Koala in Cleveland, in an area that would lose habitat protection if the draft strategy is adopted.
Here is Redlands2030’s submission to the Queensland Government about its draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy which was released for public consultation over the summer holiday period.
Soon after the Government released its draft strategy and draft mapping of land to be protected as koala habitat, Redlands 2030 alerted the community to the fact that the Government was proposing to reduce koala habitat protection in the Redlands.
This submission makes a number of suggestions for consideration by the government.
The period for making submissions to the Government closed today. But this does not mean that people should stop commenting on the need for the Government to develop and adopt better policies and strategies for protection of koalas in south east Queensland before the State election due in October.
The Hon Leeanne Enoch
Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts
GPO Box 5078
BRISBANE QLD 4001
Dear Minister
Redlands2030 submission – Draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy
There is widespread dissatisfaction in Redland City with the State Government’s draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy. It’s not going to help koalas in the Redlands.
The Expert Panel’s Report
When the scientific evidence of the koala crisis was publicly revealed, the State Government commissioned an Expert Panel to provide a report. Much of what needs to be done is set out in the Expert Panel’s reports. The draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy does not provide a path forward for implementing the Expert Panel’s recommendations.
It appears that some dilution and back tracking have taken place during the lengthy time interval between the Expert Panel’s final report being released and the State Government releasing its draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy.
The Expert Panel’s final report identified the need for the Government to address the conflict between koala habitat conservation and urban development. In its current form, the draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy appears to be a big win for the property development industry.
It is imperative that strong planning laws to protect Koala habitat are implemented because previous legislation, policies and strategies over many decades have failed to protect koalas and their habitat in south east Queensland. There are always too many ‘loopholes’ and lack of enforcement.
Reduced protection of koala habitat in Redlands is a fundamental problem with the strategy
Habitat loss is generally understood to be the most significant factor causing a dramatic decline in the koala population of south east Queensland. Inexplicably, the State Government is proposing to massively reduce the protection of koala habitat in Redland City, especially in the areas where koalas are known to live such as Thornlands, Cleveland, Ormiston and Wellington Point.
We know where koalas live in the Redlands because people in our community watch out for them and report sightings to citizen science databases such as the Atlas of Living Australia.
This assessment is being validated by ground-truthing work being carried out by Redland City Council using koala detection dogs.
The image below is a comparison of two maps of the northern half of mainland Redland City. The top map shows (in blue) koala sightings over many years as recorded in the Atlas of Living Australia. The bottom map is the Government’s proposed mapping of areas to be protected as koala habitat.
There is a remarkable mis-match between areas in Redlands where koalas live right now and areas where the Government proposes to protect koala habitat.
The Council is doing a koala neighbourhood project in Ormiston. The Redlands-based Koala Action Group has done a detailed study of koala behaviour in the area around Toondah Harbour.
Over many decades the Council and the Koala Action Group have been planting koala habitat trees in public places in many areas of Redlands where koalas live, especially the northern coastal suburbs.
It is very important to understand that koala habitat is of varying quality. Bushland areas in drier western areas with poor soil will have lower carrying capacities than treed areas closer to the coast on more fertile soil with higher rainfall.
Large bushland areas are also prone to bushfire risks which are less likely to be a problem in urban and peri-urban areas.
The exclusion of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) from the so called Koala Priority Area in Redland City was very surprising. We think that this omission should be rectified.
Redland City Council has assessed that 4,500 hectares of koala habitat in Redlands would lose various forms of habitat protection under the draft strategy and mapping that is being proposed by the State Government.
What does the Government expect to happen to the koalas that live in the Redlands areas which will lose their protection if the draft strategy is adopted? Are they being made redundant?
While the Government fiddles around with wording of documents which don’t seem intended to achieve any useful conservation of koalas, the SEQ koala population will continue to decline.
