by ECOllab | 10 Jun, 2025
Kirbys Environment Reserve
Managing weeds and restoring native vegetation at key koala habitat in Witta
This project was undertaken as part of the Commonwealth Koala Community Grants opportunity. The objective of the program was to support community-led conservation and recovery efforts to improve the extent, quality and connectivity of the koala, as well as improve data and knowledge of koala populations and health across their range. Kirbys Environmental Reserve is a core koala habitat area and key area of connectivity between Kondalilla National Park and Maleny National Park.
The project aims were to improve outcomes for koalas within the reserve by addressing:
– Restoration and rehabilitation of habitat
– Monitoring and evaluation of pest species and threats
– Monitoring and evaluation of the koala
– Community engagement through education and participation in citizen science
On-ground activities included natural assisted regeneration and weed management, planting of 2,000 trees, thermal drone imaging and detection dog monitoring of koalas and motion sensor monitoring of pest species.
- Our team cleared woody weeds to encourage native recruitment & planted 2,000 trees
- In total, 50 hectares of koala habitat was restored
- Pests and threats were monitored with 8 strategically placed wildlife trail cameras.
- A community information day and a planting event saw 16 volunteers plant 200 trees, with a 95 percent survival rate and Eucalypts growing up to one meter.
Project Manager - Kirbys Environment Reserve
by ECOllab | 10 Jun, 2025
Creating new koala habitat to offset the environmental impacts of urban development
This is another offset we are delivering for the Sunshine Coast Council that involves constructing koala habitat by planting 3,700 trees over a 4ha site along with 5 years maintenance. Although a smaller scale to the Mooloolah Acid Frog Ponds, as part of an offset rehabilitation plan the scope of works is similar. In addition to planting, we are also required to install Photo Monitoring Points, submit detailed reports, meet strategic KPI’s and follow the guidelines of the Queensland Environmental Offsets Policy. We have completed the site preparation and anticipate we will complete most of the planting before this year’s wet season begins.
This project proudly provided by ECOllaboration for
Project Manager - Citrus Road Koala Offset Project
by ECOllab | 10 Jun, 2025
SCC Natural Areas Management
Maintaining Sunshine Coast Council environmental assets to enhance ecosystems and benefit the community
ECOllaboration manages a major Natural Areas Contract for the Sunshine Coast Council. It incorporates over 180 Natural Bushland Reserves and 11 Retention Ponds and storm water biobasins that are funded partly by the Environmental Levy received from Sunshine Coast ratepayers. The combined total area is over 1600 Ha; linking biodiversity corridors that enable fauna to move freely and flora seed to be spread naturally by wind, water and native fauna.
Our role is one of managing and reducing weed populations that will improve the overall biodiversity and health of each of these reserves. Occasionally we speed up that process by doing minor revegetation in gap areas that were originally weed infested. We also carry out Bushland Operational Assessments on some of the major reserves to assess the resilience indicators of the forested areas; to see how they have improved due to our management.
Inclusive also within this contract is the weed and site preparation of 20 Community sites that are worked by Community Groups in revegetation projects. Daily reports of all these reserves are sent to the Council for their staff to monitor the health of each of these reserves.
This project proudly provided by ECOllaboration for
Project Manager - SCC Natural Areas Management Project
by ECOllab | 10 Jun, 2025
Parrot Habitat & Conservation Corridor
Creating foraging corridors for the vulnerable native Eastern Ground Parrot
This year we have been awarded two large projects from Future Plus Environmental that will be ongoing throughout this year and next. Encompassed in the overarching offset delivery plan for the Sunshine Coast Airport Expansion is the Mooloolah Acid Frog Pond offset (which we are delivering for SSC), and the Eastern Ground Parrot Offset Project established by the Department of Environment and Science (DES).
Unlike most of our project that involve constructing habitats by planting native flora – this project involves the removal of native Melaleuca trees, to create corridors allowing foraging and breeding for the vulnerable Eastern Ground Parrot. Although the idea of removing native trees at first seems counterintuitive, our team recognise the importance of this project to the conserve the long-term ecology of this landscape. This project has been delayed several times due to wet weather but is set to kick off early 2023.
In addition to this project, we are also working with Future Plus to plant over 20,000 trees across a 100-metre-wide conservation corridor connecting the southern and northern section of the airport to allow safe passage for fauna. This project also involves 5 years maintenance.
As its name suggests, the Eastern Ground Parrot is primarily ground dwelling and lives in low heathland habitat, camoflaging with its grass-green plummage
Project Manager - Parrot Habitat & Conservation Corridor Project
by ECOllab | 10 Jun, 2025
Establishment of ponds for the threatened acid frog species at Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve
The Sunshine Coast Airport Expansion Project Environmental Impact Statement identified the need for environmental offsets to address significant residual impacts on acid frogs. The Acid Frog Offset Pond Construction Plan has been prepared for the construction of breeding ponds for threatened acid frog species. This project is a 3-year maintenance plan by Sunshine Coast Council to revegetate and maintain the Acid Frog Ponds at the Lower Mooloolah River Environmental Reserve.
As part of our commitment to this project, our team have undertaken weed management and surveying, soil reporting, monitoring and performance reporting, site revegetation and rehabilitation for the creation of acid frog breeding ponds, with an end goal of securing and propagating 88,583 plants.
This project proudly provided by ECOllaboration for
Project Manager - Acid Frog Ponds Project
