The Western Slopes and Plains Koala Management Area (KMA 6) extends across central New South Wales, between the Queensland and Victorian borders, from Parkes in the east to the Cobar and Bourke districts in the west.
Large koala populations once lived in this KMA, in particular the Pilliga region and around Gunnedah, Walgett and Moree. Recent surveys have found no evidence of koalas in the Pilliga, and the Gunnedah population appears to fluctuate in size over time periods of decades. A small koala population was established in Narrandera in 1972 through translocation of Victorian animals.
Koalas are found in large low-fertility woodland blocks, small remnant patches and paddock trees in agricultural and urban settings. Relatively high densities of koalas are found on flat lands with fertile black clay soils, such as the Liverpool plains, and riparian areas with river red gums, although these areas are less well studied.
Travelling stock routes, other Crown land reserves and roadside reserves provide important habitat connectivity across this KMA.
Map showing the extent of the Western Slopes and Plains Koala Management Area (KMA), with national parks, state forests, major waterways and roads.
Threats
Koalas and koala habitat in KMA 6 are threatened by:
- habitat clearing and fragmentation due to agriculture, increased mining of coal and coal-seam gas, as well as rural residential development
- climate change, drought, heatwaves; a large proportion of koalas in Gunnedah died in a 2-week period during heatwaves and drought in 2009 due to dehydration, heat stress and disease
- high-intensity fires, which cause koala mortality and temporarily eliminate food sources
- vehicle strike
- disease, mostly chlamydia
- absence of permanent water in some areas, such as the Pilliga
- tree die-back and changes in leaf chemistry linked to climate change.
Restoration of habitat
Habitat restoration aims to reduce threats to koalas, increase habitat and help conserve koala populations.
Read our Koala habitat restoration guidelines (the guidelines) for evidence-based recommendations and best-practice methods for restoring koala habitat.
Choosing an approach
Before you choose a restoration approach, such as natural regeneration, assisted regeneration, reintroductions or a combination of these, carefully assess your site and identify:
- which plant community you aim to reinstate
- whether the site has existing native vegetation on it. If native vegetation exists, try to facilitate natural regeneration before planting or direct seeding. The guidelines have more information.
Plant spacing
Plant spacing can vary depending on the vegetation community you aim to establish (for example, woodland, open forest). Trees should be planted far enough apart to have good tree form or lateral branches and to allow enough light through for native grasses, shrubs and ferns to thrive.
Some tips for planting:
- plant a mixture of trees and shrubs about 6 metres between stems and 7 metres between rows (200 stems/hectare)
- spacing for groundcover varies and can be anywhere from one to 6 plants per square metre
- plant near waterways if possible.
Trees koalas prefer
Koalas use a broad range of tree species for food, shelter, rest and socialising.
Koalas usually feed within trees of the Eucalyptus genus, but they use many non-eucalypt species for shelter and sometimes feed on trees from genera such as:
- Acacia – wattle
- Brachychiton
- Casuarina
- Callitris – conifer/cypress.
We recommend you plant a range of high-, significant- and occasional-use tree species from our recommended tree species list.
Not all species will be relevant for all sites.
When you choose trees to plant, consider whether:
- species are locally native
- species are suitable for your site in terms of landscape position, such as near a creek, on a slope or ridge
- you have chosen a mix of species that koalas will use for food, shelter and social activities
- you have included shrubs and groundcover species as well as tree species.
