Geelong charity plants 150,000 trees

A LOCAL Geelong charity has hit a major milestone, planting 150,000 trees for koalas.

The Koala Clancy Foundation has reached the halfway mark of its 300,000 target, one year ahead of schedule.

The charity set out with the goal of planting 300,000 koala trees by 2030 to give local koala’s a chance against heat, drought, fires and climate change.

Koala Clancy Foundation president Janine Duffy realised during the 2020 bushfires that the ambitious tree planting targets were needed.

“People don’t realise how much koalas need rivers and creeks, because whenever it gets hot and dry, that’s where they go,” she said.

“Planting 300,000 koala trees by 2030 seemed insurmountable for our small team, but the alternative, a world without koalas, was unthinkable.”

Ms Duffy said as soon as target was announced, the community support was incredible with sporting teams, international environmental NGOs and large and small corporations getting involved.

“2,408 community volunteers, including 28 corporate teams, have planted the native trees so fast, we’ve reached the halfway point to our target one year early.”

Trees have been planted on varies properties across the region.

When choosing locations, Ms Duffy said the best spots were always near a river, where koalas are going to need them most.

The Wurdi Youang conservation site at Little River was one of the properties to receive trees.

Wurdi Youang property manager and Gunditjmara man Uncle Reg Abrahams planted the 150,000th tree at the site, alongside players from the Melbourne United Basketball team.

“Koala Clancy Foundation are collaborating with us to help this land and its wildlife recover, and I am proud to share the history and Aboriginal heritage of Wurdi Youang with the wider community,” he said.

A range of species are planted for the koalas, from wildflowers through to bigger trees.

“River red gum is their favourite generally in this area, but there’s so many others they need,” Ms Duffy said.

“They can’t just eat one type; they have to have a whole suite of species and even trees that are good for shade are really important for koalas.”

The team will now move on to reaching the second half of their target, with financial support more important than ever.

“Every tree planted helps koalas survive in our region,” Ms Duffy said.

“This is a legacy for the Geelong community to be proud of.

“We’ve got this beautiful opportunity now while we’ve still got a bit of rain coming in to get plants in the ground and in 10 year’s we’ll be so thankful.”

Every $10 donated to the foundation plants one tree.

For more information or to donate, head to koalaclancyfoundation.org.au