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

       6.	 Improved mapping, monitoring, research
           and reporting

       Objective: Continuous monitoring and improvement based on best
       available science
       Improved science will drive improvements in koala
       conservation in SEQ and boost our understanding         Koala Expert Panel recommendation:
       of their distribution and threats. High quality koala   Developing targeted and high quality koala
       habitat mapping, threat mapping, monitoring and         habitat mapping, threat mapping, monitoring and
       research programs will help to measure changes          research programs that aim to: (1) identify key
       in koala populations and threats over time, inform      koala ecological values and threats, (2) measure
       management decision making and communicate              changes in koala ecological values and threats
       outcomes in improving the conservation of koalas.       over time, as well as understand the drivers of
       In particular, effective monitoring will be critical    those changes, (3) inform policy and management
       if we are to adapt to the inevitable impacts of         decision making, and (4) communicate trends and
       climate change in SEQ. The focus of monitoring          outcomes transparently and publically to enhance
       and reporting, and application of research will be      engagement.
       within KPA to monitor the effectiveness of habitat
       protection, restoration and threat mitigation.
                                                               The KAC would play a key role in evaluating the
       To facilitate better communication between              effectiveness of this proposed framework through
       researchers, policy makers and planners, the            reviewing the implementation of initiatives. To
       Queensland Government proposes to convene               improve the transparency of the overall koala
       public forums (at least once every five years)          program, monitoring data may be reported
       to share knowledge on koala conservation. In            through an annual koala report card. Community
       addition, citizen scientists and volunteers will be     engagement activities would also be included in
       encouraged to undertake research and support            the report card, as part of a wider evaluation plan.
       science projects.                                       Reviewing the communication, engagement and
       It is proposed that koala conservation projects         capacity building activities would form part of the
       be designed and implemented under an adaptive           koala program’s reporting plan.
       management framework that will deliver continuous
       improvements based on monitoring. This proposed         Survey program
       framework would work by firstly requiring that koala    A koala survey and monitoring program will play
       projects have monitoring programs that are linked       an important role in evaluating management
       to objectives within the Strategy. The patterns         success and communicating progress towards
       and trends revealed from the monitoring programs        koala conservation targets to support the Strategy.
       would inform the evaluation of objectives of the        The Queensland Government has had a koala
       koala program, and link those outcomes to the           monitoring program in place since 1996, which
       investment.                                             has been instrumental in recognising rapid
                                                               declines in koala populations in SEQ. The KEP
       Projects would then be reviewed and updated
                                                               recommendations have acknowledged that the
       according to the results of threats and population
                                                               previous survey program should be revised to be
       monitoring to maximise effectiveness. Using this
                                                               suitable to evaluate the effectiveness of actions
       proposed adaptive management approach allows
                                                               within the Strategy and to assess progress towards
       the way changing threats are addressed to inform
                                                               policy objectives.
       an understanding of the success of management
       interventions.



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