Logan City Council has vowed to support a strategy to save local koalas, providing mapping is supported by scientific data.
At Wednesday’s Ordinary Meeting, Logan City Council voted to endorse the South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy (SEQ KCS) 2020-2022 Implementation Plan and request the relevant Council Directors and Managers to continue negotiations with the Department of Environment and Science (DES) on future Locally Refined Koala Habitat Area mapping being supported by a science-based criteria.
The motion was moved by Deputy Mayor Jon Raven, seconded by Mayor Darren Power and was carried unanimously.
The SEQ KSC 2020-2025 was released by the DES in August 2020 with the aim of implementing a partnership-based approach designed to reverse the decline in koala population numbers and secure their long-term survival in south-east Queensland.
In order to support the SEQ KCS, the South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020- 2022 Phase 1 Implementation Plan was prepared by the DES.
The plain aims to improve the conservation of koalas in south-east Queensland by establishing a detailed framework for the delivery of koala-related actions and activities by key stakeholders.
In August 2020, Council raised concerns regarding the new proposed Locally Refined Koala Habitat Area (LRKHA) mapping.
In supporting the motion, Council has requested that future Locally Refined Koala Habitat Area mapping takes into consideration adequate connectivity with other koala habitat areas to sustain a viable population of koalas, delivers koala conservation outcomes, whilst not extending the existing urban footprint as currently defined in the South East Queensland Regional Plan and is to be applied equally to the State Government’s Priority Development Areas.
Deputy Mayor Raven says it is important that koala mapping is conducted accurately.
Deputy Mayor Raven says Council goes to great lengths when declaring koala habitats in the region.
“Our Council puts a lot of effort, energy and ratepayers resources into making sure that we are taking care of, protecting and preserving our environment, that in particular relates to koala habitat.
“Councillors will recall the great lengths that we go to make sure the koala mapping we have is accurate, ground truth and based on actual evidence.
“That includes drones with infra-red thermal monitoring, that includes scat dogs sniffing for koala droppings, that includes spotters physically going out and looking for koalas in our habitat areas, to make sure the areas we declare as koala habitat are appropriate, based on evidence and reality.”
Deputy Mayor Raven says hundreds of hectares of koala mapping is contested in this latest strategy.
“I know that every Councillor and every resident in this city wants to make sure that no tree that has a koala in it is cut down and is protected forever more.
“What we don’t want is areas of our city that have not been ground truths, that have no evidence, that have no science based on the areas that have been identified, being declared and locked up.”
The SEQ KCS 2020-2025 Strategy and SEQ KCS 2020-2022 Phase One Implementation Plan can be read in the latest Council Agenda.
