Koalas on the move: New habitat corridors built in Gippsland to help furry friends get around

There are two distinct koala populations in Victoria, and one of these - the Strzelecki koalas of South Gippsland - is facing significant threats such as habitat loss and fragmentation.

The population of Strzelecki koalas might be as low as 1,500.

When Latrobe City Council put the sale of a cleared industrial lot on Mountain Glen Drive in  Moe out for community consultation in 2024, it received 51 submissions.  

Councillor Adele Pugsley said many of these submissions expressed concern about the habitat of this rare species of koala.

To help the Strzelecki koala population grow, and protect it against habitat loss, Latrobe City Council has partnered with the Strzelecki Alpine Biolink project.

The project aims to improve the movement of wildlife through the Strzelecki Ranges in the south to the Baw Baw alpine ranges in the north by providing habitat corridors - pockets of indigenous vegetation where native animals can thrive.

Community pressure to protect Gippsland’s Strzelecki koalas has paid off, and at a Latrobe City Council meeting on August 25 councillors approved selling the cleared industrial site while also protecting neighbouring lots as Strzelecki koala habitat.

Councillor Sharon Gibson said the distinctive Strzelecki strain was more genetically diverse and resilient to disease compared to koala populations remaining in southeastern Australia.

The council unanimously voted to sell lot two of the Moe property, but held onto lots three and four to safeguard as forested habitat.

Pugsley told the meeting community support for the koalas was “overwhelming”, and that she hoped the sale of the industrial lot “will result in some jobs for our community".