Ballarat Wildlife Park’s ‘Branching Out for Koalas’ Campaign have sponsored the planting of 2,000 native trees at 4 Victorian sites.
Ballarat Wildlife Park is dedicated to the care and conservation of native Australian wildlife, with a special focus on koalas, kangaroos, and reptiles. Through its conservation programs, education initiatives, and partnerships, the Park aims to foster a deeper connection between the public and Australia’s unique fauna. The Ballarat Wildlife Park is home to the largest colony of koalas in Victoria, due it it’s highly successful breeding program.
Both Ballarat Wildlife Park and Fifteen Trees are excited to announce the sponsorship of 2,000 native trees to Fifteen Trees as part of its ongoing ‘Branching Out for Koalas’ campaign. This partnership is aimed at enhancing local biodiversity and supporting koala habitats across Victoria.
The ‘Branching Out for Koalas’ campaign was launched to combat the ongoing threats to koalas posed by habitat loss, bushfires, and climate change. This hands-on approach will create new habitats and support exciting ecosystems that are vital to the survival of Australia’s beloved koalas.
We’re thrilled to team up with Fifteen Trees in this crucial effort. Koalas are an iconic Australian species, and with increasing threats to their natural environment, it’s never been more important to ensure they have access to suitable habitats. Planting these 2,000 gum trees is just the beginning of a broader initiative to safeguard their future.
Julia Leonard | Park Curator | Ballarat Wildlife Park
The trees have been planted across 4 key regions in Victoria. The sites have been chosen for their potential to regenerate wildlife corridors that are essential for koalas to thrive. In addition to improving koala habitat, this initiative will have broader ecological benefits, including carbon sequestration, soil regeneration, and the creation of environments for other native wildlife species.
Fifteen kilometres south of Ballarat, the Yarrowee River flows towards Inverleigh, where it joins the Barwon Rover and flows out at Barwon Heads, beyond Geelong. The Yarrowee is the main river of the Leigh catchment and is vital to connecting the landscape. The aborginal name for the river is Yaramlok. It is here that the Napoleons Enfield Landcare Group Incorporated (NELG) have planted 500 trees thanks to the Ballarat Wildlife Park.
While there is no dominant native flora species (as the area had been stripped), there is a natural woodland comprising of manna gums and swamp gums with many shrub and lower layers including native grasses. It is this area that the team from NELG are working towards restoring.
We are most grateful to sponsors of this work, Ballarat Wildlife Park. Together we are re-creating a healthy landscape for wildlife and people.
Jenny Ryle | President | Napoleons Enfield Landcare Group Incorporated
The newly planted trees will create shade along the river and provide shelter for fish and even platypus. The tall trees will provide protection from strong winds and eventually will protect the riparian area from the ravages of floods. At present there is a rough trackway for walkers to see and enjoy the river.
These trees and other plants will provide habitat for native wildlife including koalas. We now have increasing numbers echidnas, wallabies, possums and many species of birds and associated invertebrate life such as dragonflies, bees and ants.
The Koala Corridor Project is a partnership between Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park and the Western Port Biosphere Foundation. Moonlit Sanctuary is an award-winning wildlife park that accommodates a range of native species and supports numerous conservation projects including a reintroduction program for the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot and a breeding program for the locally extinct pookila.
The Western Port Biosphere Foundation (est 2003) aims at achieving sustainable development goals in the UNESCO listed, Biosphere Reserve which encompasses both the Mornington Peninsula and the Western Port coastline.
The project by Western Port Biosphere is divided into four key components;
Each of these elements plays a vital role in achieving their mission to enhance the genetic diversity of koalas in the Biosphere Reserve. They are also focused on creating more and safer dispersal routes for all wildlife. This is being accomplished through a comprehensive habitat restoration program, designed to enrich and reconnect habitats across both private and public lands.
The trees (500) were planted at Cannons Creek, on Bunurong Land and consisted of a mixture of Manna Gums, Swamp Gums, Peppermints, Wattles, She-Oaks, Dogwood, Melaleuca and Lomandra.
We would like to thank Ballarat Wildlife Park for the funding we received for 500 plants. The money enables us to reach out to our network and community to distribute important habitat to support the restoration and protection of the Western Port Biosphere Reserve’s natural ecology.
