Shared Land, Shared Fate: Communities and Koalas Under Pressure in Victoria

In the rolling hills of the Strzelecki Ranges in Australia's southern Victoria state, both humans and non-humans are feeling the pressure of a rapidly changing landscape.

At the heart of the unfolding crisis are the region’s genetically unique koalas - a vital population holding distinct genetic traits not found elsewhere, making them critical to the long-term survival and resilience of the species as a whole - and the rural communities who have lived on and cared for the land over generations.

Conservation groups are pushing for expanded habitat protections, including a proposed 18,000-hectare reserve; however, local residents have raised concerns that their voices are being drowned out.

Farmers, First Nations custodians (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), and landholders are warning that decisions made without their involvement risk not only the future of the koalas but also their own.

"What we are witnessing on a massive scale is the destruction of remnant forests - critical koala habitat - and the consequent loss of biodiversity," said Susie Zent, a wildlife carer and long-time advocate for the region's ecology.

"In my experience, the future of our endemic, wild koala population is very fragile," Zent told FairPlanet.

The Strzelecki koalas, found only in this region, are the last remaining population in Victoria with high genetic diversity. 

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, widespread hunting for fur led to a sharp decline in their numbers. To prevent extinction, particularly in Victoria, koalas were relocated to Phillip Island, French Island and Raymond Island, among others. Many of today's koalas in Victoria descend from a small founding population, lacking the genetic diversity of the original wild groups. 

The Strzelecki koalas, having remained largely unaffected by these translocations, hold unique genetic markers that increase the chances of the species' long-term survival.  

Proposed expanded habitat conservation imperatives, however, have collided with local land-use concerns.

Finding harmony between Land and Species Protection

As of the first half of 2025, the ongoing climate crisis has cost Australia approximately AU 2.2 billion (USD 1.43 billion).

The country’s National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy (2021-2025) underlines the urgent need for investment in initiatives like restoring native vegetation to reduce bushfire risks, upgrading stormwater infrastructure to manage flooding, supporting regenerative agriculture to improve land health, and collaborating with First Nations communities on land management practices that enhance ecological sustainability.

According to a 2022 report by Friends of the Earth, the primary threat to koala populations in the Strzelecki Ranges is climate change and the resulting habitat loss. Increased frequency and intensity of fires - driven by climate change, logging, and planned burn-offs - are occurring at a pace that surpasses the koalas' ability to repopulate.

Anthony Amis, a land-use expert who has studied koala populations across Victoria, explained that key koala feed species - mountain grey gum, blue gum, and Strzelecki gum - are vanishing. "Without these [gum] species in the landscape, koala presence will be limited."

According to Amis, the koalas will need to move into higher elevations. However, in the Strzelecki, elevated areas are dominated by plantations that lack key trees that the koalas need for food. 

"The future of these animals is bleak. There has been replanting by landcare groups, but much more needs to be done," Amis told FairPlanet. 

Protection Without Participation: Locals Push Back Against Top-Down Conservation

In late 2024, environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth, renewed calls to establish a permanent 18,000-hectare reserve in Mullungdung State Forest to safeguard koala habitat. The proposal is part of a broader strategy to protect and support the recovery of fragmented eucalypt forests.

While the intent is environmental protection, the potential impact on local communities, particularly farmers, leaseholders, and First Nations land users, has stirred controversy. 

These communities have expressed frustration at what they see as a lack of consultation from government agencies and NGOs.

"Our family has tended this land for generations," local farmer Helen told FairPlanet in Gippsland. "We've always been committed to protecting the environment, so it's frustrating to be left out of the decision-making process." 

Concerns range from potential restrictions on water access and grazing rights to the broader question of who gets a say in managing the land.

"We're not opposed to conservation," added Tony Bowditch, a landholder from Gippsland in southeastern Australia, involved in local restoration efforts. "But putting blanket restrictions in place without considering our livelihoods isn't the right way forward."

The Strzelecki Ranges are a critical conservation hotspot, where both humans and a distinct species are at risk. Protecting its population is now a matter of ecological and cultural urgency.

Wildlife carer Susie Zent warns of the negative impact of logging and fuel-reduction burns, which are used to eliminate flammable vegetation such as leaf litter and undergrowth. These practices can disrupt koala habitat and food sources. Yet, failure to manage vegetation can also increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires, a major threat to koalas and their ecosystems, explained Zent. 

Striking a balance between habitat preservation and fire risk reduction is consequently crucial to safeguarding koala populations.

"These practices are making the landscape drier, more fire-prone, and more open to invasive species. Wildlife carers are horrified that quality koala habitat is being actively destroyed post-fire. This also affects rehabilitated koalas and future release sites," Zent told FairPlanet and added that ecological concerns have long been overshadowed by economic interests.

"The commercial imperative has always overridden the ecological significance […] Unless there is a massive rethink and a cultural shift in how we view our koalas - and the establishment of lasting protective measures - I firmly believe these animals will not survive in the wild, where they belong."

Despite these tensions, there appear to be signs of opportunity for collaboration.

In search of a middle ground 

The Friends of Strzelecki Koala (FOSK) project, launched in recent years, offers a model for community-led conservation. Partnering with local landowners, engaging citizen scientists, and restoring native habitat. In recognition of its significance, the Victorian Government funded the South Gippsland Landcare Network's FOSK – Habitat for Life Project (2012–16) through its Communities for Nature Program.

The program achieved notable successes in enhancing koala habitats in the Strzelecki Ranges, facilitating the protection of 42 hectares of remnant habitat and approved funding for 19 hectares of revegetation. It also emphasised community involvement by conducting school visits, scat collection training sessions, citizen science and genetic monitoring, which engaged volunteers in collecting koala scats for genetic analysis, resulting in over 200 samples. 

These initiatives present a growing consensus that the survival of the Strzelecki koala is a shared responsibility. However, a balanced approach is yet to be found that respects both the cultural heritage and livelihoods of local communities.

For First Nations communities, the issue is not just ecological. The land holds cultural, spiritual, and historical meaning. Local Aboriginal groups have raised concerns about being excluded from decisions regarding the land they care for.

"Koalas feature prominently in our Dreaming stories and are deeply significant to our culture," said Indigenous elder Mark Flanders. "Their health is closely connected to our own, so it's vital that our voices are included in conservation efforts."

This debate in Australia over wildlife management escalated in early 2025 when reports surfaced of a government-sanctioned aerial shooting of hundreds of wild deer in Victoria's Alpine National Park.

While the operation aimed to protect biodiversity, water quality, public safety, agriculture, and Aboriginal cultural heritage, it reignited fears in the Strzelecki that similarly aggressive tactics could one day be applied to local wildlife populations, including koalas, under the guise of ecosystem "management."

The struggle unfolding in the Strzelecki Ranges is a microcosm of Australia’s broader test: whether the nation can balance conservation, climate resilience, and community in the face of accelerating environmental and cultural pressure.

Image by James Lee.