Redland City Council will discuss the State Government’s draft strategy for conserving koalas in South East Queensland, at the next Council meeting on Wednesday 29 January 2020.
The draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy was released by the State Government for public consultation on 8th December 2019, just before the summer holiday period.
Submissions about land proposed to be mapped as protected koala habitat had to be lodged by 22 December 2019. The deadline for submissions about the draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy is 31 January 2020.
The inadequacies of the State Government’s draft strategy and associated koala habitat mapping were exposed by Redlands2030 in this post published on 16 December 2019:
Redlands koalas miss out on habitat protection
Redland City Council discussed an officers’ report about the State Government’s proposed koala habitat mapping at the Council meeting on 18 December 2019. Councillors voted 9/1 to authorise the CEO to make a submission expressing concern about the loss of thousands of hectares of protected koala habitat in Redlands.
At their meeting on Wednesday 29 January 2020 councillors will have the opportunity to discuss a new officers’ report about the State Government’s draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy.
This officers’ report recommends that the Council ask the State Government to significantly improve its strategy for conserving koalas in Redlands in particular and south east Queensland generally.
Redlands2030 is publishing the officers’ recommendation, to assist anyone in the community who may be considering making a submission to the State Government about its draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy. The complete officers’ report is contained in the meeting agenda.
Redlands2030 has published a brief submission template on dogooder which can also be used to make submissions to the Government.
Officers recommendation: SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy
Here is the full text of the officers’ recommendation to Redland City Council for consideration at the Council meeting on Wednesday 29 January 2020.
“That Council resolves to authorise the Chief Executive Officer to make a submission to the Department of Environment and Science on the Draft South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2019-2024 based on the following:
- Council supports the adoption of a South East Queensland (SEQ) Koala Conservation Strategy aimed to provide strategic direction for the long term protection of a sustainable koala population in SEQ and, in particular, that the draft Strategy is seeking to address a wide range of issues that impact koala conservation based on the recommendations made by the Koala Expert Panel in 2017.
- In its current form, the draft Strategy lacks detail and requires significant further clarification on how the final Strategy will stimulate and retain sustainable koala populations, with it
being evident that substantial additional research and review is still required to be undertaken by the State Government to deliver on stated programs and actions contained within the draft Strategy. - The timing of the release of the draft Strategy and the draft SEQ Koala Habitat Map coincided with the December 2019 and January 2020 holiday period. The consultation period, combined with a lack of supporting reform and proposed regulatory change information, makes it difficult to comprehensively comment on the likely effectiveness of the draft Strategy.
- Council’s Koala Conservation Strategy 2016 has put in place a range of programs and actions that align with many potential future actions identified in the draft Strategy. In order to have an immediate impact on koala conservation within Redland City – and to activate the actions proposed by the State Government – support through recognition, funding and partnering on Council’s current koala conservation program will deliver the most significant benefit.
- Specific issues to be addressed:
a) A request to detail funding to be made available to support the programs and actions listed within the draft Strategy, including specific funding to be made available to local governments to expand existing koala conservation programs.
b) Total nominated Koala Priority Areas (KPAs) areas equate to more than approximately 570,000 ha that includes approximately 300,000 ha of core koala habitat across South East Queensland. While the draft Strategy proposes to prohibit clearing of 300,000 ha of
core koala in KPAs, a range of exemptions apply. Until further clarification is provided to local governments regarding any amendments to State Government codes, planning frameworks and the offsets policy, it remains unclear on how local governments will
need to respond and to what effect the final Strategy will have in protecting koalas in their remaining habitat.
c) The nominated land area for rehabilitation is considered minimal in contrast to the land identified as being suitable for restoration of koala habitat. Therefore an increase in the target of land rehabilitation should be considered in order to make a more effective contribution to increasing koala habitat. Details should also be provided in regards to location, anticipated investment and standards of rehabilitation.
d) Given the reduction in koala habitat in Redland City, as highlighted in the 18 December 2019 report to Council on koala mapping, it is not clear how the proposed actions identified in the draft Strategy and the proposed mapping will support a sustainable koala population specifically within the urban/peri-urban areas. The draft Strategy does not adhere to the recommended action of the Koala Expert Panel to “Ensure that locally significant koala habitat, not captured by state mapping, or not in identified priority areas for koalas, can still be protected through local government planning schemes”.
e) The draft Strategy proposes to undertake a collaborative approach and partnerships, but does not provide any detail on the form of these collaborations for consideration by local governments.
