NSW Far South Coast Post-Fire Koala Survey: 2020

SAVING OUR SPECIES NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey 2020

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Cover photo: Mother and joey, Murrah, February 2020 (after the fires). David Gallan, Koala Action Network

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ISBN 978-1-922431-65-3 EES 2020/0312 February 2021

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Contents

Acknowledgement of country iv Acknowledgements iv 1. Introduction 1 2. Methods 3 3. Results 5 4. Discussion 12 5. Koala monitoring program 19 References 20 Appendix A: Regularised grid-based spot assessment technique datasheet used in Far South Coast koala surveys 22

List of tables

Table 1 Burn severity categories recorded at each grid-site 5 Table 2 Summary of some data gathered from the North Biamanga survey area 5 Table 3 Summary of some data gathered from the Mumbulla survey area 8 Table 4 Tree species, DBH, canopy health (scored 1–5) and epicormic score (E1–E3) of trees under which koala pellets were located at grid-sites from both survey areas 10

List of figures

Figure 1 Survey teams revisit previously researched koala tree plots 1 Figure 2 Fire severity mapping for the koala study area 2 Figure 3 North Biamanga and Mumbulla survey areas and fresh pellet collection locations 4 Figure 4 Results from the North Biamanga survey area 6 Figure 5 Results from the Mumbulla survey area 6 Figure 6 Koala with joey, Murrah, February 2020 (after the fire) 7 Figure 7 Forest after the fire, 2020 11 Figure 8 Koala pellets found in the post-fire koala survey June 2020, SENSW coastal forests study area 13 Figure 9 Forest after the fire, 2020 18 Figure 10 Local ABC interviewing Erica Luff, participant in the women’s survey team and representative from the Bega Aboriginal Land Council 19

iii NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Guraban, Gambaawa: means ‘koala’ in the language of the places of collection in this report (as noted in the Yuin Bangguri (Mountain) Parks Plan of Management).

Acknowledgement of country

We acknowledge the Djiringanj people, the traditional owners of the land to which this report refers. We acknowledge and respect the Djiringanj people’s continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to: • the traditional custodians for guiding our care of the country sustaining these koalas, particularly, Bunja Smith and Kerry Avery from the Biamanga National Park Board and Dan Morgan from the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation • the many people who contributed to the fieldwork in difficult post-fire conditions and under COVID-19 restrictions including: the survey team leaders, Rob Summers (South Coast Eco-arbour), Bec Parkes (Lantern Heritage), and Mark Lems; Bega Local Aboriginal Land Council representatives, including Aboriginal women in the women’s survey team who undertook grid-site assessments in the women’s area within Biamanga National Park; and Pete Wild who manages the South East NSW koala database and who generated this report’s maps and tables • people in the local bushfire brigades, and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and NSW Rural Fire Service staff; without you the recent fire impacts on our koalas and ourselves could have been much worse • local people, including land carers who support koala conservation, share knowledge and work to help the land to recover, including the Crossing Land Education Centre • staff in the Department of Planning, Industry & Environment, Biodiversity and Conservation who back local knowledge gathering and actions to support the koalas and their habitat. Thank you all. Together we are making a difference.

iv NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

‘Stories, songs and ceremony for south-eastern Australia indicate the koala has an important role as a creation ancestor, director of migration for ancestors and wise counsellor. The koala is also connected to women’s knowledge and responsibilities for Gulaga, Wadbilliga and Dignams Creek areas through spirit entities that inhabit these areas and have connections to the koala.’ (Wesson 2003)

‘Fire is a major threat to koalas. We will help protect them from fire by applying low intensity burns in small patches in appropriate locations surrounding identified areas of koala activity to provide low-fuel buffers against wildfire. Our traditional burning practices will help us achieve this. We will also carefully consider the location of koala activity areas when planning responses to wildfire and try to minimise the impacts of wildfire and back-burning in these areas. The Boards will support efforts to improve knowledge about where koalas are and what Country is important for them. They will support monitoring programs that assess how they are going. The Boards will also support koala habitat rehabilitation in areas near to and between the Mountains so that koalas have more Country to expand into.’ (OEH 2014)

‘A three-year Aboriginal cultural burning project to protect Koala habitat has commenced in the Murrah Flora Reserve between Bega and Bermagui in southeast NSW. Multiple land management agencies have teamed up to survey potential sites. Project manager Dan Morgan from NSW LLS [Local Land Services] said traditional techniques of cool fire burning would be used to clear the undergrowth of koala habitat, especially areas of Woollybutt. He said the clearing encourages a grassy regrowth which has greater moisture retention, creating a more fire-resistant environment and healthier trees. Aboriginal cool burn techniques protect the canopy and are effective in clearing undergrowth without cooking the soil.’ (ABC South East NSW 2019)

‘I feel so privileged and proud to be part of the enthusiastic and incredibly knowledgeable Koala Action Network. Members of this amazing team have gone out into the forests and found koalas alive and well, proving what we all hoped, that they are there and possibly thriving in some sections of the SE Forests. We must treat these forests with the utmost care.’ (Jane Gordon, Koala Action Network 2020)

