Support protection of wildlife corridors in Redland City

There’s just a few days left for the Redlands community to have a say about protecting wildlife connection corridors by amending the Redland City Plan.

Submissions now close on 31 July.

Redland City Council prepared a detailed Wildlife Connections Plan some years ago, but this plan didn’t protect the habitat that our wildlife needs to move around the Redlands, and beyond.

After years of debate, the Council resolved to incorporate the Wildlife Connections Plan into the City Plan, for urban areas of the Redlands.

The proposed amendment is out for public consultation. The number of submissions received by Council may influence the final decision.

How to make a submission

To help protect wildlife connection corridors in the Redlands, make a brief submission (example below) by email to rcc@redland.qld.gov.au

Environmental Significance Overlay – Major Amendment

I understand that this amendment will incorporate the Wildlife Connections Plan 2018–2028 into the City Plan.

The Wildlife Connection Plan identifies high value core habitat and corridors that will allow wildlife movement.

By protecting and retaining these high value wildlife areas, Redlands can prevent further fragmentation of habitat and loss of biodiversity. This will enable the maintenance of ecological processes, the movement of wildlife and support the continuation of viable wildlife populations.

I note that the identification of the areas to be protected as wildlife corridors is based on habitat mapping that accurately reflects existing native vegetation.

It is imperative that we do all that we can to ensure that wildlife can still move safely around in the Redlands.

I suggest that the Council also consider implementing protection of wildlife connection areas in rural areas of the Redlands.

Yours

[Name]

[Address]

To ensure that your submission is regarded as ‘properly made’ you must include your name and residential address.

You can modify this example and it is a good idea to do so. Including additional information is particularly helpful.

For example, you may like to comment about how often you have seen koalas or other wildlife recently in particular areas, compared with observations made many years ago.

You may wish to comment on some particular areas that have been mapped as wildlife connection areas.

But if you don’t have much time, at least try to make a brief submission supporting the proposed amendments so that the wildlife corridors get some protection.

Mapping the wildlife corridors

The Council has made detailed mapping available on its Have Your Say webpage. This video prepared by Redlands2030 shows what the mapping looks like.

Summary of proposed changes

Here is Redland City Council’s summary of the proposed City Plan amendments:

The amendment proposes that all clearing of native vegetation in mapped areas of affected public and private properties will be assessed against new assessment criteria in the City Plan.

The new assessment criteria require that the clearing of native vegetation in mapped areas is, firstly, avoided. Where avoidance is not reasonably possible, clearing of native vegetation needs to be minimised.

If there remains a loss of native vegetation, it would need to be offset with plantings. These stronger protections are proposed to apply to private and public properties across the City’s urban footprint.

Importantly, they are only proposed to apply to parts of private and public properties currently mapped in the City Plan or by the State Government as having a local or State environmental value.

The mapping has been reviewed to ensure it accurately reflects existing native vegetation. The amendment also updates Redland City Plan environmental mapping to reflect the current State environmental mapping, which is already in place to protect environmental values.

You can find more information about the proposed City Plan amendments on the Council’s webpage for Environmental Significance Overlay – Major Amendment.

We previously posted about this topic here.

Redlands2030 – 29 July 2023