The Wongam Koala Gully (WKG) was a two-year project undertaken by PRCA, beginning in Q1 2023 and finalised in Q4 2024. The project was funded by the Australian Government with donations from Queensland Koala Crusaders and Koala Action Inc.
Broadly, the WKG project can be surmised as the creation of a wildlife corridor in Bunya, QLD. The corridor is envisioned to connect disparate populations of koala in Samford and Bunyaville conservation parks, encouraging safe traversal through council owned reserves and parks. This was primarily achieved via the planting of koala food and habitat trees and removal of invasive weeds that were limiting terrestrial fauna movement in the area (eg. Lantana).
While on-ground revegetation works formed a bulk of the project, there was also a strong focus on empowering the local community in their stewardship over the local koalas and other species. A number of initiatives and events were held, including:
– Comprehensive flora and fauna survey across a number of Council reserves
– 20 hectares of weeding, including the removal of dense thickets of lantana
– 3000+ trees planted with an emphasis on koala food and habitat species
– Dog training days with the community
– Creation of the Wongam Koala Sculpture
– Smoking ceremony and Indigenous cultural morning tea
– Wildlife and pest species monitoring program in partnership with Griffith University
– Regular community engagement and education initiatives
