Koalas were introduced onto Kangaroo Island in the early 1920’s. With the establishment of blue gum plantation forestry in particular, koala numbers increased significantly, reaching an estimated 55,000 by the time of the devastating 2020 bushfires.
It is estimated that those fires – which heavily impacted planation forestry – resulted in koala numbers falling to around 15,000.
In harvesting fire damaged forests in order to transform the land back to highly productive agriculture, AAGIM take enormous care to avoid impacting koalas. A team of up to seven koala spotters use infra-red and other military grade optical devices to geo-locate koalas in the field and communicate that information in real time to the harvest operators. In turn, the harvest crews set aside nine trees containing each koala, returning to harvest only after the koala has moved on. In the 12 months to March 2025, over 4,500 koalas were spotted and not injured during harvesting.
AAGIM work within the parameters of an industry leading Koala Management Plan, which is approved by and randomly audited by the SA Department of Environment and Water. AAGIM and Kiland Ltd support the Kellendale Koala Sanctuary project managed by Dr Karen Burke da Silva and Dr Julian Beaman and supported by philanthropist Alan Noble.