‘The Far South Coast Landcare Association is proud to be part of this great community that is working so well together in bushfire recovery and caring for our koala country in the Wilderness Coast.’ (Dean Turner, Far South Coast Landcare Association and the Crossing Land Education Centre 2020)

v NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

1. Introduction

A NSW Saving our Species-funded post-fire survey of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and their habitat in the 25,000 hectare NSW Far South Coast koala study area was undertaken between March and October 2020. The survey methods and results are presented in this report. The landscape sustaining the koala population in this part of New South Wales was surveyed using the Regularised Grid-based Spot Assessment Technique (see Methods below) from 2007 to 2009 (DECCW 2010) and from 2012 to 2014 with the assessment of approximately 900 X 500 metre-interval grid-sites being the core of the latter program (OEH 2016). In 2015 some additional grid-sites were assessed and between 2016 and 2019, approximately 300 selected grid-sites were re-assessed as part of an ongoing koala monitoring program (Allen 2020) (see Section 5). The post-fire koala survey followed the massive January 2020 bushfires that burnt much of south-east New South Wales (SENSW). The wildfire spread from the north-west into the northern and central parts of the study area on its western side, with a deeper incursion in the north towards the town of Bermagui and Cuttagee Lake (Figure 2). Approximately 70% of the study area, including most patches identified as sustaining higher levels of koala activity, was not burnt. The local brigades ably assisted with the containment of the fire; some of those brigade members having contributed to koala surveys as contractors and volunteers. Much of the north/south control line established in this fire runs through the network of Strategic Fire Advantage Zones identified from 11 options in the University of Melbourne fire simulation study (Bentley and Penman 2017) as the one where fuel hazard reduction would be most cost-effective in reducing the risk of fire impact on the koala population and human life and property in this part of the region.

Figure 1 Survey teams revisit previously researched koala tree plots The team includes David McCreery (NPWS), Dan Morgan (Aboriginal Community Support Officer South East Local Land Services and Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation) and Mark Lems. Photo: Dave Gallan, Koala Action Network.

1 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Figure 2 Fire severity mapping for the koala study area

2 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

2. Methods

Two areas were selected for survey, the northern section of Biamanga National Park (NP) and catchments to the west and east of Lizard Road, which forms the boundary between Biamanga NP and Murrah Flora Reserve (FR). Information about Biamanga NP and Murrah FR is in OEH (2014) and OEH (2017). The two survey areas are termed North Biamanga and Mumbulla in this report. The areas are shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 and share the following characteristics: • previously assessed 500 metre-interval grid-sites using the same assessment method used in this post-fire survey • grid-sites where evidence of koalas had been recorded in previous surveys, with higher numbers of grid-sites with koala evidence in North Biamanga than in Mumbulla • grid-sites that were burnt in the January 2020 wildfire • grid-sites where fuel hazard burning had been undertaken within the past 10 years, parts of which burned again in 2020 and parts of which did not • grid-sites that have not been burnt for more than 20 years. The North Biamanga survey area is in the northern section of the Biamanga NP, and is predominantly in the Myrtle, Nutleys and Cuttagee Creek catchments. It is approximately 10–15 kilometres west of Bermagui. The Mumbulla survey area is a part of what was formerly Mumbulla State Forest, before its eastern section was added to Biamanga NP in 1998, and the remainder is part of the Murrah FR, established in 2015. Additionally, the north-western section of the area is in the culturally significant catchment of Mumbulla Creek, downstream from the Biamanga Cultural Area. The main post-fire survey was undertaken between April and October 2020. In this survey grid-sites that had been previously surveyed were selected in the survey areas either in rows (eastings) or columns (northings) that were 1 kilometre apart. Where koala evidence was located either at grid-sites or incidentally, adjacent 500 metre-interval grid-sites were generally also assessed. In the North Biamanga survey area substantial infill of intervening 500 metre-interval grid-sites was also achieved. The survey methods we used, described below, were the same as those used in the previous surveys reported in DECCW (2010) and OEH (2016). Additionally, we gathered data on fire severity and extent of epicormic growth at those sites burnt in January 2020. Appendix A shows a copy of the datasheet used in the post-fire survey. At each grid-site, the centre tree was relocated and we searched for koala faecal pellets in the forest litter surrounding this tree and the closest 29 live trees over 150 millimetres diameter at breast height (DBH) within a metre of their trunks. We recorded the presence/absence, tree species and DBH for each tree. Ecological data, including evidence of other fauna species, fuel hazard levels, regrowth species and density, and eucalypt canopy condition, was also recorded. As was the case with surveys undertaken since 2015, we gathered data electronically and uploaded it into the SENSW koala database. To date, the database holds information on more than 3300 grid-site assessments from the study area, nearby escarpment and hinterland forests, the Southern Tablelands and Strzelecki Ranges, Victoria. It has been shared with the Australian National University and Universities of Sydney, Canberra and Nottingham (UK) and used in a range of research projects (e.g. Au et al. 2019).

3 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Figure 3 North Biamanga and Mumbulla survey areas and fresh pellet collection locations

4 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

3. Results

The burn severity categories recorded at each grid-site are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Burn severity categories recorded at each grid-site

Recent burn severity Number of sites Extreme 1 High 6 Moderate 28 Low 32 Unburnt 63 Total 130

We found koala pellets at 14 of the 75 grid-sites assessed in the North Biamanga survey area and at two of the 55 grid-sites assessed in the Mumbulla survey area. We also found koala pellets at other locations between the grid-sites including pellets from a female koala and juvenile in each survey area. Almost all this evidence had been deposited since the 2020 fire. We also collected 13 fresh1 koala pellet samples between February and October 2020 from the koala study area. Some of these were collected in the post-fire survey reported here, and some by the same contractors undertaking additional surveys outside the study areas, generally following up sightings reported by the public. We sent the samples to the University of Sydney for DNA and disease-status analyses. Figure 3 shows the locations where the pellets were collected. The locations of the grid-sites assessed are shown in more detail in Figure 4 (North Biamanga) and Figure 5 (Mumbulla). In these figures the circles with the inner circle coloured varying shades of blue indicate grid-sites where koala evidence was found and the darker the shade of blue the higher the proportion of trees with koala pellets. The outer ring of each circle is coloured in varying shades of red, indicating burn severity recorded at the grid-site, or is white, indicating it was unburnt. The locations of incidental koala evidence found between grid-sites are shown as pink dots in Figures 4 and 5.

1 Fresh koala pellets have the patina, the shiny surface mucus, still present. They are generally less than three days old.

