Philanthropists acquire nearly 4,000 hectares of NSW koala habitat for conservation

Australian Wildlife Conservancy to manage the site allowing ecologists to restore crucial habitat for multiple species.

ALMOST 4,000 HECTARES of koala habitat in the Hunter region of New South Wales will be protected after the land was privately acquired for conservation.

Sydney philanthropists Andrew and Jane Clifford bought the property north of Newcastle, which scientists from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) estimate is habitat for more than 100 vertebrate species, including the endangered koala and 11 other animals listed as threatened.

The property was previously used for small-scale timber harvesting, but its ecosystems — which range from dry sclerophyll forests at its peaks to wet rainforest in the deeper gullies — are mostly intact, making it well-suited for conservation.

The property is surrounded on three sides by largely intact forest, including the Ghin-Doo-Ee national park to the east and two other privately-owned forested blocks. Connected forests are important for wildlife conservation because they allow animals to move freely from place to place.

The AWC will manage the site under a conservation agreement, focusing on weed management, feral animal control and fire management, with the ecological improvements tracked and measured on a yearly basis.

The conservancy’s chief executive, Tim Allard, said the “extraordinary opportunity” that had been gifted to the conservancy by two of its longtime supporters would allow ecologists to restore crucial habitat for species including the yellow-bellied glider, the golden-tipped bat, glossy-black cockatoos and the tiny green-thighed frog, as well as koalas.

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By Lisa Cox, The Guardian

IMAGE SOURCES: neighbouring Ghin-Doo-Ee national park, cr ‘B’ local guide; Glossy Black Cockatoos, Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0; Yellow-bellied-glider, ‘Slowmotiongli’, Dreamstime; Koala, cr PenASH, Pixabay; Green-thighed frog (Litoria brevipalmata),_cr ‘Tnarg 12345’, Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0.