Tweed conservation group Team Koala wants dogs banned from new housing estates in the region

Koala lovers in the Tweed shire are campaigning for a ban on dogs in new housing estates proposed for the region.

Team Koala president Jenny Hayes is particularly concerned about a 4,500-home development proposed for the Kings Forest area which includes no restriction on pets.

A study carried out by ecological consultancy Biolink estimated there were 140 koalas left in the Tweed region last year.

Team Koala president Jenny Hayes says dogs are largely responsible for the decline in koala numbers.

"It's a huge decline, it's absolutely horrendous and unfortunately dogs are a large part of this," she says.

"The koala is like a little eight-month-old baby walking from tree to tree, it doesn't have any defences.

"If it has a small bite from even a small dog they're not able to survive it.

"If you look at the horrendous statistics from the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (on the Gold Coast) the survival rates are very low.

"It's not just about the bite, the saliva is so toxic."

The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary treated 200 sick and injured koalas last year including 40 victims of dog attacks.