Wildlife corridor protection is important
A key measure to protect koalas is ensuring that their habitat areas are connected with wildlife corridors. Redland City Council has initiated proposed amendments to the Redland City Plan to better protect certain mapped wildlife corridors. This proposal has yet to progress to community consultation.
Any actions that the State Government could take to expedite this process and ensure that the precautionary principle is adhered to would be an important step towards improving conservation of koalas in the Redlands.
Moratorium on tree clearing in Koala Priority Areas
To signal that it is serious about preventing the extinction of koalas, the State Government should immediately impose a moratorium on tree clearing in those areas shown in the draft strategy as “Koala Priority Areas”.
This moratorium should stay in place until the Government can produce an SEQ koala conservation strategy that will be acceptable to the community.
No need for compensation for loss of land development rights
Some politicians, and the landed interests they represent, are heard from time to time advocating that compensation should be paid to landowners whose properties may be constrained from development by imposition of new and effective koala habitat protection policies.
Surely this notion could only be considered if it were to work both ways. By this we mean that any change to development rights upwards or downwards should be treated the same way. So the next time land is rezoned inexplicably from non-urban land to urban land (such as the Shoreline project in southern Redlands), the increase in land value should flow to the State Government and/or the local Council, perhaps through what is commonly known as a betterment tax.
The more practical approach is to recognize that governments have responsibilities to protect our society and our environment and from time to time decisions are made in the public interest to protect the things we value. This includes restrictions on clearing of habitat which is important to threatened species such as koalas.
In addition, measures that encourage landowners to improve and conserve habitat for koalas and other wildlife should be expanded. Property owners doing the right thing should be applauded and given practical assistance by both state and local governments.
Exemptions and mapping issues
The proposal to let property owners have automatic rights to clear up to 500 m2 in Koala Habitat areas should be replaced with an impact assessment process.
The exemption allowing firebreaks to be developed and maintained in Koala Habitat areas is supported, provided that there are rules to prevent abuse.
Areas mapped previously as being of state environmental significance should be included as Koala Habitat, especially if ground-truthing evidence shows koala activity.
Environmental offsets are not the answer
The routine use of an environmental offsets scheme as a way of selling developers the right to destroy koala habitat should cease. If habitat loss is truly unavoidable then offsets may be appropriate in exceptional circumstances such as truly essential public works.
But the cost of offsets should be set at a level such that it is not a commercially attractive option.
Offsets should no longer be treated as a normal cost of doing property development in Queensland.
The reporting requirements for any approved offsets should be rigorous, real time and transparent.
The EPBC status of koalas may change
It has been pointed out that when the draft strategy was prepared, koalas in Queensland and NSW were listed as vulnerable to extinction under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
But the bushfires experienced during the 2019/20 summer and the underlying factor of global warming mean that any reassessment of the koala’s status is likely to find that they are now critically endangered in Queensland and New South Wales.
If koala extinction in the wild is to be avoided in south east Queensland, greater efforts will be required than may have been assumed previously. Protecting urban and peri-urban koala habitat in Redland City should be a key part of the Government’s re-calibrated strategy.
We need better information about the fate of rescued koalas
Local people volunteer their time with organisations such as the Redlands After-hours Wildlife Ambulance to rescue unwell, injured and in danger wildlife, including koalas. Many koalas leave the Redlands for assessment and treatment in animal hospitals elsewhere, such as Australia Zoo. We understand that only a small proportion of koalas rescued ever return to their home in the Redlands.
We also understand from anecdotal accounts that the Council and the State Government have freezers filled with the bodies of deceased koalas awaiting autopsies that will probably never take place due to lack of resources and facilities.
Given the dire state of koalas in south east Queensland, the Government should introduce a centralised system with a single data base for real time transparent reporting of all instances of individual koalas being rescued from the wild together with subsequent assessment, treatment (which may include euthanasia), rehabilitation and return to their homes in the wild.
Similar information should be captured for recovery of deceased koalas e.g. from vehicle strikes.
