2016-07-12 - Item 10 - Att 1 - Koala Conservation Plan

       Noosa Shire Koala Conservation Plan 2016




     Executive Summary
     Koalas are of great significance to the Noosa community. Noosa Shire is recognised for
     its outstanding environmental attributes and was declared a Biosphere Reserve under
     UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program in 2008. Vegetation networks that support koalas
     extend across rural and coastal landscapes on public and private land. Our koalas live in a
     diverse environment and visitors are often surprised to encounter koalas in close proximity to
     residential areas.

     Concerns have been expressed about the plight of koalas which are now listed as being
     ‘vulnerable’ in Queensland. In 2015 Noosa Council adopted a Koala Conservation Policy with
     the aim of developing a framework for the conservation and protection of this iconic species.

     One of the important outcomes of the Policy was to develop a shire-wide Koala Conservation
     Plan to deliver tangible on-ground actions. The Plan provides the mechanism to implement the
     Koala Policy with the aim of conserving our local koala populations in perpetuity. The Plan has
     been developed through extensive consultation with key stakeholders such as koala interest
     groups, research organisations, government agencies, and environmental and natural resource
     management groups. A public consultation process allows residents and visitors to have input
     into the Plan.

     The Koala Conservation Plan identifies a number of specific management objectives to help
     support koala conservation. These objectives cover statutory and non-statutory protection
     measures, improved data and mapping resourcing, guidance on minimising the impacts
     of infrastructure projects, management of domestic and wild dogs, koala health research
     initiatives and community engagement programs. A specific Action Plan describes the
     implementation measures to be employed over the next five years.

     Conserving Noosa Shire’s koala population is a challenging but essential goal. The Noosa
     Shire Koala Conservation Plan 2016 provides a framework to help achieve this objective.




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