5 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Figure 4 Results from the North Biamanga survey area

Figure 5 Results from the Mumbulla survey area

6 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Tables 2 and 3 provide a summary of the data gathered at the 73 grid-sites in the North Biamanga survey area and 55 grid-sites in the Mumbulla area. In these tables we show the following data: • the planned eastings and northings of each grid-site • koala activity levels (i.e. proportion of trees at the site where koala pellets were located out of 30 assessed) recorded at the grid-site in the periods 2012–2014, 2015–2018 and 2020 • the year the site was last burnt, and burn intensity if the site had been burnt in 2020 • industrial logging severity (score 1–3), if this had been undertaken, and when this occurred • the proportion of the 30 trees searched for koala pellets at each site that were E. sieberi • the average canopy health combined score for all 30 trees at each grid-site (scored 1–5 for each tree) • the presence or absence of lyrebird evidence (digs, calls or mounds) and bell minor evidence • overall fuel hazard.

Figure 6 Koala with joey, Murrah, February 2020 (after the fire) Photo: David Gallan, Koala Action Network

7 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Table 2 Summary of some data gathered from the North Biamanga survey area

Location Site visit Planned Planned Activity Activity Activity % E. Year 2020 Intensive Intensive Avg Lyrebird Bell Overall ID ID (2020) grid-site grid-site level level level sieberi burnt burn logging logging canopy evidence minor fuel Easting Northing 2020 2015–18 2012–14 severity severity year health evidence hazard Score 1–5 345393 378270 765000 5960000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 2 1980s 4.20 Low 347046 378279 765500 5960000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 2 1980s 4.30 Low 348719 378276 766000 5960000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.10 Digs Call Low 350376 378274 766500 5960000 0 0 0 0 2020 Low 0 4.10 Digs Low 352044 378277 767000 5960000 3.33 N/A 0 6.67 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.33 Digs Low 353704 378280 767500 5960000 0 0 0 0 2020 High 3 1980s 2.83 Low 355371 378271 768000 5960000 3.33 20 3.33 13.33 2020 Moderate 1 1980s 4.03 Low 356845 378281 768500 5960000 0 0 0 0 1980s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.20 Digs Extreme 356964 378278 769000 5960000 0 N/A 0 0 1990s Unburnt 4.60 Digs Call Extreme 347046 378279 765500 5960000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 2 1980s 4.30 Low 357078 378299 769500 5960000 0 0 0 0 Unburnt 0 4.77 Digs V. High 353705 378273 767500 5960500 0 0 0 30.00 2020 Moderate 3 1980s 3.77 Digs Low 355372 378300 768000 5960500 0 N/A N/A 0 2020 Moderate 3 1980s 3.57 Low 356846 378275 768500 5960500 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Low 0 4.50 Digs Low 356965 378301 769000 5960500 3.33 N/A 0 3.33 1980s Unburnt 4.37 Mound Extreme 357079 378307 769500 5960500 0 N/A 0 0 1970s Unburnt 0 4.27 Digs V. High 345395 378262 765000 5961000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 3 1980s 3.57 Low 347048 378258 765500 5961000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 0 4.03 Digs Low 348721 378264 766000 5961000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Extreme 3 1980s 3.60 Low 350378 378259 766500 5961000 0 3.33 3.33 10.00 2020 Moderate 3 1980s 3.77 Digs Low 352046 378265 767000 5961000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Low 1 1970s 4.07 Low 353706 378261 767500 5961000 0 N/A 0 10.00 2020 Moderate 0 4.10 Digs Low 355373 378269 768000 5961000 6.67 N/A 0 3.33 2020 Moderate 3 1980s 4.13 Mound Call Low 356847 378268 768500 5961000 0 0 0 10.00 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.27 Low 356966 378266 769000 5961000 3.33 0 16.67 0 1980s Unburnt 3.87 Extreme 357080 378298 769500 5961000 0 N/A 0 0 1980s Unburnt 2 1980s 4.33 Extreme 345396 378263 765000 5961500 0 0 0 0 2020 High 2 1980s 3.20 Low 347049 378322 765500 5961500 0 N/A 0 0 2020 High 3 1980s 3.93 Digs Low 355374 378255 768000 5961500 0 0 6.67 0 1980s Unburnt 0 4.47 Call V. High

5 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Location Site visit Planned Planned Activity Activity Activity % E. Year 2020 Intensive Intensive Avg Lyrebird Bell Overall ID ID (2020) grid-site grid-site level level level sieberi burnt burn logging logging canopy evidence minor fuel Easting Northing 2020 2015–18 2012–14 severity severity year health evidence hazard Score 1–5 356848 378293 768500 5961500 6.67 N/A 0 0 1970s Unburnt 0 4.03 Digs Call High 356967 378256 769000 5961500 0 0 10 0 Unburnt 0 4.63 Digs High 357081 378297 769500 5961500 0 0 0 0 Unburnt 0 3.90 Digs Extreme 342077 378308 764000 5962000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 0 4.03 Digs Low 345397 378245 765000 5962000 0 3.33 0 0 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.63 Low 347050 378257 765500 5962000 0 0 0 0 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.27 Low 348723 378253 766000 5962000 0 6.67 0 0 2020 Moderate 4.43 Low 350380 378267 766500 5962000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 2 1980s 3.93 Digs Low 352048 378237 767000 5962000 0 3.33 0 20.00 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.47 Low 353708 378260 767500 5962000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.40 Low 355375 378248 768000 5962000 0 0 0 0 1980s Unburnt 2 1980s 4.07 Digs Extreme 356849 378295 768500 5962000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Unburnt 2 1980s 4.60 Moderate 356968 378284 769000 5962000 0 N/A 0 0 1970s Unburnt 4.47 Digs High 342078 378310 764000 5962500 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 0 4.03 Call Low 345398 378291 765000 5962500 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Low 0 3.97 Low 347051 378287 765500 5962500 0 16.67 0 0 2020 High 3 1980s 3.00 Call Low 348724 378302 766000 5962500 3.33 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 3 1980s 4.80 Low 350381 378304 766500 5962500 0 0 0 0 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.27 Call Low 352049 378282 767000 5962500 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Low 2 1980s 4.33 Low 353709 378306 767500 5962500 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 2 1980s 4.33 Digs Low 355376 378290 768000 5962500 0 N/A 0 20.00 1970s Unburnt 0 4.17 Digs Moderate 356850 378294 768500 5962500 0 N/A 0 0 Unburnt 2 1980s 4.10 Digs Moderate 345399 378319 765000 5963000 0 N/A 0 0 2020 Moderate 3 1990s 4.50 Digs Low 347052 378286 765500 5963000 6.67 20 23.33 6.67 2020 Low 4.17 Call Low 348725 378240 766000 5963000 0 0 0 0 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.30 Digs Low 350382 378292 766500 5963000 0 0 0 0 2020 Moderate 2 1980s 4.17 Low 352050 378289 767000 5963000 10 23.33 13.33 23.33 2020 Low 3 1980s 4.93 Low 353710 378305 767500 5963000 0 N/A 0 0 Unburnt 0 4.77 V. High 355377 378283 768000 5963000 0 0 0 0 1960s Unburnt 2 1980s 4.77 Mound V. High 356851 378288 768500 5963000 0 N/A 0 0 1980s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.47 Digs Extreme 356970 378285 769000 5963000 0 N/A 0 0 1980s Unburnt 4.57 Call High

