2016-12-12 General Committee - Attachment 1 to Item 9 - NBRF Annual Report

QUARTERLY REPORT TO COUNCIL – Q1 FY 2017



   4.1.3. KOALA HEALTH
   Mapping koala health across the Noosa Biosphere Reserve to inform better
   management.




   Koalas - our icon animal and major tourism attraction – are very vulnerable in our Shire.

   To ensure the protection of koalas for generations to come, it is imperative that we
   accurately and efficiently expand our evidence based knowledge about koala distribution,
   genetics and disease to population outside the urban footprint.

   So our desired outcome here is to have one GIS (geographical information system)
   database collating all koala information available; hopefully we can extend this project over
   time so that we have a longitudinal view of different koala populations.

   The NBRF is working closely with the USC to utilise innovative, non-invasive methodologies
   in the form of conservation detection dogs, to produce the first field based fine-scale
   distribution and population health study of koalas across the Noosa Biosphere Reserve.

   We will be able to identify where koala populations are; how connected they are; and how
   healthy they are.

   The project will identify areas of high potential for habitat rehabilitation, offsets, protection
   (e.g. refuges, reserves, voluntary conservation agreements) and land to buy for increase
   koala core habitat.

   The sniffer dogs will be in the Shire over coming months, firstly to identify where
   populations are – and where they are not – and then to collect scat samples for evaluation.

   We are keeping Council and other groups (like the Makepeace Island Conservancy) in the
   loop; we have recently tendered a joint response to a Survey request from State
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