f) The draft Strategy acknowledges that exact numbers of koalas are undetermined across SEQ but provides no details on a methodology for koala surveys or locations. The draft Strategy also identified that there needs to be clear criteria for what is being measured as a sustainable koala population but provides no detail on how this will be measured, or the processes for adaptive management. Council considers it vital for the State Government to articulate how stronger coordination between local governments, the State Government and researchers will be achieved.
g) Redland City retains significant primary high-value habitat areas which supports higher koala carrying capacities, including scattered trees throughout the city, than many other areas within SEQ. Therefore, the stated criteria, “given the importance of the most suitable habitat for koalas sustains higher densities of koala populations, it is imperative that there is no further net loss of remaining habitat, and that protection and restoration should be prioritised”, should see more area(s) of Redland City identified as a priority KPA. The draft Strategy does not adequately address the significant conservation efforts being directed at koala populations that live within the fragmented urbanised regions, which generally contain higher habitat values.
h) The draft Strategy sets arbitrary targets such as a 25% reduction in koala injury or mortality across 10 key sites where threat mitigation measures are to be implemented. There are no details on how this will be executed or measured, or rationale on the relevance of this target to sustaining populations across SEQ. Details are required around why these targets are appropriate and how success will be measured.
i) The draft Strategy does not adequately address disease – the primary cause of declining koala populations (after habitat loss). It is considered necessary that the final Strategy better address disease including specific programs and actions.
j) The draft Strategy has a considerable focus on preserving large connected bushland areas for koala conservation however there is no mention of fire management as a threat to koala populations as well as associated benefits for community safety.
k) The draft Strategy has a number of miscellaneous issues concerning matters such as legibility of mapping, meanings and definitions of terms used and ambiguous meanings, which require clarification to ensure the final Strategy has clear and definable statements that inform proposed programs and actions.”
Redlands2030 – 25 January 2020
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3 Comments
Being the resident heretic that I am, I must point out that Koalas are not the be all and end all of conservation, environment, the ambience that is/was the reason many residents moved here to Redlands Shire/ city/ Redlands by the Bay ( or what ever pointless marketing strategy slogan dreamed up by the developers and their cohorts… to justify more houses ( read extraordinary profits for a few in that orbit.).
I would challenge the council (or anyone) with the REAL analysis of the the Redlands (et al)’s tourist appeal cards! Ask yourself would you go overseas or inter state to spend your holiday Bucks in the Redlands? Especially given those in Brisbane or seaside Gold Coast?Oh yes then there’s lots of koalas in sanctuaries wild life zoo’s already neatly marketed packaged for the tourist $’s Now we come to the Koala/ road kill ( assorted species) reality of the Redlands, Every week I count several? Given the birth rates of most of those species it doesn’t take a genius to work out that MANY species are in at least a dire state of approaching extinction. Sure they’re not all the idol of young families… their focus is on ” cuddles” . But unless someone i.e. the council starts educating the self obsessed masses of their roles in maintaining the environment as a complex composite we’ll finish up with Nothing!
The council has been spun the myth ( and it is an improbable one) that all we need to do is focus on tourism and all our ailments will disappear….. In a Bullshit!
What we have is a council that is playing high stakes ponzi roulette. ( we need to build more houses to fund the infrastructure/amenities/ services that were created by the previous round of “development” ). See the difference between what developers pay and what all these extra services actually cost.
The government, the councillors ( as groups) distract us with trumped up good news stories that distract from previous commitments and on going needs.
Ya for a development at the marinas but mean while how many houses still have dirt roads/ no sewerage/ curbing and guttering/ school/kindergartens affordable child care centres oh did I mention hospitals that can cope with a community catastrophe. Just in case you missed it I meant for EXISTING residents. why aren’t the council /local pollies noting the number of ambulance pass bys and ramping of ambulance. Consider the plight of an ‘islander ‘ in an emergency ?
Does anybody believe we are read for a catastrophic bush fire?
This of course brings us back to pro-actively maintaining our environmental areas (spending more money on existing issues rather inviting more expenses distractions than on the never never scheme this mayor in her incompetence is allowing ” championing?”)
If we did that then the Koalas and all the lesser but equally important species…
after all they have been doing that for aeons before we came.
In short the koala protection plan is a bit like giving codeine for a brain cancer it simply won’t achieve anything other than perhaps a political reelection
Oh dear my editing skills in the above tirade were appalling, sorry.
What I was trying to say was
This plan is inevitably fatally flawed and WILL FAIL Miserably.