Tree species lists
These tree lists contain recommended tree species for koala habitat within KMA 6. The lists align with local government areas located within this KMA:
Central and Southern Tablelands
- Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional
- Junee
- Wagga Wagga
Darling Riverine Plains
- Brewarrina
- Coonamble
- Narromine
- Walgett
- Warren
Far West
- Bland
- Bogan
- Bourke
- Brewarrina
- Carrathool
- Cobar
- Coolamon
- Forbes
- Griffith
- Junee
- Lachlan
- Leeton
- Narrandera
- Parkes
- Temora
- Wagga Wagga
- Weddin
Northwest Slopes
- Coonamble
- Dubbo Regional
- Gilgandra
- Gunnedah
- Gwydir
- Moree Plains
- Narrabri
- Warrumbungle
Riverina
- Griffith
- Leeton
High preferred use
- River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
High use
- White box (Eucalyptus albens)
- Blakely’s red gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi)
- Coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah)
- Tumbledown red gum (Eucalyptus dealbata)
- Black box (Eucalyptus largiflorens)
- Bimble box (Eucalyptus populnea)
Significant use
- White cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla)
- Silver-leaved ironbark (Eucalyptus melanophloia)
- Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora)
- Western grey box (Eucalyptus microcarpa)
Occasional use
- Rough-barked apple (Angophora floribunda)
- Belah (Casuarina cristata)
- Dirty gum (Eucalyptus chloroclada)
- Narrow-leaved ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra)
- Gum coolibah (Eucalyptus intertexta)
- Grey box (Eucalyptus moluccana)
- Narrow-leaved grey box (Eucalyptus pilligaensis)
- Mugga ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon)
- Wilga (Geijera parviflora)
High preferred use
- River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
- Coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah)
- Tumbledown red gum (Eucalyptus dealbata)
- Black box (Eucalyptus largiflorens)
- Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora)
- Bimble box or poplar box (Eucalyptus populnea)
High use
- Fuzzy box (Eucalyptus conica)
- Dwyer’s red gum (Eucalyptus dwyeri)
- Silver-leaved ironbark (Eucalyptus melanophloia)
- Western grey box (Eucalyptus microcarpa)
Significant use
- White cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla)
- White box (Eucalyptus albens)
- Dirty gum (Eucalyptus chloroclada)
- Narrow-leaved ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra)
- Narrow-leaved grey box (Eucalyptus pilligaensis)
Occasional use
- Mugga ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon)
High preferred use
- White box (Eucalyptus albens)
- Blakeley’s red gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi)
- River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
- Large-fruited grey gum (Eucalyptus canaliculata)
- Dirty gum (Eucalyptus chloroclada)
- Fuzzy box (Eucalyptus conica)
- Coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah)
- Tumbledown red gum (Eucalyptus dealbata)
- Dwyer’s red gum (Eucalyptus dwyeri)
- Peppermint (Eucalyptus exserta)
- Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora)
- Western grey box (Eucalyptus microcarpa)
- Grey box (Eucalyptus moluccana)
- Parramatta red gum (Eucalyptus parramattensis)
- White Sally or snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora)
- Narrow-leaved grey box (Eucalyptus pilligaensis)
- Bimble box or poplar box (Eucalyptus populnea)
- Grey gum (Eucalyptus punctata)
High use
- Narrow-leaved ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra)
- Black box (Eucalyptus largiflorens)
- Silver-leaved ironbark (Eucalyptus melanophloia)
- Orange gum (Eucalyptus prava)
Significant use
- Rough-barked apple (Angophora floribunda)
- White cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla)
- Broad-leaved stringybark (Eucalyptus caliginosa)
- Silvertop stringybark (Eucalyptus laevopinea)
- Red stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha)
- Mugga ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon)
Occasional use
- Belah (Casuarina cristata)
- Apple box (Eucalyptus bridgesiana)
- Drooping ironbark (Eucalyptus caleyi)
- Mountain gum (Eucalyptus dalrympleana)
- Broad-leaved red ironbark (Eucalyptus fibrosa)
- Bundy (Eucalyptus goniocalyx)
- Brittle gum (Eucalyptus mannifera)
- Forest ribbon gum (Eucalyptus nobilis)
- Red box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos)
- White topped box (Eucalyptus quadrangulata)
- Ribbon gum (Eucalyptus viminalis)
