Logan and Albert Conservation Association

LOCAL councils have been given ultimate control over development proposed for koala habitat and charged with increasing habitat areas by 2020 under new State Government laws announced in the Redlands on Saturday. Sustainability Minister Kate Jones and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe visited a koala revegetation site in Capalaba West to announce the two new pieces of legislation, which will dictate how developers and councils use land in order to increase koala habitat substantially by 2020.

 "The new laws will deal with irresponsible planning which has occurred in some places in the past and override existing planning schemes so that koala habitat must be taken into account," Ms Jones said.

 "Councils gave us overwhelming feedback that they were best placed to tailor localised solutions," Mr Hinchliffe said. "The main objective is that planning schemes must incorporate provisions to ensure development in koala areas delivers a net increase in koala habitat by 2020," he added. The new State Planning Regulatory Provisions (SPRP) place strict limits on developers, including banning clearing of mapped koala habitat, offset planting for unavoidable clearing of koala trees at a ratio of five trees planted for every one cleared, and requirements for koala sensitive urban design.

The new State Planning Policy (SPP) will see councils amend their planning schemes to identify and protect koala habitat while retaining and enhancing habitat connectivity with koala corridors. Councils will also have to increase the amount of bushland habitat, ensure koala movement-friendly design and layout for developments and develop a koala conservation strategy, which will be reviewed by the state to show how outcomes are being met.

 KOALA SIGHTINGS (Browns Plains to Veresdale Scrub, Yatala to Ipswich City) 

The koala sightings in the map shown (click to enlarge) have been reported  to WILDNET (Department of Environment and Resource Management) by the community and other scientific experts, and are current to June 2009 and include historically observations as well.  The koala population in the Mount Lindesay North Beaudesert area have NEVER been properly surveyed by any local council or by state government and these WILDNET sightings provide very valuable information for the local area when no other detailed studies have been undertaken.

 LACA encourages the community to continue to report their valuable wildlife sightings from their local area or from other areas the community may visit.     

 PROPOSED ENERGEX POWERLINE ROUTE - CAMP CABLE RD / WATERFORD-TAMBORINE RD /

LOGAN RIVER / LOGAN RESERVE RD and KOALAS     

This WILDNET map reveals that there are numerous sightings of koalas to the north and south of Camp Cable Rd and east and west of Waterford -Tamborine Rd. RSPCA and residents have reported collecting dead and injured koalas from the vicinity of the new Camp Cable Rd and surrounding areas.   There are already existing cleared easements for Powerlink easements ( north of Camp Cable Rd) and Energex easements (south of Camp Cable Rd) that create barriers for koala movement and increase the length of time that koalas may spend moving over open ground and therefore place koalas at greater risk of cars and dog attack.  Local residents along Camp Cable Rd have already noted a decline in visits by native animals as a result of the construction of the new alignment for Camp Cable Rd a few years ago.  Energex's own IAR report from June 2009 acknowledges that current powerline easements already fragment habitat and this proposed route will continue to fragment and degrade the habitat further with further negative impacts on local and regional significant fauna species such as koalas.

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Modern koalas - the sole living member of the diprotodontian marsupial family Phascolarctidae - are among the largest of all arboreal leaf-eaters. To attain this remarkable condition on a diet of eucalyptus leaves, a notoriously poor and somewhat toxic food source, the tree-dwelling marsupials developed unique anatomical and physiological adaptations including specialized chewing and digestive anatomies and a highly sedentary lifestyle. The dramatic differences between the skulls of extinct and modern koalas, especially in the facial region, are probably related to the change to a tougher diet of eucalyptus leaves.

This research has recently been reported at www.physorg.com  - from the new findings published as the featured cover article in the current issue of  The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Skull fragments of prehistoric koalas from the Riversleigh rainforests of millions of year ago suggest they shared the modern koala's "lazy" lifestyle and ability to produce loud "bellowing" calls to attract mates and provide warnings about predators but did not share the uniquely specialized eucalyptus leaf diet of the modern koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).

