Koala Conservation InitiativesSeptember 2015

Julie O’Connor

Senior Conservation Partnerships Officer

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• Koala Conservation Plan

• Protecting Council Land

• Planning Scheme

• Community Nature Conservation Program

• Environmental Offsets

• Pest Management

• Conservation Partnerships

Programs Overview

Koala Conservation Plan

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Currently in draft, scheduled for endorsement in November

30 management actions to meet the following 5 desired outcomes:

•Building knowledge

•Planning and policy;

•Support partnerships and community engagement;

•Mitigate threatening processes

•Increasing advocacy and education

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Protecting Council Land

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Buderim Forest Park Nature Refuge

Bobbie Sattler Nature Refuge

Cooroibah Environmental Reserve Nature Refuge

Pattens Nature Refuge

Policeman Spur Nature Refuge

Symplocos Nature Refuge

Tanawha Tall Gums Nature Refuge

Doonan Wetlands Nature Refuge

Frizzos Nature Refuge

Jill Chamberlain Nature Refuge

Kenilworth Bluff Nature Refuge

Kingsgate Drive Nature Refuge

Marist Brothers Nature Refuge

Mountain Creek Conservation Area Nature Refuge

Verrierdale Rise Nature Refuge

Nature Refuges

Protecting Council Land

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CNCP Program

• 42 Bushland reserves

• Approx 400 active volunteers

• Actively managing 158 ha, including some with koala habitat

Planning Scheme

Biodiversity, Waterways & Wetlands Overlay Codes

•“development avoids or minimises adverse impacts on koalas and koala habitat”;

•Criteria for Assessable Development – Koala Conservation

•Acceptable Outcomes

• Avoids clearing non-juvenile koala habitat trees;

• Provide safe koala movement & habitat connectivity;

• Must comply with Koala Sensitive Design Guidelines (EHP 2012);

• Construction practice not to increase risk of koala injury or death;

• Any damage to retained native vegetation is rectified;

• Incorporates landscapes that provide food, shelter & movement opportunities.

• Approx 240 applications received in May under superceded PS

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• Previously five State Acts and policies dealing with offsets -fragmented, duplicating…

• Now combined (Environmental Offsets Act 2014, Regulations and Policy) and provides consistent framework - matters identified as a National, State or Local scale can be offset;

Environmental Offsets

State Offset FrameworkSCC Offsets

•Guidelines for Environmental Offset Provision & Management

Environmental Offsets

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External

Energex & TMR

• – London Creek Environmental Reserve Stage 1& Stage II

•Koala Offset – Doonan Creek Environmental Reserve Stage I

Internal

•Sippy Downs Drive – Skippy Park, Landsborough

•Muller Park Development – rehabilitation works

•Doonan Bridge Road East – Doonan Wetlands ER

Pest Management & Monitoring

• $470K additional funding per year for next three years (Environment Levy)

• Includes wild dog control, monitoring and management

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Tree & Vegetation Management on Council Land Policy

Of note:

•Trees & native vegetation managed as important assets;

•Predominance of locally native species in the built & natural landscape;

•Higher rates of retention & protection of trees & native vegetation;

•Minimum of no net loss of trees & native vegetation on council controlled land.

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Conservation Partnerships

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• Land for Wildlife

• LFW Incentives

• Voluntary Conservation Agreements

• Landholder Environment Grants

• Environment Levy Partnerships

Land for Wildlife Program• Currently 871 LFW members – 674 fully

registered and 197 ‘working towards’ full registration

• Almost 7,000 ha of retained habitat with over 600 ha under restoration

• Just over 60% of remaining bushland in private ownership

• 21 workshops/field days delivered to 369 LFW members

• The 1,462 ha of non-remnant vegetation within the LFW program is greater than all non-remnant vegetation in protected tenures combined, including state and Council land

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LFW Incentives Program

•16,000 tubestock provided to 59 landholders;

•110 nestboxes installed on 22 properties;

•20 LFW members received herbicides for weed control on their properties;

•Koala food tree incentive component added this year

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Regional LFW Survey• July/Aug 2013, 401 members from

SC participating

• 363 properties planted 441,000 trees

• 95% of SC respondents reported plans to continue weed control

• 13% had plans to also assist on other VCA/LFW properties

• 60% of respondents were adjoining either State or Council conservation land

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Voluntary Conservation Agreement Program

•Currently 66 VCA properties in SC

•Protecting 1,056 ha of high quality habitat

•All current VCA landholders started as LFW members.

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Landholder Environment Grants

• 2015 round – 118 applications approved for funding. Cost to Council $341,348. Total projects value $1,056,091

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EL Partnerships

• $550,000 per year to environmental community organisations for 1 to 3 years.

• 2015 - funding for 22 organisations involved in private and public land conservation, and wildlife care and rehabilitation.

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Thank you

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