green Globe Awards. The Green Globes are the leading environmental awards in NSW with more than 130 nominations received this year.
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Living with fire and koalas workshop in Bogangar 18 August 2014
Living with fire and koalas in the Tweed (407kB)
Protecting humans and koalas from wildfire was the focus of a workshop held on Saturday 16 August at Cabarita Sports Club. 30 local residents received information about fire management and koala conservation from representatives of Tweed Shire....
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Cudgen Nature Reserve planting complete 13 August 2014
5000 trees have been planted at Cudgen Nature Reserve including 2600 koala food trees. Contractors Bushland Restoration Services have planted the trees on ex-banana lease areas adjacent to important koala habitat.
The site....
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Mt St Patrick College group help out koalas 8 August 2014
Students from Mt St Patrick College environment group planted 300 trees at Cudgen Nature Reserve as part of the Koala Connections project. Twenty one students asssisted in planting the site that connects another large planting project with....
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Koala survey to assist fire planning 8 May 2014
Council ecologists completed a koala activity survey at Cabarita to assist NSW NPWS plan a hazard reduction burn in Cudgen Nature Reserve. Identification of the areas with koala activity will be used to prepare the burn plan in a manner that avoids....
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Another 1000 trees in the ground at Pottsville 6 May 2014
Nearly 30 volunteers assisted in planting an important patch of koala habitat at Pottsville. Volunteers from Team Koala, Currumbin Wildlife Hospital and the RSPCA Wildlife Ambulance joined forces with Council and the Bushland Restoration Services....
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Koalas using highway fauna overpass 12 April 2014
Monitoring of structures installed to assist animals to move across the Pacific Highway has recently confirmed use by koalas. Remote cameras installed on one of the constructed fauna overpasses have revealed use by a koala and many other species....
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Broken Head community koala planting 11 April 2014
A strong planting team from the Brays Forest Community completed a connecting planting of 1500 trees including koala food trees, between existing koala habitat patches at Broken Head. The main species planted were swamp mahogany (Eucalyptus....
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Koala Connections team visit Byron sites 20 February 2014
The Koala Connections project team recently visited a number of project sites in the Byron Shire. The site visits revealed not only fantastic outcomes creating new koala habitat, but also the inspiring contributions landholders are making. The....
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Tweed Coast Koala Habitat Study 2011 (7.35mB PDF)
A detailed koala habitat study was undertaken for the coastal portion of the Tweed local government area in 2011. An area of approximately 21,200 ha, comprising lands surrounding Terranora and Cobaki Broadwaters in the north and extending approximately 35 km south, generally between the coast and the Pacific Highway was surveyed.
The study documented extensive habitat fragmentation to the degree that the remaining viable koala population is now restricted to a small area between Bogangar and Pottsville. Critical koala recovery actions are identified including in relation to fire management, the impact of vehicles and habitat restoration.