At Copenhagen, the Australian Koala Foundation (AFK)  argues two things:

1. Protecting the koala forests of Australia is an imperative step towards reducing greenhouse emissions in Australia and,

2. AKF science shows it will be impossible to replace the carbon in those forests if they are destroyed.

You can watch the video footage at www.climatetalks.tv. 

This link  will take you the page with free material to broadcast and online news usage.

From Deborah's diary...

When I return to Australia I want to speak with my Board because I believe even though we know the koala forests are filled with carbon, what must never be lost is just the fundamental respect we have to have for the forests of the world. I believe this is what HRH Prince Charles will be speaking about tomorrow and I must never forget this.

I spoke with one of the Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) negotiators, and she told me that mostly the delegates writing the legislation for REDD are bureacrats from countries all over the world - many of whom have never seen a koala, a forest or any sort of animal. They have been 'educated' by these hardworking NGO's that I have come to respect very much, but they tend to focus on the 'additionality' or 'co-benefits', which means that there might be an animal in there, or some benefit to a local tribe (the lack of respect for the indigenous people of the world just keeps coming through time and time again), but of course all of this still does not apply to Australia. They remind me of the paper shufflers I have met in every Government Department in Australia. Remind me to tell you about the latest letter I received from the Queensland Government by the way.

The whole process is soul-less. It concerns me greatly. I believe it could be so much simpler:

1. Map what we have.
2. Protect the biodiversity that is fundamental to us as a planet.
3. Protect the rivers so we have clean water.
4. Clean up the mess we have created.
5. Plant more trees
6. Grow more vegetables.
7. Provide a future for our children.

I honestly haven't seen anything as simple as this, except from the indigenous people who are here and, like the koala, don't seem to be heard.

The State Government is backing away from an error that mapped the Coomera Town Centre precinct as both pro-development and pristine koala habitat. Infrastructure and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe will today announce the Government will hold off on new koala protection regulations until next year.

The decision follows a furore from the Gold Coast City Council and the development industry over contradictory maps which could have derailed 15 years of state and council planning for the Coomera Town Centre precinct.

The biggest concern was a triangle-shaped patch of zero-development koala protection area that was mapped directly over the central heart of the town centre. Mr.Hinchliffe said uproar from the council and surrounding local governments warranted the extension.

"While protecting koalas is an urgent priority, the State Government is committed to carrying out comprehensive consultation to ensure the regulations are effective" he said.

Coomera councillor Donna Gates said the decision was good news for the council and the Coomera Town Centre. It's very positive that they listened and have allowed additional time to clarify which of their policies will take precedence in Coomera", she said.

Dr Baxter (Senior Lecturer in Natural Systems Management at University of Queensland)says that the 2006 Koala Plan released by former Environment Minister Desley Boyle [ a four-year, $A2.1 million dollar Koala Plan that was implemented in October 2006] does not address the fundamental problems the koala is facing, which is the fragmentation or loss of their habitat.

New koala planning provisions will be introduced in December 2009 and comprise:

New koala conservation state planning regulatory provisions: the Proposed South East Queensland Koala Conservation State Planning Regulatory Provision ( 746 KB 38p) and proposed koala habitat mapping that will regulate new development in koala habitat areas. You can access the several area maps from this dip page http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/maps/seq-koala-habit-regulatory-maps.html

Map 24 http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/map/koala-regs/koala-sprp-maps-24.pdf does not show any koala habitat in the Flagstone area? Difficult to believe - if you see all the surrounding habitat?  http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/map/koala-regs/proposed-seq-koala-conservation-seqkc-map-24.pdf

It is always the right time to write to our elected representatives to tell them how you feel about an issue you care about.

There are many 'things' happening locally, nationally and globally of concern to those of us who understand how important it is to conserve and enhance all existing biodiversity to protect the wellbeing of future generations - as well as us now.

