Who is most vulnerable?
Debbie Pointing, President of the Koala Action Group based in the Redlands, has submitted this post which contrasts the status of koala at the G20 Leaders’ summit with their standing in the Redlands.
Give koalas a fair go
At the G20 meetings in Brisbane Government and tourist promotion groups happily promoted the koala as the iconic Australian animal. But governments have shied away from hard work at the grassroots level.
There won’t be any koalas to show off to world leaders in the future or to Barack Obama’s daughters if we don’t make an effort to preserve the koala habitat we have left..
In the Redlands, we have consistently shown that we do not value our koalas as much as the rest of the world does.
A housing development in Wellington Street Ormiston is an example and a case in point.
If we tried a little harder there, and worked out how to save the existing trees and fit them into the housing development, we might be able to say we were valuing koalas.
But we knock down the trees, plant three times as many then wait 10 years for them to be a viable food source and expect the animals to survive.
That is a cop out. If we maintain this type of decision making there will not be any suburban koalas left.
Just like overseas visitors, we will soon have to go to zoos to see a koala if we don’t act now to keep our city koala friendly.
Governments need to stop living off koala media opportunity and make sure koala habitat gets a fair go at the local level.
The Redland City Council could start by improving local laws to protect koala habitat trees. Council should also include koala conservation objectives in the new planning scheme known as City Plan 2015.
Post by Debbie Pointing
President of the Koala Action Group
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
This from the 2009- 2031 South East Qld Regional plan, it goes like this.
Redland City is predoinantly within the RLRPA. These areas include strong rural communities supported by viable rural enterprises,and of scenic amenity,environmental and biodiversity value, including koala conservation areas and agricultural lands. Redland’s urban loala population must be protected to maintain a viable koala population in the wider region. FURTHER measures to protect the urban koala population will be developed and implemented within Redlands. Does anyone believe this anymore, by the time this pro development council has given developers all they want, the poor koalas in Redlands will be like the dinorsaurs, extinct.
What cute photos of koalas we’ve seen being cuddled by leaders of various countries during the G20!!! There were leaders of China, Russia, Turkey, Belgium to name but a few and of our course our own Prime Minister Tony Abbott taken with our iconic koala but nowhere was it mentioned these animals are endangered!!. Well perhaps I am not right- they are classified as vulnerable but they should be endangered.
Not so long ago we could see koalas in the wild and that was a great draw card for tourism. We heard overseas visitors say they came especially to see a koala in the bush. It is becoming more difficult to find them now so soon the only koalas in The Redlands -in fact in S.E.Qld will be in a sanctuary.
Well said Debbie. I completely agree. We are going to be a very sorry country when visiting delegates are told, sorry there are no koalas anymore. And sadly, at this rate, it will happen.