This would give the community and decision-makers greater visibility and understanding what is actually happening to our koalas which should result in better actions to conserve our koalas.
The consultation process has been inadequate
The timing of public consultation about this strategy has not been conducive to effective community engagement. The summer holiday period should be avoided for public consultation exercises.
It was very disappointing that the Government refused to undertake any on-the-ground consultation activities in Redland City during the time that this draft strategy was out for public comment.
Invitation to meet with the community
Redlands2030 invites you and/or your senior staff to speak about your Government’s koala conservation strategy and koala protection mapping at a community meeting in the Redlands.
We would also be very pleased to arrange an opportunity for you to meet some of our wild koalas, perhaps in the area around Toondah Harbour.
Yours sincerely
Steve MacDonald
President
Redlands2030
31 January 2020
Redlands2030 – 31 January 2020
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
7 Comments
The offset policy is currently used by developers to clear land which has ‘koala habitat’ overlay. The mapping of koala habitat by Department of Environment under Leeanne Enoch is really just smoke and mirrors to hide what is happening in Queensland. This mapping will change nothing and state government is constantly failing to protect areas of koala habitat. Some of us are not going to be fooled into believing that this policy will end the state government turning a blind eye or giving permission through the ‘offset policy’. Ban the ‘offset policy’ would be the beginning of habitat protection, even Adani’s usage of the ‘offset policy’.
Steve So many words, all very true, but fail to state the blatantly obvious truth that with the koala population in decline for the past thirty years or more, it is both the state & local government deliberate failure to develop & implement a positive koala conservation policy , year after year, that has been the cause of the koala population decline in SEQ!! Government at all levels have made it abundantly clear that their primary objective is Growth & Economics & their position on the preservation of wildlife, with this country having one of the highest extinction rates of wildlife in the world, the wildlife has no material value to government!!
Steve,
Narrowing down my concerns to the specifics. In my view the focus on in the headline encourages people to focus on the symptoms rather than rather than the root cause.
Put simply much of the science is like most scientific papers very specific and limited by it’s scope.
No where in the report does it discuss the science I mentioned ( that of the ratios of vegetation that define capacity) Likewise it doesn’t address the wider networks of pseudo symbiosis.
Think of it in terms of the dreaded Anthropogenic Global Warming. The Scientific evidence for this is not in any one discipline but a distillation for over 100 scientific specializations.
The report in this article was based on specific guide line and as such allows those who wish to develop, “letter of the law leeway” to negate any serious, for the want of a better term “Conservation”.
What I was saying was that the root cause is ( unintended by some) ignorance, terminal myopia when it comes to electoral selection of representatives. Ergo my intention with my writings is to
broaden the conversations and start at the base ( root cause) of the ( if left on current trajectory) terminal environmental eradication.
The only real solution is to change how we the public choose those who are to REPRESENT US.
As late as this morning a Minister of the crown assert that they are there to assert THAT WHICH THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT .! which is indicative of a number of Pollies still support climate denial and development first and foremost. When every business tries to eliminate single point reliance for income. These both limit option and leave us vulnerable to ….watch the news. In short we need to diversify our sources of income from a hand full of industries that hold our pollies futures in their hands and hence we get short termism/ opportunism in their decisions. These fires were predicted decades ago but our ‘leaders’ (sic) did nothing .
I am well versed on the bush land in the Redlands ( and even after recent regular environmentally disastrous fires on Straddy no where enough is being done. I am concerned about the Escarpment too. If that goes the loss of life, property and wildlife is inevitable.
Say good bye to more than Koalas. We need to
No Steve this isn’t off track just a case of drilling down to the root cause.
First nation patch burning isn’t enough because the environment and conditions have changed dramatically. Since Europeans brought their inappropriate practices here.
Last statement. We need to change those who make the laws to people who actually really understand what they are dealing with and that included the letter of the law hobbled Council Officers advice. Less leeway for Councillors to be obsessed with their own personal agendas.
I can do no more that call objective analysis reveals.