6 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

7 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Table 3 Summary of some data gathered from the Mumbulla survey area

Location Site visit Planned Planned Activity Activity Activity % E. Year 2020 Intensive Intensive Avg Lyrebird Bell Overall ID ID (2020) grid-site grid-site level level level sieberi burnt burn logging logging canopy evidence minor fuel Easting Northing 2020 2015–18 2012–14 severity severity year health evidence hazard Score 1–5 328771 378327 760000 5945500 0 N/A 0 33.33 1980s Unburnt 0 4.63 Extreme 328772 378325 760000 5946000 0 0 0 10.00 2020s Low 0 4.40 Moderate 330414 378339 760500 5946000 0 0 0 0 2020s Moderate 3 1980s 4.20 Low 332070 378329 761000 5946000 0 13.33 3.33 0 1980s Unburnt 0 4.73 V. High 328773 378328 760000 5946500 0 0 0 0 2020s Moderate 1 1980s 4.53 Digs Low 332071 378359 761000 5946500 0 0 0 96.67 2020s Low 3 1980s 4.17 Low 328774 378326 760000 5947000 0 N/A 0 93.33 2020s Moderate 3 1980s 4.60 Low 332072 378360 761000 5947000 0 0 0 80.00 1980s Unburnt 2 1980s 4.03 Extreme 335380 378229 762000 5947000 0 3.33 0 6.67 Unburnt 2 1980s 4.27 Digs High 328775 378382 760000 5947500 0 0 N/A 6.67 2020s Low 0 3.80 Low 332073 378373 761000 5947500 0 N/A 0 80.00 2000s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.33 Moderate 335381 378230 762000 5947500 0 0 0 0 1980s Unburnt 0 4.10 Digs Call High 337032 378375 762500 5947500 0 0 0 3.33 1970s Unburnt 0 1980s 4.37 Digs Call V. High 338708 378238 763000 5947500 0 0 0 0 Unburnt 2 1980s 4.50 High 340372 378236 763500 5947500 0 0 0 0 Unburnt 0 4.47 Digs Extreme 328776 378383 760000 5948000 0 0 N/A 86.67 2020s High 3 1970s 2.53 Low 330418 378385 760500 5948000 0 N/A 0 33.33 2020s Moderate 2 1980s 2.43 Low 332074 378386 761000 5948000 0 0 0 43.33 2010s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.43 Digs V. High 335382 378234 762000 5948000 0 0 0 0 1970s Unburnt 2 1980s 4.10 Digs Call V. High 337033 378233 762500 5948000 0 16.67 0 20.00 1980s Unburnt 2 1980s 4.17 Call V. High 338709 378242 763000 5948000 0 10 26.67 6.67 1980s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.37 V. High 340373 378249 763500 5948000 0 0 6.67 0 1980s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.03 V. High 342049 378347 764000 5948000 0 0 0 16.67 1980s Unburnt 3 1970s 4.37 Call High 328777 378342 760000 5948500 0 0 N/A 56.67 2020s Low 1 1980s 4.50 Low 332075 378390 761000 5948500 0 0 N/A 10.00 2020s Moderate 4.47 Moderate 335383 378374 762000 5948500 0 0 0 23.33 2000s Unburnt 1 1980s 4.30 Digs Moderate 338710 378244 763000 5948500 0 0 6.67 10.00 1990s Unburnt 4.70 Nest V. High 342050 378345 764000 5948500 6.67 0 10 43.33 1980s Unburnt 2 1980s 4.53 Digs Call High 328778 378384 760000 5949000 0 N/A N/A 70.00 2020s Low 0 4.17 Low

