A day dedicated entirely to discussing koala care and research at Port Macquarie on Thursday June 6 is attracting state-wide attention.
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The Hello Koalas Caring for our Koalas and our Environment Symposium features 17 expert speakers from Kempsey, Sydney, Canberra, Bangalow, Byron Bay, Lismore, Taree, Coffs Harbour, Grafton and Port Macquarie.
Kempsey Shire Council's environmental strategies officer Bill Larkin is one of the guest speakers at the event and said he will be speaking about the Kempsey Shire's koala population and studies that are being undertaken.
"Each area has different types of koala populations. For instance the Kempsey Shire has a spread out population of koalas, we have low density across large areas," he said.
"It's going to be an event where we can share conservation ideas and take home different messages that we can use locally."
Mr Larkin will be speaking about past studies and conservation techniques that have been used across the Kempsey Shire.
"Hopefully some of the studies and programs we have looked at will help conservation efforts in other areas," he said.
Hello Koalas director Margret Meagher said it was a vital opportunity for everyone involved in koala conservation to learn and share information at this critical time.
"It's a special day of conversation, presentations and debates about how we can best protect and preserve our local koala populations," she said.
Other guest speakers include principal research scientist, NSW DPI Forest Science Centre Dr Brad Law and Forestry Corporation NSW senior ecologist Chris Slade on koala tracking in NSW Forests to understand the effectiveness of current protections.
Margret Meagher has been raising awareness of the need for koala conservation for five years through the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail at Port Macquarie.
The Hello Koalas Festival will be held from June 6-9.
To find out more about the festival, go to www.hellokoalas.com/festival, find Hello Koalas on Facebook or email info@hellokoalas.com.
Tickets for the conference at UNSW Rural Clinical School, SHREC Auditorium, Port Macquarie are available for $66 through Eventbrite.
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