From schools to landowners wanting to create wildlife corridors to connect remnant vegetation, or to restore the health of their bushland, dams, and waterways, the plants we can provide go a long way to helping to repair degraded land across the Reserve. Many thanks for supporting the work that we do.
Lucy Kyriacou | Project Manager | Western Port Biosphere Foundation
Throughout Western Port, the group are conducting tree planting, school visits, and koala surveys. The revegetation efforts primarily take place during the cooler, wetter months, while surveys are conducted in the spring and summer when koalas are most active. They welcome volunteers to join in.
The trees were planted by the dedicated team from Brisbane Ranges Landcare Group at a site adjacent to the Brisbane Ranges National Park. Under tough ground conditions (the hard ground made digging a challenge), the trees were planted over the course of a few hours in early August. These trees will help establish a biolink between the National Park and the small outcrops of native vegetation on private land, thereby giving the native animals in the district a safer passage between the reserves and the park, as well as providing them with future homes and food sources.
Trees planted on the day included; wattles (Silver, Lightwood, Black, Myrtle, Golden, and Varnish), Banksias (Silver and Sweet), Bottlebrushes, Correas, eucalyptus species (River Red Gum, Broadleaf Peppermint, Yellow Gum, Red Stringybark, Yellow Box, Grey Box, Messmate, Red Box and Manna Gum), Hakeas and Tea-trees. A great variety to ensure a biodiverse planting. The trees were sourced from local indigenous nursery Birds In The Bush.
The aboriginal name for Mornington Peninsula is Monmar and is the traditional land of the Bunurong / Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nations.
The trees selected are species indigenous to the district, and have been planted by Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation (MPKC) to support local wild koala populations. The trees have been planted on public and private property to create wildlife corridors for the koalas to move freely and under protection between native reserves and parks. Over time, these trees will provide shelter, protection and food for the native animals that live on the peninsula, including koalas.
Sites chosen for planting are significant as they are known koala habitats and many have creeks and waterways running through them or close by. Other sites are also close to reserves and provide great connectivity for wildlife to move safely between larger patches of habitat.
The Mornington Peninsula is home to an incredible range of flora and fauna and is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in Victoria. The popularity to live and visit the Mornington Peninsula is increasing and with that comes land clearing. MPKC identified that over 70% of koala habitat is on private land, so by planting these indigenous and locally sourced trees, shrubs and grasses, they are:
Some of the species planted included; Coastal Manna Gum, Swamp Gum, Narrow-leaf Peppermint Gum, Black wattle, Blackwood, Sweet wattle, Swamp Sheoak, Drooping Sheoak, Coastal Banksia and Snow Gum. All plants were selected with the relevant Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC) profiles in mind for each site and were the original dominant species in this region.
The Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation extends heartfelt thanks to Ballarat Wildlife Park for their support in purchasing trees and tree guards for our revegetation projects. Your support has been instrumental to our efforts, making it possible to continue this project with generous contributions from organisations like yours.
As we look ahead to our fifth year in this ongoing initiative, we would be delighted to see you at our future tree planting events.
Dirk Jansen | President | Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation
The partnership between Ballarat Wildlife Park and Fifteen Trees signifies a long-term commitment to environmental sustainability. Moving forward, both organisations aim to expand their reforestation efforts, engaging the community in tree-planting events and educational programs designed to raise awareness about the critical role habitat restoration plays in wildlife conservation.
Working with Ballarat Wildlife Park allows us to combine resources and expertise in a way that has real, lasting impact. Koalas are one of many species that stand to benefit from the trees we’re planting, and we’re proud to be a part of this important conservation effort.
Colleen Filippa | Founding Director | Fifteen Trees
Koalas, one of our most beloved natives, are facing significant challenges both locally and nationally. Their numbers are dwindling due to threats like disease, dog attacks, and road hazards. The greatest danger, however, comes from habitat loss as the trees they rely on are increasingly felled. Today, koalas are confined to small pockets of remnant bushland or isolated in narrow strips of marginal habitat. These areas leave them vulnerable and eager to disperse.
If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable business, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]>.
Writer: Colleen B. Filippa
With a background in Environmental Science, Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare, schools and environmental networks.
Restoring Australian ecosystems. Supporting communities with their revegetation projects for a greener and healthier planet.
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We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and stand in solidarity as Indigenous Australians seek a fairer and more sustainable future for the land and its people.