8 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Location Site visit Planned Planned Activity Activity Activity % E. Year 2020 Intensive Intensive Avg Lyrebird Bell Overall ID ID (2020) grid-site grid-site level level level sieberi burnt burn logging logging canopy evidence minor fuel Easting Northing 2020 2015–18 2012–14 severity severity year health evidence hazard Score 1–5 332076 378387 761000 5949000 0 0 N/A 43.33 2020s Moderate 4.17 Low 335384 378224 762000 5949000 0 0 0 80.00 2020s Low 1 1980s 4.17 Low 338711 378241 763000 5949000 0 0 0 66.67 1990s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.33 Call Moderate 342051 378346 764000 5949000 0 3.33 3.33 13.33 1980s Unburnt 2 1980s 4.33 Digs Extreme 332077 378388 761000 5949500 0 N/A N/A 3.33 2020s Low 1 1970s 3.87 Low 335385 378227 762000 5949500 0 0 0 10.00 2020s Low 3 1980s 3.10 Low 337036 378272 762500 5949500 0 0 0 60.00 2020s Low 2 1980s 3.77 Digs Low 338712 378239 763000 5949500 0 0 0 0 Unburnt 0 4.77 Call Moderate 342052 378335 764000 5949500 0 0 0 0 1980s Unburnt 0 4.57 V. High 332078 378389 761000 5950000 0 N/A N/A 10.00 2020s Moderate 3.97 Low 335386 378225 762000 5950000 0 0 N/A 23.33 2020s Low 0 4.00 Digs Call Low 337037 378320 762500 5950000 0 0 N/A 3.33 2020s Low 0 4.37 Digs Low 338713 378243 763000 5950000 0 0 N/A 66.67 2020s Moderate 4.27 Call Low 342053 378333 764000 5950000 0 0 0 16.67 1980s Unburnt 0 3.80 Digs Moderate 335387 378228 762000 5950500 0 0 N/A 40.00 2020s Low 2 1980s 3.87 Low 338714 378232 763000 5950500 0 0 0 10.00 2020s Low 0 4.43 Call Low 340378 378377 763500 5950500 0 0 N/A 80.00 2020s Low 2 1980s 4.33 Low 342054 378336 764000 5950500 6.67 16.67 0 60.00 1980s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.57 Digs V. High 343707 378354 764500 5950500 0 0 0 0 1980s Unburnt 0 4.43 Digs Call Extreme 335388 378226 762000 5951000 0 N/A N/A 0 2020s Low 0 3.67 Low 338715 378231 763000 5951000 0 0 0 0 1970s Unburnt 2 1970s 4.13 V. High 340379 378376 763500 5951000 0 0 6.67 3.33 1980s Unburnt 0 4.40 Digs Extreme 342055 378334 764000 5951000 0 N/A N/A 0 1980s Unburnt 0 4.07 High 343708 378352 764500 5951000 0 N/A 0 0 1980s Unburnt 3 1980s 4.67 Digs Extreme 338716 378358 763000 5951500 0 13.33 0 13.33 2020s Low 2 1980s 3.70 Low 340380 378357 763500 5951500 0 0 N/A 0 1980s Unburnt 3 1980s 3.83 Digs V. High

9 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Table 4 shows the tree species, DBH, canopy health (scored 1–5) and epicormic score (E1–E3) of trees under which koala pellets were located at grid-sites.

Table 4 Tree species, DBH, canopy health (scored 1–5) and epicormic score (E1–E3) of trees under which koala pellets were located at grid-sites from both survey areas

Location Site visit Planned Planned Tree species DBH Tree Epicormic Recent ID ID grid-site grid-site health score burn Easting Northing severity 356966 378266 769000 5961000 E. longifolia 600 4 Unburnt 355373 378269 768000 5961000 E. globoidea 195 5 E2 Moderate 355373 378269 768000 5961000 E. longifolia 185 5 Moderate 355371 378271 768000 5960000 E. sieberi 330 5 Moderate 352044 378277 767000 5960000 E. muelleriana 1111 5 E1 Low 347052 378286 765500 5963000 E. longifolia 417 5 Low 347052 378286 765500 5963000 E. tricarpa 440 4 Low 352050 378289 767000 5963000 E. longifolia 393 5 Low 352050 378289 767000 5963000 E. globoidea 290 5 Low 352050 378289 767000 5963000 E. cypellocarpa 444 5 Low 356848 378293 768500 5961500 E. longifolia 600 5 Unburnt 356848 378293 768500 5961500 E. longifolia 690 5 Unburnt 356965 378301 769000 5960500 E. globoidea 464 4 E2 Unburnt 348724 378302 766000 5962500 E. longifolia 378 5 Moderate 347054 378313 765500 5964000 E. longifolia 495 5 Unburnt 347054 378313 765500 5964000 E. longifolia 484 5 Unburnt 347054 378313 765500 5964000 E. cypellocarpa 1309 5 Unburnt 347054 378313 765500 5964000 E. muelleriana 520 5 Unburnt 350384 378314 766500 5964000 E. longifolia 317 5 Unburnt 350384 378314 766500 5964000 E. longifolia 418 5 Unburnt 350384 378314 766500 5964000 E. longifolia 160 4 Unburnt 350384 378314 766500 5964000 E. longifolia 342 5 Unburnt 353711 378315 767500 5963500 E. longifolia 200 5 Unburnt 347053 378317 765500 5963500 E. longifolia 499 4 Unburnt 347053 378317 765500 5963500 E. eugenoides 221 5 Unburnt 348726 378318 766000 5963500 B. myrtifolia 516 5 Moderate 342054 378336 764000 5950500 E. cypellocarpa 543 5 Unburnt 342054 378336 764000 5950500 E. agglomerata 460 5 Unburnt 342050 378345 764000 5948500 E. longifolia 732 5 Unburnt 342050 378345 764000 5948500 A. littoralis 201 4 Unburnt

10 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Figure 7 Forest after the fire, 2020 Photos: David Gallan, Koala Action Network

