2020-01-16 OM Agenda - Item 1 - Attachment 1 - Draft SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy 2019-2024

       3. Habitat restoration for koalas


       Koala habitat restoration on local government           Environmental Offsets Framework
       conservation estates and through local government       Queensland’s Environmental Offsets Framework
       conservation programs will be prioritised. This         consists of an Act, regulations and policies. The
       approach provides an opportunity to leverage            purpose of the Environmental Offsets Act 2014 is to
       funding and in-kind support to deliver better           compensate for unavoidable impacts on significant
       outcomes compared to working in isolation.              environmental values (for example, koala habitat).
                                                               A comprehensive review of the Queensland
       Land Restoration Fund
                                                               Environmental Offsets Framework is underway and
       The Queensland Government’s $500 million Land
                                                               will aim to result in greater investment in activities
       Restoration Fund aims to expand carbon farming
                                                               that counterbalance the impacts from development
       in the state by supporting land-sector projects
                                                               on koalas and other matters, and ensure offsets are
       that deliver clear environmental and economic co-
                                                               only used as a last resort.
       benefits.
                                                               Specifically, the review will examine how
       Carbon farming refers to land management
                                                               environmental offsets can be redesigned to provide
       activities that either stop carbon pollution from
                                                               a strategic and coordinated approach for the
       entering the atmosphere or capture and hold carbon
                                                               protection of koalas.
       in vegetation or soil. This can be achieved by
       planting trees, protecting native forest by reducing    In the short-term, specific amendments to the
       land clearing, managing bushfires through savanna       Queensland Environmental Offsets Framework will
       burning and changing farming practices to increase      be made to enable significant residual impacts
       soil carbon.                                            on koala habitat outside a KPA to be offset. The
                                                               amendments will provide that the Queensland
       The Land Restoration Fund values not only the
                                                               Government will be responsible for imposing the
       carbon stored in forests, but also the broader social
                                                               offset condition.
       and environmental benefits of conservation.
                                                               For more detailed information on these proposed
                                                               koala conservation actions and goals, and how
                                                               they link to the KEP recommendations refer to
                                                               Appendix 2.




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