LANDHOLDERS came together to learn how to support the survival of koalas in the North West region on Thursday.
Hosted by the Tamworth Regional Landcare Association and the Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group, the 'Koalas on Farms' event gave community members in Emerald Hill the chance to hear from experts and learn more about the species.
Co-organiser Penny Milson said while areas such as Gunnedah are quite popular for their koala populations, numbers had been decreasing over the years.
"Factors such as climate change, heatwaves and the loss of habitat have contributed to the decline," Ms Milson said. "But it's certainly not to late, that's the message we're trying to send. There's a golden opportunity for people to do something."
The day included presentations form local experts and environmental educators about planting vegetation for 'koala corridors' and tips for supporting re-vegetation.
Participants also had the opportunity to tour two farms to see the features of the properties and hear directly from the landholders to find out what they can be doing today.
READ ALSO:
"We have a saying at Landcare that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, but the next best time is today," Ms Milson said.
Organisers anticipated about 30 people would come to the event, but were thrilled when 47 showed up.
While the main focus of the event was to develop strategies to ensure the longevity of the koala population, Ms Milson said by doing so there would be a variety of other benefits.
"There's a really holistic benefit to caring for the environment," she said. "A healthy ecosystem supports healthy soil and healthy soil produces food that feeds us."
With planting trees being quite an expensive task for landholders, Ms Milson said organisers hoped the event would raise enough awareness to bring in more funding for the cause.
"It's quite expensive to plant corridors, it's not just the plants you need to buy, it's the fencing, the spraying, the ripping, the watering and the labour," she said.
"We're certainly hopeful that we can advocate to the government to provide more funding for these types of projects."
The day was also a celebration for those who have contributed to planting more than 10,000 trees across Gunnedah and the Liverpool Plains over the last few years.