In 1994, the Irwins Planted 44,000 Eucalyptus Trees for Koalas, a Bet That Became a Vast Network of Australian Reserves

In 1994, Steve and Terri Irwin bought back an old rural property in Queensland to recreate a koala refuge. Three decades later, Ironbark Station is part of a network of protected areas totaling more than 180,000 hectares. Its history shows how restoring a habitat requires patience, as the species is now listed as endangered.

In Blackbutt, Ironbark Station covered about 3,500 acres, or 1,416 hectares, and not 3,500 hectares

The property lies near Blackbutt, on the foothills of the Cordillera australienne, a few hours’ drive from Brisbane. The figure of 3,500 acres is often circulated in the mistaken form of 3,500 hectares. In reality, the initial area is about 1,416 hectares, a common unit confusion in accounts of this acquisition.

Next, the couple had about 44,000 eucalyptus planted. This choice is not insignificant, because the koala feeds almost exclusively on the leaves of a selection of species of this genus, which also serve as shelter. Subsequently, around 660 more hectares were added to enlarge the property, bringing it to just over 2,000 hectares.

Koalas in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have been endangered since February 2022

Since February 12, 2022, koala populations in these three jurisdictions have been listed under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act as endangered. They had previously been classified as vulnerable since 2012. According to the Australian Department of Environment, this change in status reflects a clear decline in populations.

Among the cited causes are habitat loss, vehicle collisions, dog attacks and chlamydiosis. Moreover, droughts and the summer fires of 2019-2020 worsened the situation. Consequently, every parcel of eucalyptus forest preserved or replanted takes on a special value.

Replanting is not enough, because the connectivity between wooded patches weighs as much as the surface of available forest

Studies conducted in the southeast of Queensland, notably by Clive McAlpine’s team at the University of Queensland, have shown the importance of landscape configuration. Thus, the likelihood of encountering koalas depends not only on the amount of forest but also on the fragmentation of woodlands.

A animal obliged to cross open areas is more exposed to dogs and to traffic. Consequently, linking groves with corridors limits these risky movements. In the field, teams also had to battle invasive plants, which smother young trees and hinder wildlife movement.

Since Steve Irwin’s death in 2006, the project has merged into a network of more than 180,000 hectares protected

Steve Irwin died in September 2006, but the conservation effort continues under the aegis of Australia Zoo and its Wildlife Warriors foundation. In 2007, the foundation thus acquired the Steve Irwin Reserve, at Cape York, which alone covers about 130,000 hectares.

According to Wildlife Warriors, the network of properties now protects more than 450,000 acres, or more than 180,000 hectares, across Queensland. This network links arid areas of the Brigalow Belt with eucalyptus forests of the Cordillera. Ironbark Station represents only a small fraction, but it remains the first stone of a commitment measured in decades.