I do wish the conversation and the passion would be a lot more mature by now. But sadly it isn’t we still focus on Koala and Koala trees and the environment as if it’s a problem for the distant future not ours NOW.
Let me make this as plain As I can, without being rude. The environment that evolved the Koala amongst a treasure trove of other unique species BOTH in FLORA and FAUNA a series of webs and interdependent and symbiotic relationships in which all the parts played (s) their part. It is asinine to believe ( not enough thinking is taking place) that the individual parts can be manipulated at our whim without dire consequences.
One can ( in theory and with increasing difficulty ) have a Koala population with their multiplicity of their Euc. trees. We can call that a limited range ZOO! What it isn’t is a sustainable natural environment.
A few years back Kangaroo Island had a problem with its unique genetic population of Koalas had bred to a point they had eaten themselves out of food. The solution cull and more some to the mainland. Goodness knows how many transplants flourished.
What a lot of people don’t realise is that the Euc. trees have a natural defence against Koala grazing ( under attack). They produce more Euc making them unpalatable even toxic to Koalas.
These extra toxins send off pheromones to neighbouring trees and they too start producing more Euc. This mean the Koala needs to travel further to an unwarned tree.
In addition to that there there is a myriad of other species whose activities/infestations may initiate the tree’s chemical defence. And that can mean further distance the Koala must travel for a feed.
These combined reasons also dictate the number of Koala that an area can support.
Part of that calculation must include other species of trees that maybe alternative habitat, feed or nursery trees to bugs, disease, animals etc. that otherwise become infestation on the Koala trees.
Nature has defined the appropriate ratios of all species in the environment.
Recent research has found using complicated fractal maths etc have discovered that different areas in the same left to its self environment yielded very similar ratios of tree, bush branch branch densities. This experiment has been performed in different countries and environments and yielded similar consistency. Similar local patches had similar density ratios
The more specie selective a patch trees etc the more prone that patch is to being prone to being threatened by biological viruses, moulds et al.
Current plant a Koala tree ( species) programs run by the Koala fanciers groups ignore the above research .
In addition a single corridor is nonsensical in that it becomes a single point failure potential.
Pipe corridors under roads have been shown to be feeding funnels for predators ( ferals)
Kangaroo Island Catastrophic fires recently proved that single issue thinking is a recipe for disaster.
Contrary to one commentor here most native species have limited flight ability . And many flora species are endemic to extremely limited areas. See the ‘dinosaur tree ‘ grove in the Blue mountains.
And yes there are both Flora and Fauna species whose range is limited to parts of the Redlands.
Fleeing on a grand scale is not really an option.
As it stands today many of the symbiotic relationships between the species are unknown, not fully understood or widely available.
One example I know of is fungi. The state Mycologists ( fungi experts ) believe that less than 50% of Australian fungi is unknown to science and of those that are haven’t been described or studied.
Ergo we don’t know their part in the web of Australian environment.
Short answer is we know very little about what we are doing.
The great panacea and mythology is that the first nation people already have this information…. they clearly have more functional knowledge than 80% of the general public. But they didn’t have microscopes , scientific instruments and systematic scientific protocols. They preferred arcane mythology to explain the gaps in their understanding.
We therefore should be wary of simple questions, simple answers and emotional responses as they don’t really come close to a real solution. Even in the Redlands there is NO “One size fits all” solution.
In conclusion
Any one ( species) solution thinking has lead to those who have no interest in the future of the Redlands beyond their own interests will simply move the goal posts and eliminate the environment by a death by a thousand cuts.
If anything the recent Horrific Bushfires, Floods, Cyclones, Drought and now pending pandemic should be telling us that we can’t rely on one or a limited sources of income/prosperity.
All of the above have been blighted see tourism, rural products, Higher education facilities all stand to lose Millions if not Billions. Then consider the costs of recovery again potentially Billions.
It can be argued that our last leg of support is the cause of the others.
