2015-10-13 Planning & Organisation Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 6 Draft Flying Fox Management Plan

 draft
3.2       Local
Local government agencies are required to prepare planning schemes consistent with
Queensland Planning Provisions under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009.

Planning schemes enable an LGA to manage growth and change in their local government
area through land use and administrative definitions, zones, overlays, infrastructure planning
provisions, assessment codes and other administrative matters. A planning scheme identifies
the kind of development requiring approval, as well as areas that constrain the use of land due
to its environmental value.

In relation to bushland reserve management, Council is exempt under the Noosa Plan for
works such as vegetation maintenance. There are no provisions in the Noosa Plan for flying
fox separation buffers between developments and flying fox colonies. Private landholders are
able to trim native vegetation on their land, but may be restricted when it comes to removing
vegetation. Landholders can contact Council to enquire about vegetation protection on their
property.


3.3       Queensland
As native species, all flying-foxes and their habitat are protected under the Nature
Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act). The NC Act is administered by the Department of
Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP).

Local government has an ‘as-of-right’ authority in defined urban areas to do the following,
provided that activities are in accordance with the Code of Practice for the Ecologically
Sustainable Management of Flying-fox Roosts (2013a):

    •     destroy a flying-fox roost
    •     drive away, or attempt to drive away, a flying-fox from a flying-fox roost, and
    •     disturb a flying-fox in a flying-fox roost.

Another Code of Practice (COP) (for Low Impact Activities Affecting Flying-fox Roosts’ (EHP
2013b)) describes how a land owner/manager may undertake low impact activities at a flying-
fox roost. Relevant low impact activities include mulching, mowing or weeding under or near
roost trees, and/or minor trimming of roost trees. These activities must not be directed at
destroying a flying-fox roost, driving away, or attempting to drive away, a flying-fox from a
flying-fox roost, or disturbing a flying-fox in a flying-fox roost.

The low impact COP outlines the following restrictions for activities undertaken by private
landowners:

    •     No roost tree may be trimmed when there are flying-foxes in that part of the tree
          being trimmed, or when flying-foxes are near to the tree and likely to be harmed as
          a result of the trimming.
    •     Any trimming of roost trees must be limited to 10% of the total canopy occupied by
          the roost (not 10% of the whole tree’s canopy).

Flying-fox roost management options                                             ecosure.com.au | 9