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Email title: Please protect the Southern Sydney Koala Population

Dear Sir/madam

Films like The Koalas (A Movie About Survival) and local media reports have alerted me to the ongoing carnage being suffered by Koalas due to roadkill in Southern Sydney.

I understand that Transport NSW has allocated some funding, following public pressure, to create a Koala underpass at Deadmans Creek on Heathcote Road, supplemented by directional fencing to guide dispersing Koalas under the safe passageway beneath the road. I commend Transport NSW for this action, but I understand that the fencing plan is still subject to a review of environmental factors and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

With three years having passed since the commencement of this project, the continued incidents of roadkill, with nearly 10 animals lost each year, remain a source of ongoing concern regarding the plight of these endangered animals.

I know Transport NSW has also incorporated some Koala protection measures at the Heathcote Road bridge over the Woronora River, but these are not on the same scale as those planned for Deadmans Creek. Many deaths have also occurred around Lucas Heights, where Koalas are sometimes seen in suburban backyards and even on local high school grounds.

I urge Transport NSW to accelerate its intended actions to complete Koala (and other native animal) protection works and to treat the recently discovered colony at Heathcote with the corporate care it deserves.
Our Koalas in Southern Sydney represent regionally important, often mobile populations that are as significant as those in forested regional sites.

Please provide a summary of Transport NSW’s intentions to treat the Southern Sydney Koalas in the best possible way to conserve the population in perpetuity. An urgent timeline for completion is especially requested. It is through local actions that the Government’s plans to prevent the state extinction of Koalas will be realised.

Yours sincerely,

{YOUR NAME HERE}