The longterm survival of the iconic koala in south east Queensland is one that is swinging towards extinction. It is difficult to imagine south east Queensland

without koalas in their natural bushland state.The fate of our koala now rests with the federal governments 'scientific committee'. Concerned groups have been monitoring and reporting for years. The results of the recent RSPCA - LACA phone in is available here at http://www.rspcaqld.org.au/wildlife/

Koala in gum tree. Photo: John White

Monday 23 November 2009 British online edition of The Guardian reported on the ongoing battle being fought for many years to protect Australia's iconic koala by the koala campaigners from the Australian Koala Foundation, scientists,  conservation and wildlife care groups and concerned citizens . Journalist Gideon Haigh presented the situation.

Tuesday 10 November 2009 in Canberra, representatives of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) took a long and determined campaign for better protection of the creature to the government's "threatened species scientific committee", following a request for a review of the animal's status by environment minister Peter Garrett. The foundation presented what they say is definitive evidence of a sharp decline in koala numbers due to habitat destruction and disease. Its message was stark: the koala would be extinct "within 30 years". Hits on its website instantly doubled, and concerns were expressed about the impact on Australia's tourist industry: polls consistently show the koala to be the country's most popular animal with visitors.

IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW KOALA PLANNING INSTRUMENTS DEFERRED

Australian Koala Foundation said recently that Queensland government's new planning laws to protect dwindling koala numbers in the state's southeast are laughable. Although Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones announced a raft of new measures to protect the marsupials' habitats - what is proposed is not enough. For years concerned citizens campaigning to raise awareness of the plight of the koala and protect them by protecting and preserving the essential habitat with an easy to remember slogan  -  NO TREE NO ME.

MAPPING has placed a triangle-shaped patch of zero-development koala protection area directly over that same patch developers have planned as the central heart of the town centre.

Further to a letter from the Director-General which was circulated  to  members (of UDIA Qld) on Wednesday, the Government has now deferred the implementation of koala planning controls to replace the interim controls until 28 February 2010 and they will not come into effect as at 1st January as previously  proposed.  Further opportunity for consultation on proposed changes and  a  draft State Planning Policy is being provided. The UDIA (Qld) is  engaging  with the Government and a forum will be held in the new year to  discuss  practical implementation issues associated with the draft  instruments.

Gold Coast Bulletin, Friday 11 December 2009, page 3  "States koala chaos on map"

The Save Our Koalas rally held in Brisbane City on Friday 25th September 2009, Save the Koala Day was a great turnout! Many said there were over 1000 people on the streets. Fantastic! We were inspired by the effort made by everyone on the day and just how many passionate people there were willing to let our Governments know that we've had enough and want our Koalas protected. That message was tabled in Parliament on Thursday 8th October 2009 by Mr. Glen Elmes, state Shadow Minister for the Environment. As usual there is silence from our politicians at both the State and Federal levels.

It is now up to us collectively to keep the pressure on our Governments to act and act now!

On 10 November 2009, scientists from around Australia will meet to decide on the Australian Koala Foundation's nomination of the koala as ‘vulnerable' under the EPBC Act, Australia's threatened species legislation. If the Koala is protected then it will mean that all developments in koala habitat will have federal oversight, something that hasn't happened since white settlement 200 years ago.

So what can you do?

Keep your eyes open for koalas on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October.

In an effort to get an up to date picture of koala distribution and also to raise awareness of koalas in urban areas the survey is principally targeting Beaudesert, Boonah, Brisbane, Esk, Gatton, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan and Toowoomba. However LACA and RSPCA Qld would like to hear about any koala sightings throughout the State.

"It's important for us to get an accurate idea of numbers so that we can monitor if there's a growth or decline," said RSPCA Queensland's Wildlife Coordinator Janet Gamble. "As our population grows we're pushing further and further into their habitat."

