Koalas use young Eucalyptus plantations in an agricultural landscape on the Liverpool Plains, New South Wales

Abstract

Summary Revegetation within cleared farming landscapes offers the potential to restore habitat for many woodland‐dependent species that have declined since European settlement. Most species of arboreal marsupials require hollows for breeding and diurnal shelter, a resource that is usually available only in old trees; however, this constraint does not apply to the Koala. In this study, we describe the occupancy and use of young (4‐ to 7‐year old) eucalypt plantations by Koalas in a predominantly cleared landscape used for intensive cropping and grazing. We compare Koala occupancy in 27 eucalypt plantations, 5 paddocks and 11 remnant forest and woodland sites, and we report the relative usage of these three land cover types by two adult male Koalas that were radio‐tracked for 5 and 7 months using GPS transmitters. Koalas were recorded using young eucalypt plantations at 7 sites and remnant forest and woodland at 7 sites. Both radio‐collared Koalas used eucalypt plantations more than expected based on the availability of this land cover type in their home‐ranges. Occupancy of young eucalypt plantations and remnant patches by Koalas was strongly influenced by the proximity of these sites to remnant vegetation.