Koalas, once common, are now listed as endangered in the ACT; the animal has not been found in the wild here for years, and may be extinct in the region.

But the ACT Government is seeking thoughts from the Canberra community on a draft plan to protect and preserve the koala in the ACT, environment minister Rebecca Vassarotti announced today.

The Native Species Conservation Plan for the Gula (Koala) will seek to preserve habitat for the animal, which was formally listed as endangered in the ACT in early 2022. (Read more: ‘ACT, NSW, Queensland koalas listed as endangered’, 11 February 2022.)

The Plan will identify and assess potential koala habitat across the ACT and will determine areas that might need management to ensure the preservation of these beloved animals.

It will also investigate the feasibility of a breeding program at Tidbinbilla, and if viable, establish a plan to release koalas into the wild.

Ms Vassarotti said the plan takes a collaborative and holistic approach that incorporates the expertise of First Nations community members and ACT Government ecologists, whilst being integrated into the National Recovery Plan for the Koala being led by the Australian Government.

The public can comment on the Native Species Conservation Plan until 22 August through the ACT Government YourSay Conversations website.

Ms Vassarotti says this move reflects the urgent need to support the dire situation of koala populations across the country, and to support the national koala recovery effort.

“Unless the country takes urgent action to protect our koalas, they will be extinct. The only way to protect koalas is to protect all remaining koala habitat wherever it is. (Read more: ‘Koalas at risk of extinction, experts warn’, 30 September 2022.)

“Koalas, known as Gula in Ngunnawal language, have experienced significant population declines in the ACT since the late 1800s, but the 2020 bushfires have accelerated this trend.”

A 2018 survey of 42 sites within the ACT found no confirmed sightings or evidence of koala habitation, suggesting that there were no koalas in the ACT. The National Recovery Plan states that there are no known extant populations in the ACT, which lies within marginal habitat for the koala. Likewise, the Australian Koala Foundation also estimates that the koala is extinct in the ACT, and only 17.2 per cent of its habitat left in the ACT.

“We continue to search for wild populations of Koalas in the ACT, and we are hopeful through further conservation research and planning that koalas may one day return to the wild in the territory,” Ms Vassarotti said.

“This Native Species Conservation Plan is a crucial step towards protecting and conserving our Koalas in ACT.

“Despite this, the Federal Government can still do more to coordinate preservation efforts across the country.

“In the middle of an extinction crisis, the Federal Government last month gave the green light to the Isaac River coal mine in Queensland, a project which will see the destruction of endangered koala habitat.

“Let me be clear, there is no way you can meet a zero-extinction target while destroying our natural environment.

“We need action. This is why the ACT Government is now offering Canberrans the chance to help shape the future of koala conservation by sharing their thoughts and ideas on the draft plan.

“We will continue to advocate for a coordinated and evidence-based effort to save koalas across the country. This plan will be one avenue for this advocacy to result in tangible outcomes for our native species, and for Canberrans concerned about our native habitat.”