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

Appendix 2
Detailed responses to the Koala
Expert Panel’s recommendations
The Queensland Government’s draft South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2019–2024
has a vision of a sustainable koala population in the wild in South East Queensland (SEQ), which is
supported by a coordinated and strategic approach to habitat protection, habitat enhancement and
threat reduction.
The vision and targets set by the Strategy are based upon recommendations of the Koala Expert
Panel (KEP) and include six priority areas for proposed action over the next five years.
The Queensland Government is already taking action to address some of the KEP most pressing
recommendations and has identified potential future actions to conserve koala populations in SEQ
made by the KEP.

Action area 1: Strategic coordination
KEP objective: A strategic and coordinated approach to koala conservation

KEP recommendation                       2018 government response
1a) Develop an implementation strategy   •   The Queensland Government will prepare a new SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy that details
for koala conservation in SEQ that           how the KEP recommended actions are to be achieved, and the timeframes for achieving these
adopts the recommendations made in           actions.
this report.                             •   The Queensland Government will establish priority areas for koala conservation measures.
                                         •   The Queensland Government will establish targets for koala habitat and population
                                             trajectories, as part of the SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy.
                                         •   The Queensland Government will develop an implementation and investment strategy, as part
                                             of the SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy.
                                         •   The Queensland Government will develop and execute a monitoring and evaluation strategy, as
                                             part of the SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy.
1b) Establish a Koala Advisory Council   •   The Queensland Government will appoint a Koala Advisory Council to coordinate the
(KAC) to coordinate the implementation       implementation of the SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy.
of the koala conservation strategy.

Early action
The Queensland Government has already:
•      established the Koala Advisory Council
•      released the draft South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2019–2014 for public
       consultation
•      mapped Koala Priority Areas, for protection within the planning framework
•      set targets regarding koala habitat, koala density, and koala mortality, and invested in habitat
       restoration.

2019–2024 potential future action
1.1    Koala Advisory Council participation in implementation and evaluation.
1.2    Advocate for holistic impact assessment through strategic assessment under the
       Commonwealth Government’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
1.3    Build an online hub of koala-related information.
1.4    Develop guidance for Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers to recognise the importance of koalas
       to First Nations communities.


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