The 7th of September was chosen as Threatened Species Day as to mark the day in 1936 when the last known Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) died.

As September is also Save the Koala month, Warren Holder - long time environmental campaigner and Greens candidate for the Council election - has raised the question as to whether there are any koalas left in our Municipality.

The research of environmental scientist, Norm Robinson, shows koalas were historically found at Minnamurra Rainforest and Seven Mile Beach.

"The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage database identifies six historical sightings of koalas in our Municipality since 1980," says Warren. 

"These were on the escarpment above Jamberoo, at Foxground and at Seven Mile Beach.

"The most recent sighting at Seven Mile Beach was in 2005."

Warren Holder in Seven Mile Beach National Park

Despite their efforts, Gerroa Environmental Protection Society (GEPS) members have searched the Seven Mile Beach area without success, but haven't given up hope.

"The most likely place to find them would be in their favourite habitat and feed trees - the swamp mahogany, red gum and blackbutt trees - but unfortunately many of these species have been historically cleared for sand mining," says Warren, one of the founders of GEPS, which continues to fight sandmining expansion.

"Norm Robinson identified koalas in Budderoo National Park in 1988 and there have been recent sightings at Knights Hill as part of the Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project, so they probably do still exist in our LGA, but sightings are rare and few."

Much is being done to protect the koalas living in the nearby Southern Highlands

Warren says it is surprising there isn't more awareness of the loss of koalas from our area, and that that reinforces the need for increased environmental awareness and vigilance in protecting the remaining habitat for other animals.

"We have many more wonderful animals on the brink of extinction in our LGA, including the endangered Greater Glider population at Seven Mile Beach.

"So, let’s protect Kiama’s bushland, stop the ongoing clearing of vegetation, strengthen wildlife corridors that connect vegetation fragments and plant more habitat trees to ensure more of our native animals don’t disappear in the future.”   

Today has seen the New South Wales Government set a target of zero extinctions of native wildlife in the State’s National Parks, the first time an Australian government has set the goal.

In addition, 221 sites in National Parks have been declared assets of intergenerational significance, to boost protections for 92 species. These include 15 of the most important strongholds for the koala and seven endangered brush-tailed rock wallaby sites. One of the latter now has only 10 individuals left.

State Labor has criticised the NSW Government committing to a zero extinctions target without any additional funding to support the target, saying the Saving Our Species program was cut from $20 million to $15 million in last budget and that in the last 10 years $100 million has been cut from the National Parks service through efficiency dividends.