Two members of the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation Society met with committee members to present its goals to create habitat for koalas in our special part of the world. Belinda and Dirk are among a group of volunteers who are aiming to expand the koala friendly tree canopy between Cerberus and Red Hill South.
Currently, 70% of koala habitat is on private land and the society are keen to engage with landholders to encourage and help them plant more koala friendly trees on their properties. The society has the funds and volunteers and will provide the trees and in some cases, do the planting too. It is all part of their plan to connect the private land canopy with the public land canopy so that our cutest residents have a corridor to move throughout the peninsula.
Already they have twenty thousand plants to place between Stanley’s Road and the beach, 50% of which are already committed. The society is looking for sites to place the rest. Ideally, three or four large property owners would enable a mass planting of more than a thousand trees per property. Free labour would be offered for large plantings.
They also have fifteen to twenty thousand plants to give away which are an indigenous mix suitable to the local environment. Some examples are: narrowleaf peppermint, swamp and manna gums. These plants will be offered with tree guards. The MBRA has agreed to include plants in the plant giveaway.
Thanks to Belinda and Dirk for taking the time to present this important project to the committee.
Peter Cash – President of the MBRA