Victorian Landcare Magazine - Spring 2024, Issue 88
Seven years ago, when I moved to Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula, I was surprised and excited to see koalas not far from where I live. Seeing koalas in the wild is always a thrill and I started to wonder about the local koala population here. I contacted the local authorities and some community groups for information. There had been a few small-scale studies of the koalas but not much was known about the overall health of the population.
I started a Facebook group to find out what knowledge and history was held by the community and received an overwhelming response from all areas of the Mornington Peninsula. People were very concerned about local koalas and described how they used to see them regularly, but now they don’t see them anymore. This feedback was consistent across all townships and in some areas people even suspected koalas had become locally extinct, which we now know is not the case.
Located so close to metropolitan Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is under a lot of pressure from development, tourism and human activity. This causes significant traffic volume, noise and the loss of tree canopy and indigenous vegetation.
More than 70 per cent of our koala habitat is located on private property. Koala conservation is a community issue and needs a community effort. The number one reason for the decline in numbers of koalas on the Peninsula is the reduction in indigenous vegetation.
In 2019 I established the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation (MPKC) project and shortly after we joined the Mornington Peninsula Landcare Network. Our project works to establish vegetation corridors, linking fragmented areas of indigenous vegetation and increasing tree canopy across the Mornington Peninsula, mainly on private property, as well as raising awareness of local wildlife.
More than 70 per cent of our koala habitat is located on private property.
In its first three years MPKC has given away and planted more than 50,000 trees on eligible properties. A further 25,000 trees were planted during 2023.
We have received enormous support from local authorities – landholders who provide land for tree planting – and the wider
community. Our tree planting days run from May through to October. Many hands make light work, and it is very satisfying to be part of a group of keen volunteers who plant five hundred trees in just two to three hours. It is also a lovely way to start the weekend and it curbs my eco-anxiety by knowing we are actively working to increase wildlife habitat.
Above: A tree-planting site for koala habitat undertaken by MPKC at Merricks in 2022.
MPKC has come a long way since our humble beginning on Facebook. Our group has now grown to approximately 300 members. Each $20 annual membership funds the planting of up to five trees.
To reduce road kill of koalas, we worked with the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and more recently Frankston City Council on a seasonal road signage campaign during the koala-breeding season. Koalas breed between spring and summer. They are much more active during this time with males travelling significant distances to find a mate. This is also peak tourist season when the roads are busiest.
Above: Koala awareness road signs were first installed during koala breeding season on the Mornington Peninsula in 2021.
Koala awareness road signs are installed around September and then remain in place until Easter the next year. The results have been encouraging. We have also received a lot of feedback that the signs are raising awareness in the broader community, and that many people were unaware that koalas are still living on the Mornington Peninsula.
MPKC encourages the whole community to get involved in protecting koalas. People can report koala sightings to us – the data is very important for research and protection. People should drive very carefully at dawn, dusk and during the night when wildlife are moving on our roads. Residents can choose to retain mature trees on their properties and think about the opportunities for revegetation with indigenous vegetation. People living locally can contact us for free trees. We are also very keen for people to follow us on social media, take part in planting events and sign up for membership.
Above: Dirk Jansen receiving the 2022 Mornington Peninsula Shire Citizen of the Year award for his work in establishing Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation.
There are so many opportunities for volunteers to make a difference to our environment and provide shelter and food for koalas and other wildlife. As a community, we are stronger when we work together.
Dirk Jansen is President of MPKC. For more information go to www.mpkoalas.org.au