2017-08-08 P&E - Attachment 1 to Item 6 - Noosa Koala Conservation Plan

        Noosa Shire Koala Conservation Plan 2016




     The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) is currently undertaking research into the long-
     term sustainability of koalas through its post-graduate research program. USC has been
     granted $65,000 from the Noosa Biosphere Foundation to progress this work and develop
     koala health maps for the Shire. The research utilises non-invasive techniques of scat
     analysis.
       The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) is currently undertaking research into the
       long-term sustainability of koalas through its post-graduate research program. The
     Inresearch
         consultation  with non-invasive
                  utilises  Queensland Koala     Crusaders,
                                            techniques        the Richard
                                                         of scat          Branson
                                                                   analysis.  USC Koala   Conservancy
                                                                                    has also  applied to
     was
       Noosa Biosphere® Foundation and Commonwealth ARC funding body to The
           recently launched    to help raise funds for koala  research and  conservation.     funding
                                                                                           progress    will
                                                                                                     this
     support
       work.  a research    collaboration  between  koala experts   and USC   researchers. GPS  tracking
     devices will be placed on local koalas to study home range movements and long term survival.




     1.2.4        Improved data collection and mapping of local koala populations
     1.2.4	Improved data collection and mapping of local koala
              populations
     Data collection

     Data collection
      Koala data informs koala habitat maps which are used for a number of purposes
      including
     Koala  data development       assessment,
                  informs koala habitat            infrastructure
                                           maps which    are used forplanning
                                                                       a number  and   identifying
                                                                                   of purposes       areas for
                                                                                                  including
      investment in koala habitat restoration projects and land acquisition programs.
     development     assessment,   infrastructure planning   and   identifying  areas  for investment   in koala
      Records
     habitat     of koalas
             restoration      are and
                         projects   collected   by incidental
                                         land acquisition         means
                                                           programs.        (e.g. of
                                                                        Records    citizen
                                                                                      koalasscience,    wildlife
                                                                                               are collected by
      rescue, reports to Council) or through planned projects (e.g. koala surveys by
     incidental  means  (e.g. citizen  science, wildlife rescue,   reports  to Council)  or  through  planned
      consultants,
     projects         research
              (e.g. koala surveys  projects).  Currently
                                     by consultants,         different
                                                      research           organisations
                                                                  projects).                have organisations
                                                                              Currently different   their own
      systems and processes for recording koala sightings:
     have  their own  systems   and  processes   for recording   koala  sightings:
           •	Qld Department of Environment & Heritage Protection (EHP): The
           QldWildNet
                   Department
                          database of informs
                                        Environment
                                              the SPP&Wildlife
                                                          Heritage     Protection
                                                                  Habitat   Map which(EHP):
                                                                                        is usedThefor WildNet
             database informs the SPP Wildlife Habitat Map which is used for State
                State   Government     development    assessment     purposes.   Data  must  have
             Government       development
                a certain level  of confidenceassessment
                                                 attributed to purposes.
                                                                the record toData    must have
                                                                                be accepted   in thea certain
             level of confidence attributed to the record to be accepted in the database
                database
             Faunawatch:
          •	  Faunawatch:This This association    collectsfauna
                                      association collects     faunadatadata
                                                                          fromfrom    volunteers
                                                                                volunteers  and and also
             data  collected
                also           from Faunawatch
                      data collected   from Faunawatchconsulting  services
                                                           consulting   services
           Koala Tracker: A private ‘citizen science’ web-based facility
          • Koala
                Koala Tracker: A private ‘citizen science’ web-based facility
                      Diaries records
             Hospital
          •	  Hospitaland
                          andWildlife
                               Wildlife Rescue     organisations:Moggill
                                         Rescue organisations:        Moggill   Koala
                                                                             Koala      Hospital, Australia
                                                                                    Hospital,
             Zoo,   Koala Zoo,
                Australia  RescueKoalaand  Wildlife
                                         Rescue   andRescue
                                                       Wildlifekeep   theirkeep
                                                                 Rescue      owntheir
                                                                                  records   of ‘in-patients’
                                                                                      own records
           Noosa       Council: Records are kept from public consultation processes,
                of ‘in-patients’
             consultant
           •	Noosa Council:reports    on development
                                  Records    are kept fromapplications        and engagement
                                                             public consultation    processes,       of koala
             survey    services
                consultant       suchonasdevelopment
                             reports       the USC Koala       Detection
                                                         applications   andDogs    for Conservation
                                                                             engagement     of
              koala survey services such as the USC Koala Detection Dogs for
     There areConservation
               also some local residents who are ‘champions’ in monitoring local koalas
     and who record their sightings and photos on Facebook.

Page 16 | Noosa Council
     Whilst each organisation will continue to keep their own records, from Council’s
     perspective, WildNet is considered the official database for record keeping as it