This habitat destruction means koalas have to travel on the ground as they hunt for suitable eucalyptus leaves or mates. They then face the additional threats of motor vehicles, dogs, road barriers and fences, all of which have an impact on their lives. However Ms Gamble said the situation was not total gloom and doom. "I believe we can live together. All we need to do is show a little common sense consideration and compromise." Said Janet Gamble

Ms Anne Page, President of the Logan and Albert Conservation Association who have joined with the RSPCA to organise the census, said "We have very little information on where koala are, particularly in the south west and this a great opportunity for anyone to help koala conservation by simply going out into their backyard or nearby bush and looking and listening and letting us know if they see any koala."

The census is an ideal opportunity for all Queenslanders to participate in a vital conservation project. People are asked to phone in their koala sightings (dead or alive) to 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Koala Phone In

When: Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October.
Where: Throughout Queensland, but principally targeting

Beaudesert, Boonah, Brisbane, Esk, Gatton, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Maroochy and Toowoomba.

Phone: 1300 ANIMAL ( 1300 264 625) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Can you imagine our country without koalas? Well incredibly for the first time in our history, the future is dire for one of our national icons - film from Today Tonight can be accessed from this page. Scroll down to view the story. Business as usual urban development where trees are cleared causes stress and stress induced disease chlamydia follows with dire consequences.

Too late to protect koalas: lobbyist

 Headlines from DARREN CARTWRIGHT's coverage in The Age newspaper reports on the current koala situation in SOUTH EAST QEENSLAND for September 1, 2009

The Queensland government's new measures to prevent koalas dying out southeast of Brisbane are too little, too late, says Australian Koala Foundation boss Deb Tabart.

Ms Tabart said it has been predicted that by next year no koalas will inhabit the Koala Coast region, which is 375 square kilometres of land starting 20km southeast of Brisbane.

The state government has already acknowledged the dire situation of koalas in the region in a 2008 report, Decline of the Koala Coast Koala Population.

Ms Tabart on Tuesday said Premier Anna Bligh wrote to her this week outlining a new conservation policy for 2009 to prevent any further decline in koala numbers, which have plummeted from more than 6,000 between 1996-99 to just over 2,000 in 2008.

"It won't do anything. It's just delusion on their part," Ms Tabart told AAP, referring to the new policy.

"The only thing that will stop koalas dying is to stop cutting trees. It's as simple as that.

September is Save the Koala Month!

Can we take action to SAVE THE KOALA IN SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND?

WHAT WILL YOU DO TO HELP PROTECT ESSENTIAL KOALA HABITAT?

Talk to your politicians at all levels and tell them you value the koala more than built infrastructure designed only for an ever growing and demanding human population

KOALAS OR COAL IN SEQ?

KOALAS OR HUMAN SETTLEMENT?

Have you heard about the Southern Freight Rail Corridor - cutting through pristine bushland with a population of healthy koalas? This area was NOT MAPPED for the koala SPP - state planning policy.

Is coal for future energy at the cost of koalas what we want?

AKF RALLY 11 AM FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2009 IN BRISBANE

Brisbane Square, Brisbane City

Save the Koala Day
Bring along as many people as possible to help us secure the future of the Koala

Ipswich Koala Protection Society is one of the key groups that have formed an alliance to fight the nexus between developer donations and political decisions.

 "We're tired of writing submissions and 'comments' that seem to be ignored," said Helen Darbellay, IKPS Secretary, "they have not provided any protection to Ipswich koalas in the past and are not likely to in the future unless serious changes are made to stop landclearing and protect essential regrowth" she said.

 "About six years ago we, (IKPS) worked with Ipswich City Council planners to identify and map key areas of koala habitat only to have much of it 'unmapped' by the state government" Ms Darbellay said.

 "The comparison between koala observations in Ipswich and the latest GHD koala habitat mapping show little recognition of large areas of high density and important lower density koala landscapes throughout Ipswich, with Ipswich being shown as largely white space on the GHD map," she said.

 "The Regional Plan maps and Infrastructure plans threaten core areas and koala corridors. The proposed Southern Freight Rail Corridor threatens large tracts of prime habitat, known to be home to a large population of healthy koalas. The area is an undocumented Biodiversity hotspot, yet is afforded no protection under any local, State or Federal legislation.

