2015-03-03 Planning & Organisation Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA    3 MARCH 2015


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PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                            3 MARCH 2015

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                     NOOSA SHIRE KOALA POLICY BACKGROUND INFORMATION

                PREAMBLE FOR YOUR SAY NOOSA WEBPAGE
                Noosa Council is developing a Koala Management Policy to provide direction
                for the conservation of koalas in the Noosa Shire. We understand that there is
                significant public concern about the future of our local koala populations.
                Noosa Council seeks your valuable contribution to this process. Council will
                also be liaising with experts working in koala conservation to ensure we have
                a viable and responsive Policy.
                You are invited to contribute to the development of the Noosa Shire Koala
                Policy. Email your thoughts to [email protected]
                BACKGROUND DOCUMENT
                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 claimed that koalas are nationally "endangered", in fact they are listed
                under National legislation as "vulnerable" in Queensland, NSW and the ACT.
                They are not declared 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)

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