11 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

4. Discussion

In the dawn of 2020 wildfires swept from the north-west through the towns of Cobargo and Quaama, then over ranges associated with the Cadjangarry and Mumbulla Mountains and into parts of the 25,000 hectares of forested habitat sustaining the koala population of the NSW Far South Coast (FSC). Because most of the state and federal firefighting resources were focused at the time on fires to the north, local Rural Fire Service (RFS) and NPWS brigades and landholders responded to the fires for several days until outside support became available to strengthen control-lines. The ferocity and potential extent of the fires in the FSC koala study area were lessened by human intervention, terrain and ensuing milder weather. Although fire intensity was severe on some upper slopes with northerly or north-westerly aspects, generally the fire burnt with low to moderate intensity (see Figure 2 and Tables 2, 3 & 4 of this report). Fuel reduction burning had been undertaken within the previous decade in four Strategic Fire Advantage Zone polygons that were also burnt in 2020: a) Smiths hazard reduction (HR) in 2010, b) Kangaroo Ridge Rd HR in 2014, c) Murrah North HR in 2016, and d) Murrah South HR in 2017. It is beyond the scope of this report to analyse the possible influence of these burns on the severity of the 2020 fire, except to provide the following observations: • the area burnt in the Smiths HR in 2010 generally had high to very high fuel loads and so this HR, undertaken 10 years previously, probably did not reduce fire severity in 2020 • the hazard reduction burns in the other HR polygons appear to have reduced fire intensity and crown scorch in the 2020 wildfire. The survey data presented in this report is indicative of the information painstakingly gathered over many years that is available through the SENSW koala database, providing a rich resource for information-sharing, research, and landscape-scale monitoring and management. As we enter more irrevocably into this period of significant climatic and biological change, this information will increasingly help us document ecological changes and help management decision-making within this koala country. The data-gathering method also provided opportunities for many people – Indigenous and non- Indigenous – to deepen connection to country. This was highlighted by the fieldwork undertaken by the women’s team in the culturally significant women’s area in Biamanga NP, and it was especially rewarding for all of us when they found koala pellets in this area. From the post-fire survey results, together with post-fire koala observations and pellet finds well away from the two survey areas, we may draw conclusions of ongoing widespread koala persistence in the study area. Previous survey results, including those from the koala monitoring program undertaken across the broader study area between 2016 and 2019 (see Section 5 of this report) also highlight this ongoing persistence. The collection of 13 fresh2 koala pellet samples from across the FSC koala study area since the 2020 wildfires is also encouraging. Some of these were collected in the post-fire survey reported here, and some by the same contractors undertaking additional surveys outside the study areas, generally following up sightings reported by the public. We sent the samples to the University of Sydney for DNA and disease-status analyses. See Figure 3 for locations where the pellets were collected. Passive acoustic and volunteer community surveys currently underway should offer further opportunities for comparative analyses that may increase our confidence that this low-density population of koalas at least remains stable, even though koala numbers remain low.

2 with patina, the shiny surface mucus, still present, probably less than three days old

12 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Finding mum and joey scats Mum and joey scats in burnt area

Mum and joey scats in burnt area One- or two-day-old scat in burnt area

Post-fire scat Scat notes Figure 8 Koala pellets found in the post-fire koala survey June 2020, SENSW coastal forests study area The koala evidence found in this post-fire koala survey is encouraging, suggesting the population was not severely impacted by either the 2020 wildfires or the 2018–20 drought. Photos: Rob Summers and Mark Lems

13 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

In regards the North Biamanga survey area, survey teams have consistently found koala evidence in this locality since undertaking the 2007–2009 koala survey. The extent of evidence found in the post-fire survey suggests good survivorship following the wildfire and indicates at least one koala breeding there successfully despite the drought and fire. The post-fire survey team working in this area reported that, because the wildfire removed much of the groundcover, koala pellets were easier to find and the teams spent more time than usual searching for evidence between grid-sites to try to get a feel for how koalas were using the area. From these searches they provided the following observations: • koalas probably sheltered from fire in creek areas where no canopy scorch occurred • the animals later moved out to take advantage of the epicormic browse in burnt areas • the river flats in the survey area have good soil supporting big trees; however, the koalas appeared to be preferencing smaller trees at the time the survey was undertaken3. From the perspective of regional koala conservation, the North Biamanga area is important, it being the only one in the koala study area north of the Murrah River where evidence of breeding has been gathered in recent years. The area is also significant because it extends into the only coastal forested corridor linking the Biamanga and Gulaga NPs, both of which are owned by the Aboriginal community. The extent of koala evidence found in the Mumbulla survey area was much lower than in North Biamanga. The number of active sites found was also lower than in the 2012–14 survey (see Table 1). However, these results should be seen in the context of the higher levels of koala evidence recorded to the east and south-east of this area in the 2007–09 and 2012–14 surveys and the 2016–19 koala monitoring program. These latter areas were not assessed in the post- fire survey because they are well away from the 2020 fire impact zone. The relatively low level of koala evidence in the Mumbulla survey area consistently indicated in successive surveys is probably influenced by two factors: 1. Much of the area has coarse granitic soils with a eucalypt species mix that appears to sustain koalas at lower densities than those growing on metasedimentary geologies that occurs over most of the koala study area. 2. Single species stands of silvertop ash E. sieberi occur in parts of the area (see Table 2); a probable outcome of: a) the ‘Timber Stand Improvement’ program4 undertaken in the 1950s; b) industrial logging undertaken in the late 1970s and early 1980s; and c) the 1980 Mumbulla wildfire (Lunney and Moon 1988). Analyses of data gathered in the 2007–09 and 2012–14 survey programs demonstrated that koalas were less likely to occur in areas where this highly flammable species predominates (Au et al. 2019) 5. On a brighter note, in regards the Mumbulla survey area, the team did find a cluster of pellet sites to the east of the Back River Rd on the eastern edge of the southern section of Biamanga NP (Figure 5). This road provides access to Mumbulla Creek from Lizard Rd, just upstream from its junction with the Murrah River. The pellets found also included those from a female

3 This observation should be noted in the context of the relatively large average tree size (DBH) of 462 millimetres of those trees with koala pellets underneath at the assessed grid-sites, and their variability in size (Table 2). 4 A program of ringbarking so-called depauperate and senescent trees and attempting to stimulate the regeneration of dense stands of straighter trees. 5 Using negative binomial models, we found that observations of koala scats decreased as the proportion of E. sieberi in an area increased beyond zero. E. sieberi had lower available nitrogen (AvailN) and total nitrogen than most other eucalypt species, and the highest concentrations of unsubstituted B-ring flavanones, a herbivore- deterrent plant secondary metabolite for the koala. Simulations of forests with increasing proportions of E. sieberi showed that AvailN decreased from 1.1% when E. sieberi was ≤10% of all eucalypts to 0.7% AvailN when E. sieberi was the only species present. Consequently, forests dominated by E. sieberi are unlikely to support koala populations based on existing knowledge of koala nutritional requirements.

