Koala habitat map: what QLD and NSW koala mapping means

The official koala habitat maps that affect building and clearing are in South East Queensland and New South Wales. In South East Queensland, the state's koala maps show koala habitat areas and koala priority areas, and clearing mapped habitat inside a priority area is prohibited, with limited exemptions. In New South Wales there is no single statewide regulatory koala map. Koala protection runs through the State Environmental Planning Policy (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021 and council koala plans of management, and whether they bite depends on the council, the zone and the land. Either way, a block covered by mapped koala habitat can limit how much vegetation you can clear for a house, driveway or fire break.

Queensland: the South East Queensland koala maps

The Queensland Government released regulatory koala habitat maps for South East Queensland on 7 February 2020, to support the South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020-2025. The data package has four parts:

• Koala habitat areas, in two kinds: core koala habitat and locally refined koala habitat
• Koala priority areas: large, connected areas judged to have the best chance of sustaining koala populations in the long term
• Koala habitat restoration areas: places targeted for replanting and restoration

The two that matter most for a buyer are the habitat areas and the priority areas, and how they overlap.

What the Queensland maps mean for clearing and building

Koala habitat inside a koala priority area. Clearing core or locally refined koala habitat inside a koala priority area is prohibited, subject to exemptions. The exemptions are limited, including some clearing for a house on smaller lots, so a block that is mostly mapped habitat inside a priority area can have very little room for a house site, driveway and cleared surrounds.

Koala habitat outside a koala priority area. Here interfering with koala habitat is assessable development. The state assessment agency, SARA, assesses it against State Code 25, Development in South East Queensland koala habitat areas. The code favours keeping connected patches of habitat, leaving corridors for koalas to move through and not fragmenting habitat. Clearing rules in the Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan 2017 still apply. SARA offers pre-lodgement advice if you are unsure whether your proposal is assessable.

Not mapped. Outside mapped koala habitat these rules do not apply, though other vegetation and environmental controls can.

Three more points for Queensland:

• The state maps are for South East Queensland. Outside SEQ, some councils map koala habitat in their own planning schemes. The Fraser Coast planning scheme, for example, has a koala habitat overlay.
• The maps change. The koala habitat maps are updated from time to time, and the Open Data Queensland package was last updated in September 2026. Check the current map, not an old copy in a contract pack.
• The framework is under review. A new South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2026-2036 is being developed to replace the expired 2020-2025 strategy, and consultation on it, including changes to the koala planning rules, ran from December 2025 to March 2026. Check whether any changes have since commenced.

Where to see the Queensland koala map

• Queensland Globe: search the address or lot on plan, then open Layers, Environment, Koala plan.
• The Development Assessment Mapping System (DAMS): the "Koala Habitat in SEQ Region" layers.
• A free property map: a property map of koala habitat areas can be requested from the Queensland Government's property reports and vegetation mapping service.
• Open Data Queensland: the full data package for GIS users.

New South Wales: the koala SEPP and council plans

In New South Wales, koala habitat protection sits in two chapters of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021, which absorbed the earlier koala SEPPs in March 2022:

• Chapter 3 applies to rural zoned land (RU1 Primary Production, RU2 Rural Landscape and RU3 Forestry) in 74 local government areas.
• Chapter 4 applies to the other zones in those 74 areas, and to all zones in eight Sydney councils (Blue Mountains, Campbelltown, Hawkesbury, Ku-ring-gai, Liverpool, Northern Beaches, Hornsby and Wollondilly) and the Central Coast.

Under Chapter 4, before granting consent the council has to consider whether a development is likely to affect koalas or koala habitat. If the impact is likely to be higher than low, the council must take into account a koala assessment report. Some councils have their own approved koala plan of management, which sets out where koala habitat is and how development there is handled. Ask the council whether one applies to the lot.

The statewide NSW koala maps you will find online are information, not rules. The NSW Koala Habitat Information Base brings together the best available statewide data on koala habitat, likelihood, preferred trees and sightings, but the government states it is not a regulatory instrument and does not categorise land for regulatory purposes. The Koala Data Hub puts that data on an interactive map. They are useful for knowing whether koalas are likely around a block, but not for working out what you can clear.

The national listing

Separately from the state rules, the koala in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT has been listed as endangered under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 since 12 February 2022. Clearing or development likely to have a significant impact on koalas can need federal referral, whatever the state maps show. The federal environment department publishes referral guidance for the endangered koala.

What to check before you buy

1. Find out whether the lot is mapped, and in Queensland whether it is in a koala priority area as well as a habitat area. The overlap is what decides how strict the rules are.
2. Measure the mapped area against where you would build. A small patch along the back fence is a different problem from habitat over the whole house site.
3. In NSW, ask the council whether the koala SEPP chapters or a koala plan of management apply, and whether a koala assessment report would be needed.
4. Count the clearing you will need, not just the house footprint. Driveway, services, a bushfire protection area and a shed all count.
5. Check the other environmental layers. Koala habitat often overlaps regulated vegetation and other environmental overlays. Our guide to checking development approval before you buy covers how these constraints affect what you can build.

Common questions

How do I check if my property is koala habitat?

In South East Queensland, look the address up on Queensland Globe (Layers, Environment, Koala plan) or in DAMS, or request a free property map of koala habitat areas. In New South Wales, ask the council whether the koala SEPP or a koala plan of management applies to the lot.

Can I clear trees in a koala habitat area in Queensland?

It depends on where the habitat sits. Clearing core or locally refined koala habitat inside a koala priority area is prohibited apart from limited exemptions. Outside a priority area, clearing mapped koala habitat for development is assessable and is decided by SARA against State Code 25.

What is a koala priority area?

A koala priority area is a large, connected area in South East Queensland that the state has mapped as having the best chance of sustaining koala populations in the long term. Mapped koala habitat inside a priority area has the strictest protection.

Is the NSW Koala Habitat Information Base a planning map?

No. The NSW Government states it is not a regulatory instrument and does not categorise land for regulatory purposes. It is the best available statewide data on koala habitat and sightings, used to inform decisions.

For Queensland addresses, the Property Report shows the state's mapped South East Queensland koala habitat (core and locally refined) and council koala overlays where a council publishes one, alongside regulated vegetation and the other environmental overlays. It does not show koala priority areas or the NSW koala SEPP. Pop in your address or check out a sample report.

LayeredGeo's Property Report pulls together public planning and site data for property due diligence across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania, so you can understand a place before you commit.

Sources

• Queensland Government. South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020-2025 spatial data. Open Data Queensland, CC BY 4.0. data.qld.gov.au
• Queensland Government. State Development Assessment Provisions, State Code 25: Development in South East Queensland koala habitat areas. planning.qld.gov.au
• Queensland Government. Developing a new South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2026-2036. intheloop.des.qld.gov.au
• NSW Department of Planning. Koala Habitat Protection SEPP. planning.nsw.gov.au
• NSW Government. NSW Koala Habitat Information Base. planningportal.nsw.gov.au
• Australian Government DCCEEW. Referral guidance for the endangered koala. dcceew.gov.au

About this article. Published by LayeredGeo and written from the published research cited in the Sources section above. It is general information about how property and ground conditions are assessed in Australia, not engineering, planning, legal or financial advice, and it is not specific to any property. Check anything that matters against the source dataset or a suitably qualified professional before you rely on it. If you spot something wrong, tell us at hello@layeredgeo.com.au and we will fix it.

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