Bangalow Koalas
A Bangalow Koala planting on Forest Farm
We first encountered Bangalow Koalas and Linda Sparrow in 2021.
Since that time, Bangalow Koalas have planted over 22,000 trees on Forest Farm – first in open paddocks, and now under the canopy of the eucalypt plantations. The vision is to transition those plantations from monocultures to koala-friendly, biodiverse habitat, and to return sclerophyll forests to Forest Farm.
Linda Sparrow: the amazing driving force for koalas
Linda believes that more than anything, koalas need habitat to survive. And we agree. Koalas need food trees. They need large areas of healthy habitat for movement, feeding and their own health. And crucially, in what has become a largely fragmented landscape due to land clearing and human activity, they need corridors of habitat to move around and find food and mates.
Despite the plight of koalas on the north coast of NSW, Linda is one of the most positive people we’ve ever met. Whether dressed as a koala or talking about her next exciting project and the expansion of Bangalow Koalas’ work, Linda exudes incredible enthusiasm and single-minded positive energy that just drives everything forward.
She never stops. Koalas are lucky to have her on their side. And as recipients of Bangalow Koalas plantings across parts of Forest Farm, we know that when you work with Linda, you are left in no doubt that you are part of something much bigger than your own property.
She is now focused on the next goal – 1,000,000 trees by 2030. Linda is conscious that we cannot wait. As housing pressure on the north coast increases, the need to provide long-term koala habitat corridors becomes even more pressing. We have to keep planting trees – and a lot more of them. Surely there are landholders who can provide corridors along fencelines, even if it is just to allow koalas to move between larger areas of habitat. And as the nature repair market gains traction, surely there are ways for people to see economic value in overcoming the loss of pastures.
Linda exuding happiness as always at a Forest Farm planting day
500,000 trees planted for koalas
The incredible achievement of planting 500,000 trees was on the horizon from the beginning of 2025, and no one was left in any doubt about what the goal was, or that it would happen.
Being part of the celebration with a planting at Possum Creek was typical Bangalow Koala fun. Seamus was there with his wonderful East Coast Bush Regeneration team. Linda was there, cheering everyone along and leading the fun. Tanya and the WWF koala team were there. Kids and families were there. Linda’s landholders were there. And there was even a koala there, cheering us on from the vantage point of a previous planting.
It was perfect!!!! And even better, ABC Landline was there and they did such a superb job of capturing the essence of Bangalow Koalas and Linda.
Linda as happy as a koala planting the 500,000th tree
Forest Farm as a small (and proud!) part of the Bangalow Koalas story.
Pre-colonial, Forest Farm is land that would have been mostly treed, with rainforests, forested wetlands and sclerophyll forests. And our goal is to see that land once again supporting those forests.
And Bangalow Koalas has been an integral part of our plans and even helped drive and maintain our motivation at times. We remain incredibly grateful to Linda for her amazing support. We thank all the volunteers who have come to plant trees on Forest Farm. And we thank Rosco, Seamus and the East Coast Bush Regeneration team for their wonderful work preparing, planting and maintaining the site. Forest Farm would not be anywhere near where we are in our goals if it wasn’t for Bangalow Koalas.
And Forest Farm can certainly attest to the success of Bangalow Koalas. Not only are we seeing evidence of koalas in the Bangalow Koalas plantings after only three years, we’ve also been able to demonstrate an improvement in koala habitat and population through our Accounting for Nature(c) Natural Capital Account (stay tuned for more on this, in our next blog post!).
A very comfortable koala (Kevin) at Forest Farm says “thank you” to Bangalow Koalas.