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Four people walking on burnt bushlands ground, in a bush landscape.

Cultural burn helps restore koala habitat on Yaegl Country

  • Context: Regional

North Coast Local Land Services is working with Birrigan Gargle Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) to restore Umbudyi (koala) habitat on Yaegl Country, with a recent cultural burn marking an important step in the project.

The 7-hectare burn took place at a site in Lawrence, led by Grant Brown from Birrigan Gargle LALC and supported by the NSW Rural Fire Service. 

The burn followed fire training completed by several Ranger teams, bringing together rangers from Ngiyambandigay Wajaarr Aboriginal Corporation, Wadyarr Gargle Land and Sea Contractors, Western Bundjalung, Yaegl LALC and others to heal Country through traditional cool burning practices.

Project funded by

Funded through the Australian Government’s Saving our Koalas Fund.

The burn will help reduce exotic grasses, stimulate native seed banks, and prepare the soil for the planting of 1,600 trees under the Koala Habitat Restoration Project, funded through the Australian Government’s Saving our Koalas Fund.

This Yaegl LALC-owned site is a known refuge for Umbudyi, having escaped the 2019–20 fires. A recent thermal drone survey identified 11 koalas living in the 100-hectare area. During lantana removal works, Birrigan Gargle Rangers also witnessed two males competing for a female – a promising sign of a healthy breeding population.

The partnership between North Coast Local Land Services and Birrigan Gargle LALC highlights the importance of combining traditional knowledge and contemporary conservation to protect Umbudyi and restore habitat across Yaegl Country. Together, these efforts are strengthening cultural connections, building local capacity, and creating lasting outcomes for koalas and Country.

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