Koala conservation

We have long recognised the importance of koalas within the Gold Coast. We actively support some of the most important koala habitat and populations in South East Queensland.

These populations occur over 32,000 hectares of habitat within:

• Council and State-managed reserves
• large areas of privately-owned rural land
• urban and urban fringe areas of the Gold Coast.

Threats to koalas

As urban expansion continues, koalas face ever-increasing threats to their survival. Koalas regularly move to access food, establish their home range and socialise. They are especially vulnerable during breeding season, when juvenile males move in search of their own home range and breeding adults seek a mate.

The greatest threats to koalas are:

• fragmentation of habitat caused by urban development, invasive weeds and changes to the intensity of bushfires which can isolate both individuals and populations
• chlamydial disease which is widespread among koalas and can cause symptoms including:
  • eye infections (leading to conjunctivitis and blindness)
  • urinary tract infections causing cystitis which can lead to 'wet bottom' or 'dirty tail' (a brown discoloured rump caused by dripping urine) and infertility in females
  • respiratory infections (including nasal discharge), leading to pneumonia in some cases.
• koala retrovirus which is also widespread among koalas and may suppress the immune system causing leukaemia and lymphoma
• road fatalities when koalas are forced to regularly cross busy roads to find food and shelter, establish home ranges and seek mates
• barriers to movement including fences, roads and cleared land, which changes population dynamics, limits the flow of genes between koala populations and hinders population recovery
• domestic dogs can injure or kill a koala as they move on the ground between food and shelter trees. Most koala and dog encounters occur in backyards, but they can also take place in parks and reserves.
• swimming pools – koalas can drown in swimming pools if they don't have an easily accessible way to climb out

Our policies and strategies include principles for managing koala populations and habitat, so we can:

• help reduce threats to koalas on the Gold Coast
• monitor our local koala populations
• engage with and empower our community to help protect koalas.

Safeguarding koalas & their habitat

We work hard to conserve koalas across the Gold Coast and are implementing the city-wide Koala Conservation Plan. We protect and conserve koala habitat, and manage threats and impacts by:

• regulating development through the City Plan
• buying and protecting land for koala habitat
• restoring koala habitat as part of our natural area management program and community tree planting events
• implementing programs for landholders – nearly half of our city's koala habitat is on privately-owned properties
• working with Wildcare Australia and Currumbin Wildlife hospital to manage sick and injured koalas
• reducing koala vehicle strikes by working with road authorities on mitigation actions, such as installing fauna crossings and raising driver awareness
• reducing the number of koala and dog encounters by raising the awareness of dog owners, and requiring those who live in a koala area to make their property safe through either:
  • dog confinement
  • koala exclusion or koala friendly fencing design.
• managing pest plants and animals

Things you can do to help koalas

There are simple things you can do to help reduce threats and ensure the future of koalas on the Gold Coast.

Report a koala sighting online

Alternatively, you can call us on 1300 GOLDCOAST (1300 465 326).

If a koala appears sick, injured, orphaned, in danger or deceased, please stay with the animal and immediately call Wildcare Australia on their 24/7 hotline 07 5527 2444.