14 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020 koala and juvenile, which confirmed that at least one koala had recently bred in this part of the koala study area, as was the case in the North Biamanga survey area. Pellets of a female koala and juvenile were also recently found approximately 5 kilometres to the south-east of this location in the separate volunteer koala survey program. Additionally, a female koala with young was observed in February 2020 after the wildfire (Figure 6), approximately 5 kilometres to the north-east of this latter location, near the Murrah Hall. In this latter case, the koalas remained in the same large white stringybark (E. globoidea) for 11 days and were closely monitored and supplementarily fed with browse from other eucalypt species by members of the koala survey team and local residents. More than 30 local people participated in the post-fire koala survey reported here, undertaken at a time of growing collaboration between Indigenous owners, neighbouring landholders, agencies, universities, and the locally-based Koala Action Network, which is auspiced by the Far South Coast Landcare Association. This partnership has been strengthened by the community/agency solidarity and teamwork that grew during the wildfire response and includes such initiatives as: • koala survey and monitoring programs, including the post-fire koala survey, the results of which are reported here • an Environmental Trust-funded cultural burning program planned by the Aboriginal community with support from the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation • riparian conservation and rehabilitation initiatives by neighbouring farmers, supported by the Bega Cheese Dairy Project managed by the NSW South East Local Land Services • plantings initiated and managed by the Crossing Land Education Centre (LEC), including the planting of 19,000 trees on a neighbouring property • establishment of water stations with movement sensitive cameras by local residents • koala browse species plantings being managed by the Koala Action Network and funded by the NSW Saving our Species program • the Koala Action Network’s Koala and Fire Forum held in August 2020 that brought together a panel to help facilitate local knowledge-sharing. The panel included Associate Professor of Fire Ecology, Phil Zylstra; cultural burn educator, Dan Morgan and volunteer firefighter and koala surveyor, Roger Park • fire-edge road by road community meetings organised by the Crossing LEC near and within fire impact areas to share experiences and plan future responses to fire • requests by many landholders to engage with the Indigenous-led cultural burning program • engagement with four universities supporting a range of research projects6. The history of koala and koala habitat management in the region has been one of increasing community engagement. There have also been many years of conflict that has gradually been resolved, with data generated though field surveys providing a foundation for that resolution. The cooperative initiatives described above involving the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, agency staff, universities and the Crossing LEC are all indicative of the collaborative spirit now underpinning our work to conserve and assist the recovery of this important koala population and its country. The small and widely-dispersed population of koalas in the forests of the Far South Coast of New South Wales are significant representatives of a globally iconic species. They are important because of their history, geographic location within the wider spread of the species across eastern Australia, unique genotypes and habitat use, the extent of stakeholder

6 The Australian National University, University of Canberra, University of Sydney, and University of Nottingham (UK)

15 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020 commitment to their conservation and, most importantly, because the forests that sustain them are in a process of transition back to Indigenous management. The koalas are also important because, with most of their habitat now protected in reserves, they have demonstrated the resilience to survive the impacts of habitat degradation resulting from past management, particularly the widespread industrial logging that was undertaken between 1976 and 1996. This resilience is even more important, given that koala numbers are declining so significantly in New South Wales (Lane et al. 2020)7. The monitoring of the distribution, occupancy rates and habitat of these koalas remains challenging, particularly because koala numbers remain low and the population is widely distributed over more than 25,000 hectares of forest. As the information presented in this report shows, there are different approaches to monitoring, and a careful review and integration of existing and potential methods is important; the better the monitoring, the more it can help guide community and agency efforts to support the koalas’ conservation and recovery. As is the case across the species’ range, this koala country faces great challenges. The 2018– 20 drought and 2020 wildfires are stark reminders of a perilous future, with the severity of drought, high temperatures and wildfire all predicted to increase with climate change. The key task faced by all of us concerned with koala habitat conservation is to do what we can to minimise the causes of climate change and help manage its impacts as well as we can. One such minimisation strategy is to improve the carbon-sequestration capacity of these forests and their soils, and in this regard the Indigenous cultural burning program that aims to improve soil-moisture retention capacity and reduce fuel hazards (Envirokey 2020) in the koala study area offers a vital contribution. In both the post-fire koala survey, and the koala habitat rehabilitation monitoring we have been undertaking in the same period8, we have observed massive post-fire germination of E. sieberi and A. littoralis seedlings, both of which respond well to disturbances such as fire and logging. We are now witnessing a second, greater wave of the shift towards these fire-prone and flammable species in the burnt areas; the first being the ecological response to industrial logging (OEH 2017). The scale of this shift is so huge that we face a long-term fire management emergency in this part of the study area that, if not effectively addressed, will significantly increase wildfire threat to the entire koala study area and adjacent human assets. To effectively respond to this emergency, we need to guide post-fire ecological responses away from the shift towards dense stands of fire-prone species towards more open and less flammable habitat, whilst increasing the proportions of tree species that koalas are known to prefer. Initially the focus needs to be along the edges of fire-trails in the western and north- western edges of the koala study area with the key principle to create a low-fuel buffer that reduces the risk of fire incursion into the unburnt heart of the koala study area. This will require an integrated range of strategic and well-managed actions including increased fuel hazard management by local RFS and NPWS brigades focusing on post-fire regeneration patches. A Landcare program that mobilises teams of volunteers working with contractors

7 Lane et al. (2020) conclude that the NSW koala population has declined by at least 28.52% (lower bound) to as high as 65.95% (upper bound) over the three most recent koala generations, inclusive of the impacts of the fire events up until mid-December, 2019. Importantly, this conclusion does not take into account fire events since the 10th December 2019, some of which are known to have impacted on additional ARKS not taken into account for this report; hence the lower bound will be greater than what we have been able to estimate. 8 The NSW Saving our Species-funded Koala Habitat Rehabilitation program is assessing the effectiveness of varying combinations of silvicultural and regeneration techniques to regenerate eucalypt species preferred by koalas at research plots across the FSC koala study area, including some that were burned in the 2018 Tathra and January 2020 wildfires. The first stage of research plot monitoring has just been completed.

