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The Sydney Basin Bioregion was once home to many healthy Koala populations – but now just five colonies are left and heading for extinction. This is due to the massive 19/20 bushfires, ongoing mining, logging and urban development. From the western edge of Sydney, spreading outwards north, south and west – there are still little-known, but irreplaceable Koala colonies. Now officially classified as “endangered” under state and federal legislation, they are facing extinction in a few decades – unless we act!
In the past 20 years, Koalas have declined in the Sydney Basin Bioregion by an estimated 22%. Protection of remaining habitat, including near urban areas, in proposed urban expansion sites, and on public, leased and private lands - is critical. Our latest research, State of Koalas in the Sydney Basin, First Annual Assessment (SBKN 2024), shows an overall continuing downwards trend of the extent, occupancy, and generational persistence of koalas in the Sydney Basin Bioregion from 2021-2023. The need for stronger environment laws that protect occupied and connected koala habitat is urgent.
A Recent Yougov polling found:
- 84% of NSW residents want koala habitat protected from development
- 91% support the creation of a koala green belt around Sydney.
Our urban and regional areas must marshal all available legal, financial, community and scientific resources to protect their habitat and linking corridors on public and private lands, so Koalas can survive. We have called for an urgent rescue plan from land clearing, urban sprawl and roadkills, for the endangered Koala colonies of the Sydney Basin, at a meeting with Judith Hannan MP, President of the Parliamentary Friends of the Koalas, and need your help to increase the pressure.
Our Campaign Goals: Protect the 5 Remaining Colonies
The Sydney Basin contains seven areas of koala significance (ARKS) which face multiple threats, but only five of those have surviving colonies. We will be focusing our efforts on protecting these 5 remaining colonies:
- Campbelltown/Wollondilly/Liverpool/Sutherland
- Southern Tablelands/Wingecarribee
- Hawkesbury
- Hunter Valley/Lake Macquarie/Cessnock
- Blue Mountains
Sydney Basin Koala Rescue
Why is there a focus on koalas in South West Sydney and Hawkesbury?
The Koala colonies in South West Sydney (Campbelltown/Wollondilly/Liverpool/Sutherland) and Hawkesbury are the only populations in the Sydney Basin that are steady or recovering. Currently, they are being seriously affected by poor development decisions displacing Koalas and pushing them onto the roads. Appin Road in South West Sydney has seen Koala deaths nearly double since 2022. Alarmingly an increase in female and joey deaths correlate with displacement from development. This is having a significant impact on this important chlamydia free population. They cannot, over time, sustain this level of population decline.
Our Urgent Koala Protection Plan
There is a chance to turn their fate around and create immediate impact to stop the decline of koala populations in particular across the Sydney Basin:
1. Sutherland Shire, Hills Shire, Penrith and Camden LGAs must have Koala habitat legally recognised urgently
There are many koalas in the Sydney Basin with no protection from development as their habitat is not recognised in a legal framework. The Sutherland Shire is recognised as being in an Area of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) with a Koala population also impacted by many deaths on Heathcote Road. Despite evidence of hundreds of Koalas in the area, Sutherland LGA is not listed in the Biodiversity SEPP that recognises Koala Habitat. Likewise, the Blue Mountains population is expanding into Penrith LGA (Bionet 2024), and the Hawkesbury population into the Hills Shire LGA (Bionet 2024). Koalas displaced by development in Campbelltown are also turning up in Camden LGA (Bionet 2024).
2. The lack of a consistent definition of Koala habitat across LGAs is resulting in the vast majority of councils with Koalas not taking action.
We need to apply a scientifically robust definition of Koala habitat to legal frameworks and apply this to all LGAs with Koala sightings so all councils can quickly proceed with habitat mapping and Comprehensive Koala Plans of Management. Only two of the 23 LGAs in the Sydney Basin with Koala SEPPs have a Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management. The remaining 21 LGAs, plus those with koalas that are not listed in any SEPP, are vulnerable to a myriad of development threat.
3. Protect and restore Mallaty Creek habitat corridor for Koalas
Mallaty Creek is currently a connected, intact, and active East West Koala Corridor but the government plans to terminate by fencing it off to koalas, and by design other wildlife as part of urban development plans. We also need an additional wildlife crossing on Appin Road to mitigate the unprecedented amounts of roadkill on Appin Road, and as previously advised by Koala experts.
4. Apply the Chief Scientist corridor advice for Campbelltown and Macathur across the Sydney Basin
It is important that the South-West is connected with the North West, and the North-West is connected to the lower Hunter and zone corridors as C2 to prevent fragmentation.
5. Scrap the unscientific Rural Boundary Clearing Code to prevent fragmentation of habitat.
The Local Land Services Act need to be reformed urgently, ending code based clearing and removing the outdated 1990 regrowth rule.