High preferred use
- White box (Eucalyptus albens)
- Cabbage gum (Eucalyptus amplifolia)
- Blakeley’s red gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi)
- River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
- Monkey gum (Eucalyptus cypellocarpa)
- Brittle gum (Eucalyptus mannifera)
- Grey gum (Eucalyptus punctata)
- Forest red gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis)
- Ribbon gum (Eucalyptus viminalis)
High use
- White stringybark (Eucalyptus globoidea)
- Inland scribbly gum (Eucalyptus rossii)
- Hard-leaved scribbly gum (Eucalyptus sclerophylla)
Significant use
- Blue-leaved stringybark (Eucalyptus agglomerata)
- Coast grey box (Eucalyptus bosistoana)
- Apple box (Eucalyptus bridgesiana)
- Fuzzy box (Eucalyptus conica)
- Mountain gum (Eucalyptus dalrympleana)
- Tumbledown red gum (Eucalyptus dealbata)
- Broad-leaved peppermint (Eucalyptus dives)
- River peppermint (Eucalyptus elata)
- Narrow-leaved or thin-leaved stringybark (Eucalyptus eugenioides)
- Broad-leaved red ironbark (Eucalyptus fibrosa)
- Bundy (Eucalyptus goniocalyx)
- Red stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha)
- Maiden’s blue gum (Eucalyptus maidenii)
- Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora)
- Western grey box (Eucalyptus microcarpa)
- Large-flowered bundy (Eucalyptus nortonii)
- Messmate (Eucalyptus obliqua)
- Stringybark (Eucalyptus oblonga)
- Grey ironbark (Eucalyptus paniculata)
- White Sally or snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora)
- Sydney peppermint (Eucalyptus piperita)
- Red box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos)
- White-topped box (Eucalyptus quadrangulata)
- Narrow-leaved peppermint (Eucalyptus radiata)
- Candlebark (Eucalyptus rubida)
- Mugga ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon)
- Silvertop ash (Eucalyptus sieberi)
High preferred use
- River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
High use
- Black box (Eucalyptus largiflorens)
- Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora)
- Western grey box (Eucalyptus microcarpa)
Significant use
- White cypress (Callitris glaucophylla)
- Bimble box (Eucalyptus populnea)
Occasional use
- Belah (Casuarina cristata)
- White box (Eucalyptus albens)
- Gum coolibah (Eucalyptus intertexta)
Useful resources
These resources provide further information about koala food trees across New South Wales, management plans and strategies local councils have in place to help conserve koala populations.
Koala tree-use information
- Department of Planning, Industry and Environment – Environment, Energy and Science 2019, Koala Habitat Information Base Technical Guide, Appendix 8.2, p. 50–59.
- Mitchell D 2015, Australian Koala Foundation National Koala Tree Planting List, Australian Koala Foundation. This list includes important koala food trees by council or local government area.
- Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) 2018, A review of koala tree-use across New South Wales. This review identifies important koala food trees across the state by koala management area (KMA).
- State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019 – Schedule 2 Feed tree species. This schedule lists tree species by KMA that are recommended for protection to support and provide habitat for koalas.
- Contact your local Landcare Group, Local Land Services or local council staff for more information or opportunities.
Koala management plans and habitat studies
- Greenloaning and Phillips S 2013, Draft Gunnedah LGA (Part) Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management 2013, Unpublished draft document prepared by Greenloaning BioStudies Pty Ltd in conjunction with Dr S Phillips – Biolink Ecological Services Pty Ltd.
- Lemon J, Martin W, Wilson B, Nadolny C and Lunney D 2012, Habitat reconstruction at Gunnedah Research Centre, Gunnedah, New South Wales, Australasian Plant Conservation, 21(2), 9–10.
- Lunney D, Lemon J, Crowther MS, Stalenberg E, Ross K and Wheeler R 2012, An ecological approach to koala conservation in a mined landscape, in: Life-of-Mine Conference proceedings, Brisbane, Qld, p 345–354.
- Lunney D, Predavec M, Sonawane I, Kavanagh R, Barrott–Brown G, Phillips S and Shannon I 2017, The remaining koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) of the Pilliga forests, north-west New South Wales: refugial persistence or a population on the road to extinction? Pacific Conservation Biology, 23(3), 277–294.