Bangalow Koalas celebrated a major milestone today in their mission to save koalas – the planting of their 500,000th tree in northern New South Wales.
About half that total was supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia as part of its aim to double koala numbers by 2050.
As the swamp mahogany sapling was positioned on a hobby farm in Possum Creek, supporters cheered an incredible achievement – half a million trees in the ground since 2019.
Bangalow Koalas President Linda Sparrow calls this work 'our 500,000 reasons for hope project'. She said:
500,000 trees means half a million new homes for koalas and countless other native species.
It's a symbol of what community passion and persistence can achieve — turning hope into living, breathing habitat.
For me, it represents connection, purpose, and a legacy of care that will grow for generations.
Nicole Forrester, Chief Regenerative Officer, WWF-Australia, who attended the celebration, said:
Koalas are a keystone species. Save koalas and their habitat, and we save all the other species that need forest areas to survive.
Seeing bare paddocks being transformed back into wildlife habitat is inspirational.
To build on Bangalow Koalas great work we also need to protect remaining forests.
The federal government must strengthen the EPBC legislation now before parliament to close loopholes that allow deforestation of the homes of koalas and other threatened species.
Caption: Linda and Tanya walk through a forest of 3-year-old plantings at South Gundurimba; this young koala was feeding among the plantings there
Volunteers from Queensland, NSW and even the USA have travelled to Bangalow Koalas' planting events eager to do something hands-on to help koalas.
So far 454.54 hectares across 123 properties have been restored with koala food and shelter trees. That equals more than 430 Sydney Football Stadium playing surfaces.
Tennis legend Pat Rafter is one of the landholders restoring habitat with Bangalow Koalas planting more than 13,000 trees on his Bryon Bay hinterland property.
Tanya Pritchard, WWF's Senior Manager of Koala Recovery, who was also on hand to celebrate the 500,000 tree milestone, said:
Koalas are feeding on these trees as soon as the branches can take their weight. It's incredibly uplifting and shows the value of regenerating nature.
Koalas need more trees for food, shelter, and to be able to move safely through the landscape.
Furniture brand Koala has contributed significant funds towards WWF's support of Bangalow Koalas. Koala CEO Dany Milham said:
When we started the business we wanted to do something about the decline in koala numbers, that's why we called our brand Koala.
We built our business around sustainability and the social cause of helping koalas and other threatened species.
To grow a successful enterprise but also know that you're doing good, that's why we get out of bed, that's why our staff work for us.
To see koalas feeding on these plantings after a few short years means the world to us, our team, and our customers.
Ahead of today's celebration, Arnie, the resident koala at Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, gave his seal of approval to the 500,000th tree … a symbol of hope for his species.
Caption: Bangalow Koalas President Linda Sparrow and WWF's Tanya Pritchard show Arnie the 500,000th tree; Bangalow Koalas has planted more than 13,000 trees on Pat Rafter's property.
Bangalow Koalas now aims to plant 1 million trees across northern NSW by 2030. A huge wildlife corridor is being created to help koalas move out of urban areas and away from roads and dogs.
Link for photos:
https://dams.wwf.org.au/resourcespace/?c=6379&k=f0b38346b7