 "The koala as an umbrella species and fauna icon should be declared Endangered"

Please browse the pages of the IKPS's  website to learn more about their activities.  Based in South-East Queensland, IKPS is an incorporated group that provides a 24/7 ambulance service for more than 100 sick, injured or orphaned koalas each year. IKPS helps to raise baby koalas orphaned by motor vehicles and domestic dog attacks. IKPS plants trees that provide koalas food to replace those lost as a result of development.

IKPS provides information to the community and to local government on koalas, their needs and their future. IKPS has no paid staff ... everyone is a volunteer. And you can help too!

Any assistance you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Koalas to lose ‘prime habitat' is all too familiar headline we are reading constantly in newspapers from areas all across south east Queensland.

Media Release

Monday, August 17, 2009

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND KOALA ALLIANCE FORMED

TO FIGHT DEVELOPER INFLUENCE

Representatives from key community organisations across South East Queensland met today at Griffith University to form an alliance with one key purpose - to save the koala and with it, our South East Queensland quality of life.

From the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Caboolture, Redlands, Scenic Rim and Brisbane groups repeatedly gave the same stories of how the State Government's South East Queensland Regional Plan is eradicating the koala and systematically destroying the environment and values that make South East Queensland such a special place.

"Today clearly confirmed that the State Government's SEQ Regional Plan is the blunt instrument which is killing off the koala all across South East Queensland. The Regional Plan and the Infrastructure Plan serve the interests of the development industry, not the community and certainly not the koala. The words and maps in the Plan reflect Government denial of the serious plight of the Koala," said Ted Fensom of the Brisbane Region Environment Council (BREC)

Wayne Cameron of Bulimba Creek Coordinating Catchment Committee Inc. (B4C) agrees: "The koala is the canary in the coal mine. Its spiralling numbers and potential local extinction are a direct consequence of the development which is overwhelming the environment and diminishing quality of life across South East Queensland."

Simon Baltais of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland (WPSQ) added: "There is not a day goes by in SEQ that a community group cannot point to a development outcome that ignores the science and the community yet seemingly favours the developer."

"We all know that ‘he who pays the piper call the tune' and so one of the key objectives of the Alliance is to break the nexus between developer donations and political influence. The Alliance will be pushing for a Royal Commission into developer-funded electoral campaigns and seeking to ensure that this hijacking of democracy is brought to an end in Queensland," said Simon Baltais.

Lavinia Wood of the Community Alliance for Responsible Planning (CARP) Redland Inc. agreed, adding "The SEQ Regional Plan is the product of a pro-growth agenda delivering short-term financial advantage to developers, but long-term disadvantage and harm to the people and wildlife of South East Queensland. Clearly the Regional Plan must be amended immediately to prevent this from happening."

David Stephen of FAIR GO Committee who is dealing with the Southern Freight Rail Corridor through key koala habitat said,

"It's fantastic to see city and rural folk working together to save the koala and our children's future."

Lynn Roberts of the Koala Action Group & Eprapah Creek Catchment Landcare Association Inc. (ECCLA) summed up the value of the Alliance, "Today was inspiring - the community coming together to take on a David and Goliath battle, groups setting aside any differences to rescue SEQ from developer-driven planning. This is all about putting the decisions about the future back in the hands of the people."

Contacts:
Lavinia Wood - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Simon Baltais - Mobile: 0447 539 968

The state government is proposing a number of changes to the Koala Plan to address basically two broad issues - for inclusion in the SPP. Your thoughts on the government's proposed responses to these issues are needed to help government draft the SPP before it is released for public consultation later this year.

State governent has identified a number of common concerns they believe are critical to the future viability of SEQ's koala population.

These concerns can be consolidated into two broad issues

Up-to-date and accurate koala habitat maps

Stronger and more effective koala conservation measures, balanced against environmental, social and economic needs.

Share your views online. Clicking on the link to the left will take you to the page to fill in online your comments. Closing date 28 August 2009