2016-04-19 P&E Committee - Item 4, Attachment 1 - Draft Koala Conservation Management Plan

1.2.7     Review translocation as a measure to increase local koala
                               numbers

The Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan 2006 and Management Program
2006-2016 sets strict policy in respect to koala translocation. State approvals are
required and proponents need to demonstrate that the re-introduction/re-stocking of
koalas in an area will actually benefit local koala populations. Any release requires a
long-term monitoring program to assess the success of the translocation. The risk of
koala translocation is as follows:

       Potential disease transmission to local populations
       Impacts on the social structure and range of existing koalas
       Potentially outcompeting local koalas for food
       Alteration of local gene pool
       Introducing koalas that are not accustomed to local tree species
       Releasing koalas in area where koalas have not been able to survive
        previously

The advantages of translocation include:

       Koalas can be relocated from high risk, to low risk areas
       Koalas are an iconic species and are of great interest to tourists
       Introduced koalas may help diversify the gene pool
       Koalas may have been hunted into local extinction previously. Re-introducing
        koalas may be a viable option.

Council may be supportive of koala translocation but only if proponents have State
permits and comply with the State Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan
2006 and Management Program 2006-2016. The koalas would need to be from the
local vicinity (i.e. less than 20 kms from release site), healthy, and at risk from
unavoidable development.




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