2015-07-21 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

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     Policy Purpose

     The Noosa Council acknowledges the Noosa public's concerns regarding the viability of local koala populations. Accordingly
     Council aims to develop a Koala Policy. The proposed Policy will dovetail with the Noosa Council's broader objective of
     protecting and enhancing Noosa's overall biodiversity values

     The specific objective of the Noosa Council Koala Management Policy will be

     To provide a coordinated and structured framework to effectively manage and conserve natural free ranging koala
     populations across their range within the Noosa Shire.

     Background Information About Koalas

     Koalas are an iconic species, As such they attract considerable attention, funding and effort. They are not the most vulnerable
     species within the Noosa Shire, however they are the species that engenders the most concern

     There are four Australian States where koalas exist in the wild. Although it Is often cdaimed that koalas are nationally
     “andangered”™, in fact they are listed under National legislation as “vulnerable” in Queensland, NSW and the ACT. They are not
     deciared in Victoria or South Australia. Nowhere are they currently declared endangered

     in South Australia, particularly at locales such as Kangaroo Island and the Adelaide Hills, koalas have been introduced and are
     now abundant in places where they do not historically belong. In some Victorian locales, koalas are so abundant that “they put
     unsustainable pressure on tree species, which poses a direct threat to the health of forests.” (Victorian Koala Management
     Strategy)

     At the other end of the spectrum, koala populations in many parts of Queensland and New South Wales are in napid decline
     The animals here face an increasing threat from urban expansion, disease, habitat joss, vehicle strike and predation by dogs

     Koalas are solitary animais and very territorial. They often act aggressively towards other individuais. Males are more
     aggressive

     The home range of an individual koala will depend on the habitat including available food trees. Within a socially stable group,
     home ranges overlap at the edges, and that Is where any social interaction takes place

     Koalas are very fussy eaters. They consume foliage of certain eucalypts, although some non-eucalypts may contribute to the
     diel, Females produce just one young per year.

     itis not known how many Koalas there are in the Noose Shire area

     Locally, koalas have been sighted at Peregian, Weyba, Sunshine Beach, Noosa National Park, Tewantin, Tewantin National
     Park, Tinbeerwah, Cooroibah, Cootharaba, Doonan, Lake Macdonald, Ringtail Creek, Yurol Forest, Pomona, Cooran, Kin Kin,
    Woondum National Park and elsewhere. Recently there have been verified reports of a koala on Noosa North Shore.

     NOOSA COUNCIL                       PO Box 141                        P. (07) 5329 6500            [email protected]
                                         Sea wR Om BE be ate               F. (07) 5322 6501            www. noosa.gid gov. at

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