For many Gold Coast inhabitants, the natural environment forms an integral part of their lifestyles and livelihoods. Moreover, its unique ecosystems are home to over 3000 native animal species, 2500 native plant species, ancient forests and precious koala populations.

Unsurprisingly, the protection and preservation of this natural bounty is a priority for the City of Gold Coast and the community it serves. Despite being one of the fastest growing cities in Australia, the Gold Coast has retained over half of the city in native vegetation – the ongoing goal of 51-percent native vegetation coverage is one of the central pillars of the City’s Our Natural City Strategy.

“We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and it’s up to all of us to protect and enhance our naturally unique city,” says Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate. “With the need to enable sustainable growth of the city, the Our Natural City Strategy update has never been more important.

“As part of the strategy, over the next decade we will deliver actions that restore our environment, protect our precious wildlife and their habitat and provide more experiences for people to enjoy nature.”

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Key initiatives helping bolster these objectives are the Natural Areas Acquisition, Koala Habitat Acquisition and Environmental Offset Acquisition programs. Through these programs the City of Gold Coast purchases land to secure and restore wildlife corridors across the city, connecting natural areas and protecting the habitats of priority species that call the Gold Coast home. 

Since 2021, The City has invested millions of dollars acquiring over 178-ha of environmentally significant land as a part of the Natural Areas Acquisition Program. Sites are carefully chosen using a range of criteria including conservation areas that are under threat and areas of priority species habitat.

“We are committed to protecting our native wildlife by connecting and restoring critical nature corridors and 51-percent native vegetation cover as a part of the Our Natural City Strategy,“ said Mayor Tate. “These properties provide essential habitat protection for endangered species such as koalas, the glossy black cockatoo as well as a riparian buffer along important waterways.

“This has helped us provide habitat for native animals and plants and to help increase biodiversity. We have already seen improvements in the health of land previously purchased.”

Areas of land acquisition include Pimpama, Maudsland, Wongawallan, Norwell, Tallebudgera, Tallebudgera Valley and Burleigh Heads. Many of these properties were acquired under the Koala Habitat Acquisition program, which prioritises not only the safeguarding of koala habitats but also ensuring safe movement of koalas between habitat areas. 

Fuzzy and adorable, these unique and iconic Australian marsupials have been moved from being classified as “vulnerable” to “endangered” over the last decade, as their population levels have plummeted thanks to habitat destruction and fragmentation, disease, car strikes, dog attacks, drought, bushfires, and other effects from climate change.

Gold Coast initiatives to support koalas includes not only habitat acquisition, but the installation of flashing “koala” road signs and fauna fencing, providing a vehicle to Wildcare Australia to help transport injured koalas and other wildlife and working with the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, providing funding for a chlamydia vaccine trial.

“The Gold Coast has some of the most important koala habitat and populations in South East Queensland,” said Mayor Tate. “And we are committed to protecting and nurturing our koalas.”