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Members of one of the healthiest koala populations in Sydney are dying at an alarming rate, as chlamydia-infected koalas and housing development inch closer to their habitat.
Koala deaths have more than doubled to 25 in the Campbelltown LGA during 2022 and 2023, data from the NSW government and animal rescue organisation WIRES shows. About 18 of those deaths were the result of car strikes.
WIRES volunteer Emma Meadows is currently looking after koala joey Macklin, whose mother was found dying on the side of the road in Holsworthy.Credit: Nick Moir
The koalas remain Sydney’s only chlamydia-free population, but the disease is on their doorstep, located just 5 kilometres from the area. The disease can cause conjunctivitis, leading to blindness, bladder infections, and infertility in koalas.
WIRES volunteer and koala coordinator for the Wollondilly branch Emma Meadows has helped save koalas for the past 5½ years and said there had been a sharp increase in the number of koalas injured and killed each year. She puts it down to an increase in koalas and more people moving through the area, as well as greater reportage of incidents.
“This season, it feels like every call out is to another koala dying. I’ve come across more koala bodies than ever – it is not a nice thing to see,” she said.
Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the high number of koala deaths was concerning given there were about 300 marsupials in the region.
Faehrmann added that despite a report three years ago from the chief scientist that outlined what was necessary to save the Campbelltown koalas, the number of rescue call-outs has increased dramatically.
“One of the key recommendations in the chief scientist’s report into the protection of Campbelltown’s koalas was building a number of underpasses or overpasses along Appin Road. It’s inexcusable that these still haven’t been built and that there’s no commitment to do so any time soon,” Faehrmann said.
She said development in the area should not proceed until the safety of the region’s koalas are guaranteed.
The koala population is also facing habitat threats from numerous housing development projects slated for the area, with the population likely to double in the coming 20 years.
Landlease will build several housing developments in the area, including Figtree Hill and Gilead which will provide 4700 homes in the region. The Landlease projects will dedicate nearly half of the land to environmental conservation.
Final approvals for the Gilead project now sit with Environment Minister Penny Sharpe.
Landlease plans to build two koala underpasses under Appin Road and fauna fencing to help protect the local koala population as part of plans to improve one of the key highways in the area. The company has been waiting five years for Transport NSW to approve the project.
Koala joey Macklin will likely be released in the coming three months once her weight gets to about 3.5kg.Credit: Nick Moir
Head of NSW communities Brendan O’Brien said it was key to balance development with conservation. He added that the chief scientist’s advice on helping protect and manage the area’s koala population had been important to shaping the company’s approach to the koalas.
“If you don’t do those proactive steps, koalas will continue to decline. The expert advice is that action is required. We are doing [the projects] in this way, so we are doing housing supply and investing heavily in koala conservation,” he said.
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