Connecting the plots
The Connecting the Plots project is supporting 2 outcomes – protecting and enhancing koala habitat and extending the TSR box gum grassy woodland threatened ecological community.
Purpose of the Connecting the Plots project?
The koala is now listed as an endangered species. The National Recovery Plan highlights that significant threats to the koala include habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, population isolation, vehicle strike and animal attack. The Connecting the Plots project has been designed to protect and enhance remnant vegetation and restore connectivity between plots and to create awareness of the plight of the koala.
The box gum grassy woodland (BGGW) is listed as an endangered ecological community (EEC). The National Recovery Plan lists land use management change (including agriculture and horticultural development, rural residential and urban development, mining and public infrastructure), conflicting management practices (such as grazing regimes and pasture management, firewood collection and tidying up, changed fire regimes, increased soil nutrients and use of chemicals, mowing or slashing regimes and revegetation management), degrading landscape processes (including weed invasion, climate change, salinity, acid soils, declining tree health and regeneration) and other potential threats (such as animal pests, disease and the collection/ removal of native flora) as threats to the box gum grassy woodland ecological community.
The Connecting the Plots Project has been designed to protect and enhance remnant vegetation, extend the TSR vegetation onto private land and to create awareness of the plight of the BGGWEEC.
What works is Local Land Services doing on the ground?
Local Land Services has provided incentive funding to landholders who are interested in extending, enhancing and/or protecting koala and BGGW vegetation in known and targeted koala habitat areas and BGGW TSR communities. Landholders have the option to undertake fencing and revegetation works.
Get involved in the Connecting the Plots project
Incentives are now closed for the 2022/23 year period, however keep an eye on the CT LLS webpage for future funding opportunities.
In the meantime, we are asking people to undertake citizen science and log any koala sightings on the I Spy Koala app or the inaturalist app. You can also begin revegetation works on your own property using this koala feed tree species list.
You can also begin revegetation activities for the BGGW EEC using this EPBC species list as a guide and check out the how to of caring for a BGGW.
More information
Contact Katie McPherson, Senior Land Services Officer, Central Tablelands Local Land Services on 0460 897 275 or kate.a.mcpherson@lls.nsw.gov.au.