Gold Coast fodder farm to help sick and injured koalas and other native wildlife – ABC Local

Injured koalas and other native animals on the Gold Coast will receive enhanced care, thanks to new funding.

Nerang-based conservation group Watergum has received $13,000 from Landcare Australia's $300,000 Bushfire Recovery Grants program.

Fodder farms are plantations where displaced and injured wildlife can recover following medical treatment

Aim is to revegetate areas to provide links between pockets of koala habitats

Watergum calling on greater involvement in koala conservation efforts

Executive officer Rosalinde Brinkeman said the funding was "absolutely enormous" to their cause in helping native animals in the city.

"It's really important to be able to look after koalas and other native mammals," she said.

The money will be used to install a new fodder farm at Country Parkside Parklands, which will include planting 400 trees.

Watergum also works with other local councils and governments across Australia to spread awareness about the plight of injured and displaced animals.

"Our work involves a lot of community engagement through citizen science, revegetation and regeneration of natural areas ... so a whole lot of things," she said.

"This fodder farm will be perfect for our revegetation of areas."

"It is so important to provide leaf for overnight emergency care koalas and other native mammals as well as native mammals in care once they have been released from the wildlife hospitals," Ms Brinkeman said.

According to the group, more koalas and native animals are being displaced due to rapid development and deforestation.

"If you take out one big tree, it has multiple hollows in it which provides habitat for multiple animals at the same time," Ms Brinkeman said.

"You take out a lot of homes for a lot of animals and you can't just replace it (easily) by planting a new tree."

A tree may take up to 50 years or more to bring it to the same level and protection as the old tree it replaced.

However, Ms Brinkman said the topic of balancing rapid growth and conservation could be sensitive for some.

"We just need to make sure which areas need to be prioritized and which areas we need for our wildlife," she said.

"Most importantly, we need connectivity. We need reserves and parks to be connected to each other so animals can move around."

She urged all Gold Coast residents to do their part if they see an injured animal in their neighbourhood.

"Just look around you. If you walk around and see an injured animal, call the wildcare hotline so people can come and rescue those animals," she said.

The group also encourages people to enter submissions to new development projects if they're concerned about its environmental impact.

A spokesperson for the Gold Coast City Council said their Koala Conservation Plan recognised the importance of conserving the local population.

"We can help mitigate threats to koalas on the Gold Coast, monitor our local koala populations and engage with and empower our community to help protect koalas," she said.

Developers are required to meet conditions to manage land clearing and minimize impacts on the population.

"The city expects full compliance by developers in regards to those measures," she said.

Planting will begin once COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.

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Gold Coast fodder farm to help sick and injured koalas and other native wildlife - ABC Local