A range of local groups and agencies have been working together to help the local koalas, including MidCoast Council, Koalas in Care, MidCoast2Tops Landcare, Taree Indigenous Development and Employment (TIDE), and Tinonee Public School.

The $130,000 funding will further support the work they have been doing and allow them to implement programs in the future, with each partner committing additional funds and resources to the project, including council through the Environmental Rate.

RELATED: WWF of 100 per cent koala loss in Kiwarrak incorrect

The fires burnt 209,549 hectares (20.5 per cent) of the MidCoast Council area, which had a devastating impact on local koalas. This project will establish koala refuges, assist landholders to strengthen their own koala populations, and understand and help facilitate safe koala movement by identifying important corridors and community road safety programs.

Together these actions will help rebuild and strengthen local communities and koala populations.

The funds will be distributed across five focus areas, including the implementation of a koala and community road safety program at Tinonee, working with TIDE to plant koala food trees at Cattai Wetlands, koala connectivity modelling and evaluating revegetation scenarios in the Kiwarrak Area of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS), strengthening koala refuges and corridors, and assisting bushfire affected landowners to re-establish vegetation on their properties.

The project has already commenced and will run until March 2022.

To find out more about the impacts of the bushfires, head to council's website midcoast.nsw.gov.au/bushfirerecoveryvideos.

The community can also help by sharing koala sightings with council's environmental team www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Part-of-your-every-day/Council-Projects/MidCoast-Koala-Mapping.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: