The south-western Sydney koala population is Sydney’s largest and one of the healthiest koala populations in NSW.
The NSW Government is supporting the protection of these koalas and their habitat through a range of commitments and actions in the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP).
Adopting expert advice
In the final CPCP, the department has considered and adopted all 31 recommendations from the Response to advice - Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer 2021 (PDF, 2.3 MB) report made on koala protection measures in the Wilton and Greater Macarthur Growth Areas. The CPCP will also protect more areas of koala habitat and ensure that koala corridors allow koalas to move from one place to another.
The Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer gave its expert advice on the draft CPCP’s koala protection measures in May 2021. The Campbelltown Koala advice details 31 principles for protecting koalas in the area covered by the CPCP and surrounding areas.
For more information about how we are applying the expert advice for functional koala corridors read:
Koala fencing and crossings
Under the CPCP, we will install koala-exclusion fencing and koala crossings across Appin Road and other linear infrastructure. The NSW Government has committed $26 million to build 3 koala-friendly crossings in Appin to improve the connectivity of koala habitat in south-west Sydney.
In 2022, the department and Transport for NSW completed a koala underpass at Kings Falls Bridge on Appin Road. This supports north–south movement of koalas between the Georges River Koala Reserve and koala habitat to the south. We have installed benches under the bridge to allow dry passage for koalas and other animals.
We also installed 750 m of koala-exclusion fencing to keep koalas off Appin Road and direct them to the underpass. Work is continuing to improve the crossing.
In early 2023, we publicly exhibited a review of environmental factors in early 2023 for the koala-friendly crossing under Appin Road at Brian Road, Appin. Transport for NSW are addressing design concerns raised during the exhibition.
The department is investigating fencing in this location to stop koalas from entering Appin Road. The Office of Strategic Lands has also started the process of buying properties so we can build the koala underpass and provide an effective corridor.
Transport for NSW will be installing 2 more koala underpasses and koala-exclusion fencing along Appin Road between Rosemeadow and Gilead as part of the road upgrade projects. It will install an underpass at Noorumba and the other at Beulah.
For more information on these projects, visit the Transport for NSW website.
The department and WaterNSW are working together to install an over-pipe crossing and 4 under-fence crossings to improve koala access on the east–west corridor at the heritage-listed Upper Canal. We completed investigations, detailed design work and environmental assessments in June 2023. We plan to complete construction by late 2025.
Under the CPCP, the department has committed $1.5 million to install koala-exclusion fencing on the Hume Highway, Wilton at Picton Road interchange and south of Allen’s Creek bridge. This fencing will keep koalas off the Hume Highway and direct them underneath the bridge; improving east–west connectivity where they can move safely between habitats. This will be built in the 2024–25 financial year.
Koala monitoring
In partnership with the NSW Koala Strategy the department has developed a 3-tiered program that will assess and monitor key koala outcomes for the CPCP.
Koalas in south-west Sydney will be monitored each year by acoustic survey and drones to establish where koalas are living and their relative abundance. The regional survey aligns with state-wide monitoring under the NSW Koala Strategy. The survey picks up trends within the study area and compares what is happening in other koala populations across the state.
Disease monitoring will occur every 2 years to monitor the chlamydia status of Campbelltown-Wollondilly koalas. The baseline survey was completed in 2021 and a further survey was completed in 2023. The completed surveys have confirmed that Campbelltown koalas remain chlamydia free, but that chlamydia is present in the population south of Appin.
A population estimate for the Georges River Koala Reserve will monitor the number of koalas present in the Georges River corridor each year. The survey will take place every spring using song-meters to listen to male koalas calling. The first survey conducted in spring 2023 revealed a high density of koalas present within the reserve.
Koala health and welfare
The department has contributed funding to a range of projects that aim to support the health and welfare of the koala population in south-west Sydney.
This research project by Science for Wildlife looked at koala survival after they have been in care to inform current protocols for releasing them. The project monitored 36 koalas for up to 12 months to see how they survived. The information gathered through this project has contributed to better carer procedures and koala release protocols. An extension to the project in the 2022–23 financial year funded the development of an app for wildlife carers. This helps them find suitable feed trees for koalas in care.
A research trial led by University of Sydney vaccinated 53 koalas against chlamydia and monitored them over 12 months. While the vaccine produced an antibody effect, it was not 100% effective. Of the 53 koalas, 4 contracted the disease within 6 months of vaccination.
The trial concluded that vaccination alone may not give enough protection against chlamydia incursion into the Campbelltown koalas. Other management actions may be necessary to prevent infection of the Campbelltown koala population.
In partnership with the NSW Koala Strategy and the University of Sydney, the CPCP is funding a unique coordinator role at the Wildlife Health and Conservation Hospital at Camden. The objectives of this new role are to improve the collection and management of data on koala welfare and provide training and support for the network of koala carers in south-west Sydney.
The project will compile centralised records on koala health, movements, and release outcomes. This will allow carers and first responders to quickly access medical records and release notes about individual animals. It will also improve reporting on koala health and welfare outcomes in the region.