Fundamentally it is based on the mind set of the 1950/60 when the world (Australia/Queensland ) were perceived as an infinite resource to exploit devoid of consequences (which it Demonstrably ISN’T on both counts). Environmental derogation is one such reality/consequence.
To understand how one needs to consider how the above MYTH is entrenched in a system, including in a series of obscene self serving laws. In a myriad of ways the laws have limited the focus of issues from the CAUSAL Factors to the SYMPTOMS. Lack of koalas is a symptom. Ergo get more koalas ( forget about all the other less suburbanly popular issues like well plants insects, reptiles, birds not glamorous animals that make up a sustainable environment.
(see ‘ Injurious Affection’ a unique Queensland law that mandates that if a government/council changes a land usage category, regardless of the reason, to the detriment of the owner potential profits. That owner can sue for those potential losses regardless of the owner actually doing anything other than getting a permit.)
A developer bought a plot of virgin bush and got a permit to subdivide. They went broke and nothing much happened for Decades until a foreign entity got control of the land ( and the permit). The council was/is then legally obligated to honour it despite the knowledge it was displacing ( read wiping out) the resident environment. Yes, there are a sunsets clause for FUTURE development approvals. But they are manifestly nonsense given an aggrieved developer will go to the government ministers ( political self interests) or courts to extend them on a technicalities.
Also see all the land currently “banked” by developers while they campaign for more as if it were an infinite commodity.
See also the clique of developers…Imagine for a moment if instead of that clique we had a myriad of smaller spec builders? The council would get more revenue and genuinely get more working tradies etc. (Jobs) with options for their employment. Far less profit manipulation for in market to the top of Corporations.
Clearly the current serves those Corporate Developers and those whose careers are subsequently hinged well (guess who?).
While the council is bound by the letter of the law. In some cases the councillors are either so out of their expertise or more concerned with their own interests to stand up and be counted.
I have no doubt that the councillors will spin/use this distractionary marketing exercise for their own ends. called ” reduction to ridiculous” approach.
One should further ask why the above select profiteers/beneficiaries should be exempt from changing circumstances… unlike the rest of us. Ask a small business owners/tradies/workers/retirees/disabled etc what guarantee they have for their livelihood their, economic survival they have. So much for Capitalism’s wet dream fantasy “even playing field”.
The system as it stands allows Councillors and politicians to hide behind stupid/outdated laws and institutionalised system like above. Despite the rhetoric put out by them and their parties, they are neither leaders nor PRIMARILY interested in their total constituents only marketing numbers.
Remember the member who (ON THIS SITE, look it up) ” dismissed ” what represented 40% of his constituents with…” you are Labor voters and won’t ever vote for me…”!
I reason that he is employed and has sworn an oath to be the REPRESENTATIVE for the ( WHOLE) electorate Labor voters included and should have taken the comments on board… In My view clearly indicating he is a supreme egotist lacking in empathy… there’s a term for that !
He is representative of who the system throws up… followers ( not leaders) they use money as influence (‘manufacturing consent’ through fear, weasel words aka media/ publicity/marketing.) The system has made it impossible for anything but his ilk to even afford to stand. Who can afford the $ to take on the mayor. We did that before but the forces just upped the entry costs.
Voting has been strategically hobbled to be, no more than a choice between Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber. Rather than explaining complex issues to the ill informed minorities ( this is what Leadership functionally is) for the best interests of the country ( Not the highly emotive, following the popularist, fact free prejudice, global warming denialism and antivaxing).
Again this Plan (??)is both a directionless, substance, guarantee free distraction focusing on a symptom of the malaise… Koalas and not the real Cause of the problem ( self interest/greed for a selected few) .
As A friend of mine often quotes…There is no such a thing as a simple answer… if this is simply drawing lines on a map then either the question is ‘deliberately’ asinine/wrong or BOTH answer and question are.
We can no longer to (borrowing again from my pal) ” keep doing the same thing, the same way and expecting a different out come is Einstein’s definition of insanity.”
We need to force change in legislation and force our pollies to be the LEADERS we pay them to be. Not followers of selected power brokers including the Fear and Ignorance of the . Especially given corporate entities (parties too) DON’T VOTE but people do for a reason. Why then do they have primacy with those who are supposed to represent us. We should start at the problem and work up not as this strategy does start and stop with the symptom.
There is no doubt it is essential to maintain the existing koala reside t areas. As the koala population is already under pressure from human expansion and human degradation of their habitat. We want to see koalas thrive alongside our cities.