Being Australia’s first Indigenous supermodel is something Samantha Harris is proud of, but it’s just one of the many accomplishments she wants to be known for.
The other is her widespread charity work across multiple organisations over the years, including being the Goodwill Ambassador for World Vision Australia and spokesperson for WWF Australia. In the past month, she’s been working with WWF-Australia to help save the koala habitat on the east coast.
The Tweed Heads resident told Women’s Agenda she has been working with WWF-Australia for a number of years now, and that this latest campaign to help save koalas is “a particularly special project close to my heart.”
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking to know that our iconic east coast koalas are on the brink of extinction and are currently listed as endangered under national environmental law,” she told me.
“When tourists think of Australia, I think the first two animals that come to mind are the koala and kangaroo. Imagine if one of those iconic animals were gone for good? I hope I can help raise awareness about the challenges our iconic koalas are facing and inspire action to ensure they thrive for future generations.”
Harris and her husband, Luke Hunt worked with Bangalow Koalas and WWF-Australia to plant a mix of 750 food and habitat trees, including eucalyptus, melaleucas and rainforest trees – all with the goal of restoring koala habitat in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
“One of the biggest threats koalas face is the loss and fragmentation of their homes – forcing them to spend more time on the ground and making them increasingly vulnerable to injury and animal attacks,” she said. “These trees will help create vital wildlife corridors for koalas, so in due course, they can travel safely between open stretches of land.”
Harris recently finished walking in the First Nations runway shows at the Australian Fashion Week in Sydney and said she was glad to be outdoors, “getting my hands dirty and feeling that we’d given back to the land in the hope of helping koalas thrive into the future,” she said.
“It’s always nice to be able to volunteer together, and give back as a community,” she said, adding that “traveling for work and constantly living out of a suitcase, I don’t always get to spend quality time with Luke. This way, it ticks both boxes.”
WWF statistics reveal that east coast koalas are on the brink of extinction, listed as Endangered under national environment law, with numbers declining by more than 50 per cent in just 20 years.
Harris hopes that her advocacy will help create more awareness surrounding the crisis.
“Joining the local community, the Githabul Rangers, WWF-Australia and Bangalow Koalas was a great opportunity to get together and help create something positive for the future of the local landscape and koalas,” she said.
“I follow my passion, and am lucky to be able to make a difference with the organisations close to my heart.”
She’s also proud of the work WWF have done in creating the “Caring on Country” — an online resource featuring information about Indigenous-led efforts to Regenerate Australia, as well as WWF’s collaborations with passionate Traditional Owners, Indigenous rangers and traditional land management practitioners.
“Indigenous people have been Caring for Country in Australia for more than 65,000 years,” Harris said. “It’s great to see that WWF-Australia is highlighting Indigenous-led, not only through their own collaborative conservation projects that combine Traditional Knowledge and Western Science, but also by educating others about the importance of traditional management practices in restoring our environment for future generations to come.”
You can find out more about Harris’ campaign and WFF’s efforts to save koalas here.