Boost for recovery of Tweed Coast koala population
10 July 2020
Land swap finalised for Koala Beach Bushland Reserve and Cudgen Nature Reserve
The NSW Minister for Energy and Environment, Matt Kean has announced the addition of 89 hectares of land to the Cudgen Nature Reserve to support the recovery of the endangered Tweed Coast koala population.
The land was purchased by the NSW State Government in 2017 for the purposes of koala conservation. Council and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service have now completed a land swap enabling the land to be added to the Cudgen Nature Reserve.
Council proposed the land purchase to protect existing and create new areas of koala habitat on the Tweed Coast.
Ten hectares of land has also been added to the Koala Beach Bushland Reserve to restore and enhance koala habitat and to construct a koala holding facility as a joint initiative with Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.
The koala holding facility will allow up to eight koalas to be cared for at any one time as part of a research trial into a chlamydia vaccine. Funding for the $580,000 facility was provided by the NSW State Government who contributed $340,000 under the Stronger Country Communities Fund, with additional funding from Council.
Deputy Mayor of Tweed Chris Cherry said this expansion of the Tweed’s reserve network is important to protect the endangered Tweed Coast koala population.
“We now have a fully connected landscape for koalas to move through their habitat across Council, National Park and private land areas,” Cr Cherry said.
“Part of this process has also been the dedication of ten hectares of land to Council which will be used to build the koala holding facility to support efforts to protect them against chlamydia, restore habitat and increase planting of koala food trees for both wild koalas and koalas at the facility as part of their rehabilitation.
“This announcement also highlights the remarkable cooperative efforts underway by the Tweed community. Team Koala, Friends of the Koala and Friends of Cudgen Nature Reserve are all playing a significant role to raise awareness, create new habitat and care for koalas – all critical aspects to the recovery efforts,” she said.
Construction of the koala holding facility has already commenced and is expected to be completed by October this year.
Find out more about koalas in the Tweed and how you can help by reporting sightings at www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/Koalas
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Caption: Caption: (L-R) Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean, Member for Tweed Geoff Provest, Council’s Scott Hetherington (Senior Program Leader – Biodiversity), Deputy Mayor Chris Cherry, Chris Core (Friends of Cudgen Nature Reserve) and Sue Walker (Area Manager, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service) at the site of the new koala holding facility with recently planted koala food trees.