16 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020 contributing a landscape-gardening ethos to the emergency response should also be considered. There is also a case for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) returning to the region to assist with this program, providing the ADF with opportunities for conservation land management training, and to help consolidate locally-based fire emergency decision-making processes9. Above all, Indigenous-led cultural burning, initially planned to be undertaken in small patches across this landscape, can provide guidance and leadership and make a vital contribution to these programs. As Aboriginal people have so clearly reminded us, the gentle and careful use of fire, sensitively and carefully applied with great wisdom, has been a part of our land for many thousands of years. This is for all of us to learn; it will help us understand and care better for country, including koala country.

At the Koala Action Network’s Fire Forum, Bunja Smith, Aboriginal Elder and chair of the Biamanga National Park Board of Management gave us these words to reflect on as we move into this time when fire is more deeply etched into our lives:

‘Right burn, right time, right place, right reason’

9 In assessing the role of the ADF the Commonwealth of Australia (2020) reported that during the 2019–20 bushfires, there was noticeable benefit when state emergency responders, local emergency management committees, and the ADF were involved in local decision-making and resource prioritisation, and decisions were able to be made locally.

17 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Figure 9 Forest after the fire, 2020 Photo: Dave Gallan, Koala Action Network

18 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

5. Koala monitoring program

The post-fire koala survey reported here was preceded by a koala monitoring program carried out between 2016 and 2019 in which 65 to 100 grid-sites that were previously assessed were re-assessed each year. The monitoring program found koala evidence in all five sub-areas of the 25,000-hectare study area. Preliminary analysis of the monitoring data suggests: • sub-area occupancy rates ranged from 11.2% to 22.4% and average approximately 15% over the whole study area • sub-area occupancy rates continue to be low, compared with those from other regions where surveys using the same method have been undertaken • there has been no statistically significant (i.e. greater than 30%) increase or decrease in koala occupancy rates in any of the five sub-areas assessed in last survey period, when compared with previous periods. A detailed report of the monitoring program (Allen 2020) is being drafted and will be published once data analyses and review are completed.

Figure 10 Local ABC interviewing Erica Luff, participant in the women’s survey team and representative from the Bega Aboriginal Land Council Photo: Bec Parkes, Lantern Heritage

19 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

References

ABC South East NSW 2019, A three year Aboriginal cultural burning project to protect Koala habitat has commenced, Facebook news article, 17 October 2019, viewed 16 July 2020, www.facebook.com/abcsoutheastnsw/posts/2714088901968893. Allen CD 2020, ‘Koala Monitoring in SENSW Coastal Forests: 2007–19’, draft report, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Sydney. Au J, Clark RJ, Allen CD, Marsh KD and Foley W 2019, A nutritional mechanism underpinning folivore occurrence in disturbed forests, Forest Ecology and Management, vol.453 (2019), 117585. Bentley PD and Penman AB 2017, Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation? International Journal of Wildland Fire, vol.26, pp.455–468,viewed 16 July 2020, http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WF16150. Commonwealth of Australia 2020, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) 2010, Koala surveys in the coastal forests of the Bermagui–Mumbulla area: 2007–09 – An interim report, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW, Sydney, viewed 16 July 2020, www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/threatenedspecies/10116koalabermmum.pdf (PDF 649KB). Envirokey 2020, Review of environmental factors – Burning for Healthy Country, not hectares, report prepared for the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Sydney. Lane A, Wallis K and Phillips S 2020, A review of the conservation status of New South Wales populations of the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) leading up to and including part of the 2019/20 fire event, report to International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Biolink Ecological Consultants, Uki NSW. Lunney D and Moon C 1988, ‘An ecological view of the history of logging and fire in Mumbulla State Forest on the South Coast of New South Wales’, in Australia’s Ever Changing Forests: Proceedings of the First National Conference on Australian Forest History, KJ Frawley and NM Semple (eds), pp.23–61, Department of Geography and Oceanography, Australian Defence Force Academy, ACT. Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) 2014, Yuin Bangguri (Mountain) Parks Plan of Management Incorporating Gulaga National Park and Biamanga National Park, Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney, viewed 16 July 2020, www.environment.nsw.gov.au/research-and-publications/publications-search/yuin-bangguri- mountain-parks-plan-of- managementwww.environment.nsw.gov.au/publications/nativeanimals/koala-survey-bermagui- mumbulla-160233.htm. Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) 2016, 2012–14 Koala survey report in coastal forests of south-eastern NSW – Bermagui/Mumbulla area, Corridors and Core Habitat for Koalas Project, Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F2u_C3yEa3DeOW26xNoaaW0orY1ClFil/view Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) 2017, Murrah Flora Reserves Draft Final Working Plan Mumbulla, Tanja, Murrah and Bermagui State Forests; reserve numbers 187, 188, 189 and 190; NSW South Coast Forest Protection Area, Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney, viewed 16 July 2020, www.environment.nsw.gov.au/research-and- publications/publications-search/murrah-flora-reserves-draft-working-plan.

20 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Wesson S 2003, Koalas and the people of south eastern Australia – A report for the Koala Recovery Program (South East Management Area), NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EMjFWLcvSDX84lUkhTgS0B0usr9WuttV/view.

21 NSW Far South Coast post-fire koala survey: 2020

Appendix A: Regularised grid-based spot assessment technique datasheet used in Far South Coast koala surveys