Meet the wildlife

Meet the Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Koalas are one of Australia's most recognisable animals, but there is much more to these sleepy tree-dwellers than their famously fluffy ears.

They spend much of their lives high among the branches of eucalypt forests, relying on a relatively small number of tree species for both food and shelter. Their specialised way of life makes healthy, connected habitat especially important to their survival.

Scientific name Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation status Endangered Australia - Queensland, New South Wales & ACT

Native range Eastern and south-eastern Australia

Habitat Eucalypt forests and woodlands

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About the Koala

Koalas are one of Australia's most recognisable animals, but there is much more to these sleepy tree-dwellers than their famously fluffy ears.

They spend much of their lives high among the branches of eucalypt forests, relying on a relatively small number of tree species for both food and shelter. Their specialised way of life makes healthy, connected habitat especially important to their survival.

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Why they need our help

Koalas face a combination of pressures across their range. Habitat loss and fragmentation can leave populations isolated and force koalas to travel across roads and developed areas in search of food and shelter.

Climate change is also increasing the effects of extreme heat, drought and severe bushfires, while diseases such as chlamydia and koala retrovirus can further affect vulnerable populations.

Protecting and reconnecting suitable habitat is therefore an important part of giving wild koala populations a more secure future.

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Helping protect the Koala

Learn more & support

Australian Koala Foundation

The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is the principal non-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to the effective management and conservation of the Koala and its habitat. Their main goals are to refine and update the Koala Habitat Atlas mapping of all wild Koala habitat and to get the Koala Protection Act enacted to ensure Koalas and their habitat are protected.

Visit their website