Attachment G - Fauna and Flora Assessment report

                                                                                      Native Foresters



3.1.7 Koala legislation

Planning Act 2016

The Planning Act 2016 regulates new development including areas of South East Queensland
identified as having important Koala habitat values. The Planning Regulation 2017 (Schedule
10) establishes where clearing may be prohibited, where it is assessable by the State, where
Koala conservation outcomes will be considered by local governments and what exemptions may
apply.

The Nature Conservation and Other Legislation (Koala Protection) Amendment
Regulation amends the Environmental Offsets Regulation 2014, Planning Regulation 2017,
Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan 2017 and Vegetation Management Regulation
2012 to provide increased protection to Koala habitat areas in South East Queensland.

The Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan 2017 and Koala Conservation Plan Maps
identifies Koala Habitat Areas (core and locally refined) and Koala Priority Areas that contain
Koala habitat which is essential for the conservation of a viable Koala population in the wild in
South East Queensland.

Clearing Koala Habitat Areas in a Koala Priority Area is prohibited, except for in certain
circumstances (see Schedule 10, 16A of the Planning Regulation 2017).

Development in Koala Habitat Areas made assessable under the Planning Regulation 2017 will
need to address State Code 25: Development in South East Queensland koala habitat areas.
A search of the Koala habitat area and Koala priority area mapping (Refer Appendix F) shows
that the site lies in a Koala priority area and that core Koala habitat is mapped within the Northern
Fire Management Area as shown in Figure 2.

Clearing for essential management which means clearing native vegetation for establishing or
maintaining a necessary firebreak to protect infrastructure, if the maximum width of the firebreak
is equal to 1.5 times the height of the tallest vegetation next to the infrastructure, or 20m,
whichever is the wider is considered ‘exempted development’ under Schedule 24 – Essential
Management (Part a) of the Planning Regulation 2017.

3.1.8 Wetlands and Watercourses

The quality of natural waters in Queensland (e.g. rivers, creeks, wetlands, lakes, estuaries and
coastal areas and ground waters) is protected under the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy
2009 (EPP Water). The EPP Water achieves the object of the EPA 1994 to protect Queensland's
waters while supporting ecologically sustainable development.

The Map of Referable Wetlands is a statewide regulatory map under the Environmental Protection
Regulation 2008 which identifies wetlands of high ecological significance (HES) and general
ecological significance (GES) across the state. HES wetlands on the Map of Referable Wetlands
are considered ‘matters of state environmental significance’ (MSES) under the Planning and
Environmental Offsets legislation (Environmental Offsets Act 2014).




Vipassana Centre Building Program - Pomona – Fauna and Flora Assessment                    18