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Sydney Basin Koala Policy
Our Sydney Basin Koala Policy remains unchanged with the above urgent additions, outlining the steps needed to halt their trajectory from endangered to extinct. The Sydney Basin Koala Policy uses the best science and is intended to close the litany of loopholes in the law governing development, that is pushing the Koala towards extinction. Until we can stop the clearing of habitat and allow the colonies to stabilise and expand, it will be death by a thousand cuts. We’ve outlined a 5-point policy to halt the trajectory of koalas from endangered to extinct. You can now read our full policy here.
1. Protection of existing habitat, including a Koala Greenbelt around towns and cities
2. Maintaining, expanding and restoring linking corridors
3. Removing planning law loopholes that allow development to proceed
4. Avoiding vehicle, dog and fire threats, eg by fencing corridors and building underpasses
5. Continue scientific research that leads to practical solutions
How we are continuously fighting for Sydney Basin's Koalas
Total Environment Centre has been campaigning for the protection of the Koala for many years. Our campaign ramped up with Save Sydney's Koalas, focused on the healthy, but threatened Macarthur colony on the western edge of Sydney; and recently with the development of the Sydney Basin Koala Network, which aims to protect and expand Koala populations across the larger Sydney Basin Bioregion. We are now focused on protecting those five important colonies.
- 15 November 2024: We went to NSW Parliament with Sydney Basin Koala Network and Save Sydney's Koalas to present our petitions of over 22k signatures to Save the Koalas of Sydney and Save Mallaty Creek to @Judith Hannan MP, President of the Parliamentary Friends of the Koalas, joined by Sue Higginson, The Greens NSW MP, Janelle Saffin, Lismore MP, and Jacqui Scruby, Pittwater MP. We called for an urgent rescue and protection plan from land clearing, urban sprawl and road kill for the endangered Koala populations of the Sydney Basin, on behalf of 22 environmental groups including WIRES, ifaw and more. The Guardian Australia covered the Koala deaths relating to housing developments in South-West Sydney.
- 21 May 2024: We found Lendlease was reversing koala protections and managed to stop them from proceeding.
- 18 March 2024: Our Sydney Basin Koala Network project released their research showing that Koalas in Sydney Basin are in decline. and a policy and legal analysis by the Environmental Defenders Office concludes that existing measures are not enough to prevent the extinction of koalas in the Sydney Basin by 2050.
- 30 August 2024: Our Sydney Basin Koala Network project educated local voters on how to protect koalas in their local council election.
- 25 August 2023: We released an open letter signed by 25 NGO's to reform the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan and are calling our supporters to send a letter to Minister for Environment, Penny Sharpe and Minister for Planning, Paul Scully. You can still do so here!
- 4 September - 3 November 2023: Our project Sydney Basin Koala Network uncovered 4 years of missing threatened species data on Bionet, which would have been incorrectly advising on the environmental impact of developments that could clear habitat and have other damaging effects. SBKN also provided a submission to NSW Parliament. Due to their work, on 23 October, the government updated Bionet with far more records than were first estimate missing.
- 30 May 2023: We worked against the Limeburners Creek clearing which is a Key Koala Refuge and Corridor.
- 11 April 2023: We spoke out against the Gilead Stage 2 Biodiversity Certification at the Campbelltown Council meeting. The Gilead development removes habitat and cuts corridors necessary to connect the primary Koala corridors of the Nepean River to the Georges River. Protection of this vital Koala corridor is essential if Koalas are to survive in NSW. You can read our two objections to the approval of Campbelltown council to act as the applicant for Lendlease's Biodiversity Certification here (7 April 2023) and here (14 February 2023). Sydney Basin Koala Network also released a statement on the impacts of Stage 2 Mt Gilead on the local koalas based on their independent research. You can read it here. Even the NSW Department of Planning and Environment under the previous government has spoken out against this development, stating that "the proposal is inconsistent with advice and recommendations contained in the Office of Chief Scientist and Engineer (OCSE) Advice on the protection of the Campbelltown Koalas and the follow up reports (OCSE Koala reports) and TAP.". You can read their full letter here.
- 03 April 2023: We opposed the new development in and around the Warragamba township where the well established knowledge that Koalas inhabit the area is either being ignored or downgraded, so there is little done to ensure their survival.
- 5 March: We are grateful that the wider community chose koalas when voting in the NSW election!
- 22 March 2023: NSW State Election 2023: Environmental Policy Scorecard
- 21 March 2023: NSW State Election: Koalas’ future at stake
- 20 March 2023: Key Independent backs our Sydney Basin Koala Policy!
- 13 March 2023: Australian Ethical divested $11m in shareholdings of Lendlease. Lendlease has continuously greenwashed the protection of koalas, in particular in a development known as Stage 2 Gilead. A development proposing over 3,000 additional houses in the heart of koala habitat. Australian Ethical said Lendlease failed to "provide critical information about the width of planned koala corridors", stating that they "cannot continue to support a company that appears to be failing to take biodiversity protection seriously." A major win in this campaign!
- 06 March 2023: NSW ALP Promise: Koalas will be safer, faster
- Our 2108 -2022 actions can be found here.