We should be looking and planing for the future and instead of just choosing the low hanging fruit ( (exploiting nature ) by us and others who really don’t care about us in the long term unless as targets for exploitation.
What we need is a different paradigm in thinking leadership and representation. Let’s start with this dysfunctional council and work up. Stop being safe seats Pressure the ‘bastards’ to lift their game.
Work with our life support system rather than against it in favour of security If we don’t we WILL lose both.
State Government & Redland City Council, from what I’ve seen and witnessed as resident of Capalaba near Coolnwynpin Creek corridor connecting across bridge on Moreton Bay Rd to CBD, have never been serious in ensuring long term survival of our local koalas. The building boom began in 1987 and it seemed like developers couldn’t bury farmland and wetland fast enough to build towering concrete commercial structures e.g. on creek bank that had been a specially protected wetland site under Koala Coast Policy. Sadly, over the years, all so-called ‘protected’ corridors have been filled with housing driving some residents to seek greener pastures.
On the formerly protected corridor 29-37 Moreton Bay Rd surprised to read a misleading report by Council on the site’s values that states only one male koala used it. Sadly, I found mother & baby clinging to a wattle tree after clearing….leaving no koala trees…a policy enforced by politicians the way I see it to benefit local/State govts and hangers on financially… by allowing developers the freedom to clear fell all land earmarked for residential/commercial development in the Redlands. The loss of green space and wildlife species leaves lasting depression and unhappiness in many particularly older residents in my neighbourhood. There should be a total ban on any structures built on the riparian zone of creek corridors giving wildlife a chance of survival in suburbia while at the same time providing locals with a scenic walkway we should all be entitled to.
Apart from the obvious that Australia has the world’s most iconic animal life that has survived, due to isolation for many centuries. Tourism is a major financial source for this country and Queensland in particular where it employs many Australians. There are two main elements that drive overseas tourism, the Great Barrier Reef (slowly being destroyed by human activity) and our unique wildlife. Our Koalas form part of this very important element, with an appeal to everyone, soft and cuddly. However unlike ground dwelling animals and with their particular food requirements, movement is restricted and different food source other than gum leaves is not possible.
Let me make it abundantly clear, a 30 hour flight from say Germany which I have done is no mean feat and for a traveller to sit in an plane to come to Australia to have interaction with our unique animals is an epic journey. Koalas are one of the only reasons they come here. Forget the beaches, there are beautiful beaches everywhere, Turkey, Hawaii etc.
It is so important that the development of new areas by destroying Koala habitat cease altogether.
The really smart thing to implement would be making a wild Koala Tourist Trail for all tourists. Koala interaction in sanctuaries is not why a tourist will sit in a plane for 30 hours.
For the most part Europe is devoid of wildlife, the odd wolf, bears in zoos, almost no bird life. All killed off by humans, wars and sustenance. Can we not take a page out of their history and not repeat this action?
Interesting Threatened Species Senate Inquiry Submission 416 by Prof Frank Carrick critiques the modelling/mapping? and elicitation process developed “at a world class koala Laboratory at UQ”. The powerpoint by Prof Frank Carrick seen on a QCC Facebook Site analyses some of the Koala Conservation Strategy IE missed targets(4) ,missed strategy , missed koala protection and missing draft planning instruments and unbelievable mapping. Stepping back some commentators consider it the KCS and maps . worse than what we already have. The cost and time to recalibrate the modelling may not be possible considering what 30 koala gap finding groups and Councils may submit in maps..Obviously DES has to send field staff into areas missed in terms of Habitat, new Koala Priority Areas and missed Corridors. Perhaps other Agencies ,like SLATS and Healthy Land and Water should jigsaw the maps together. The funding and Planning Instruments are not apparently there to rescue the 41,000 hectares of Essential Koala Habitat in the Urban Footprint. The fate of other koala habitat may be subject to Worst Best Practice Councils and Economic Development Queensland poor processes.The Declaration of the Koala as Endangered is warranted in SEQ.