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

1.        Introduction
Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are of great interest to Noosa residents and visitors. They
are listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the Australian and Queensland Governments and there is
concern that the species may be in decline. The Koala Conservation Plan guides Council
and the community with efforts to help conserve and protect this iconic species. In addition,
helping to conserve koalas will provide mutual benefit to other native fauna and ecological
communities in Noosa Shire.

Koalas, like many other native species, have suffered decline since European settlement.
Seabrook et al. (Seabrook et al, 2003, Landscape legacies: Koala habitat change in Noosa
Shire) describes Noosa generally having a low density of koalas, this being a legacy of
clearing native forests by early European settlers. They go onto to say koala populations in
Noosa Shire have suffered a decline similar to other areas of eastern Australia such as Port
Stephens, Iluka, Coffs Harbour and Logan.

However, koalas have still been found to occur in various parts of Noosa Shire, from the
hinterland to the coast. It is unknown exactly how many koalas there are, but records
indicate koalas are known to occur mostly in southern and western parts of the Shire within
the localities of Noosa, Eastern Beaches, Tewantin, Cooroibah, Doonan, Cooroy,
Ridgewood, Federal and Cooran.

The Koala Conservation Plan guides Council and community in their efforts to help conserve
Noosa’s remaining koala populations and habitat.


1.1       Purpose of the Koala Conservation Plan
In 2015, Council adopted a Noosa Shire Koala Conservation Policy. The purpose of the
policy is to provide a coordinated and structured framework to help conserve and protect
koala populations and habitat within the Noosa Shire.

The purpose of this Koala Conservation Plan 2016 is to implement the policy by addressing
the following key areas:

      Conservation of koalas and habitat through statutory provisions
      Conservation of koalas and habitat through non-statutory means
      Understanding koala needs and behaviours
      Data collection and mapping of local koala populations
      Informed decision making when developing infrastructure
      Implementation of wild dog and domestic dog control actions
      Translocation of koalas
      Community awareness and participation




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