Barking up the right trees to help koalas

A project which harnesses super sleuth hounds to unravel secret koala business is among those to be backed by City of Coffs Harbour in the new financial year. 

Council resolved to financially assist 22 community projects through the Environmental Levy Grants Program 2024/25, and they will share in $424,610. 

Successful initiatives include those undertaking bush regeneration, lantana eradication, restoration of littoral rainforest and rehabilitation of a travelling stock reserve. 

And there’s some projects which are ‘out of the box’. 

Jaliigirr Biodiversity Alliance has won $25,000 for a novel approach to track koala movement and monitor genetics of the little Aussie icon. 

The group will use ‘canine scent detectives’ to find fresh koala scat in mapped koala habitat areas including Roberts Hill, City Hill, Coffs Creek, Regional Botanic Garden, Korora and Woolgoolga. 

The droppings can indicate if koalas are moving between these areas, and if there is genetic flow across the landscape. 

The koala scat can also be used to assess the comparative disease status of koalas in each of these areas which may inform future management of the populations. 

“These Environmental Levy Grants are all about improving the natural world around us which is perhaps the single greatest asset of life on the Coffs Coast,” City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Paul Amos said. 

“We live in paradise but we should never take that for granted and sometimes Mother Nature needs a hand.” 

The Environmental Levy Grants Program plays a vital role in funding projects that positively impact Coffs Harbour’s local environment and community.  

By supporting these initiatives, the City aims to create a greener, healthier and more sustainable future for all residents. 

Projects successful in the Environmental Levy Grant Program: 

• Bush regeneration, hand pulling weed control with cut and paint (Brodie Drive to walking trail): $25,000 Coffs Harbour District Local Aboriginal Land Council 

• Bush regeneration, hand pulling weed control with cut and paint techniques (walking trail north side of Coffs Creek: $25,000 Coffs Harbour District Local Aboriginal Land Council 

• Conserving the natural characteristics of our Coastal Walk Headlands: $24,980 Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare 

• Creating more resilient landscapes - in coastal and riparian areas: $24,780 Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare 

• Creating more resilient landscapes - Protecting Endangered Ecological Communities: $24,700 Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare 

• Growing Our Future 2024-2025: $24,988 Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare 

• Benefits of urban food production: $12,000 Coffs Regional Community Gardens Association 

• Lantana eradication in ecologically sensitive Conservation Zone: $5,000 First Light Farm 

• Canine scent detectives promoting koala population health in Coffs coast corridors: $25,000 Jaliigirr Biodiversity Alliance 

• Dolmans Point Littoral Rainforest Restoration: $25,000 Jaliigirr Biodiversity Alliance 

• Jaliigirr SOS Southern Pink Underwing Moth Project: $25,000 Jaliigirr Biodiversity Alliance 

• Jetty Dunecare Jordan Esplanade revegetation and weed control: $15,900 Jetty Dunecare Inc 

• Stage 3 Corindi/Lazyman Creek Riparian Restoration: $5,000 Julie Johnson 

• Rehabilitation of Nana Glen Travelling Stock Reserve (R39744) Maintenance Phase: $12,000 Nana Glen Landcare Group 

• Whispers of Wilderness: Discovering Coffs Coast's Untold Stories: $25,000 National Parks Association NPA of NSW (PF), Coffs Coast Branch 

• Rethink Waste Coffs Harbour Schools: $24,976 OzGREEN 

• Revegetation and maintenance of Sandy Beach Reserve: $24,625 Sandy Beach Action Group (SANDBAG) 

• Weed Control and Bush Regeneration in Endangered Ecological Community: $24,510 Sapphire Pines Apartments 

• Macroalgae contribution in accumulating pollutants across the Coffs Harbour estuaries: $25,000 Southern Cross University 

• Coffs Harbour Native Seedbank Network: $18,736 Workways Aust (trading as Envite Environment) 

• Koala habitat enhancement Toormina/Boambee East: $25,000 Workways Aust (trading as Envite Environment); and 

• Woolgoolga Community Supporting Land for Wildlife Program: $6,600 Workways Aust (trading as Envite Environment). 

Photo: Koala scat can be used to assess the comparative disease status of the animals. Image: Shutterstock.