Logan and Albert Conservation Association
Environment and Planning article March 2008: Additional EPA approval now required for clearing least concern native vegetation - article by Melanie Simmonds on website for Deacons - a major law firm with many lawyers across Australia and Asia. The whole article can also be downloaded from that page
‘Least concern' plants are all plants indigenous to Australia, except those listed as threatened, rare or near threatened under the Nature Conservation Act. On 8 February 2008, the position in relation to clearing least concern plants changed due to the Environmental Protection Legislation Amendment Regulation (No 1) 2008, which repealed s7 of the NC Plan. Previously, a clearing permit from the EPA was only required if the plants to be cleared were threatened, rare or near threatened. Currently, a clearing permit from the EPA is required to clear any native plant.
Logan and Albert Conservation Association believes that the greatest threats to the long term survival of koalas in South East Queensland include loss of habitat to allow for expansion of the urban footprint and associated infrastructure and failure to identify Koala Conservation Areas by surveying.
Here we will endeavour to provide links to relevant reports, documents, websites, news stories, EPA documents and other resources that will help the reader follow the koala's path to the future.
Please contact us if you would like to contribute to this resource page.
This report from EPA : Report on Koala Coast koala surveys 2005-2006 has details regarding koala population decline - they do refer to Logan but it is only Logan in the Koala Coast Region (ie east of the Pacific Motorway).
Another report of interest is that detailing information about the requirement to have a koala spotter for clearing trees in District A. The file Tree clearing and trimming - Koala Spotter requirements is available here.
Some Terms used and explained include:
Clearing: the Koala Plan refers to the Integrated Planning Act 1997 for the definition of "clearing". Under this Act, clearing means remove, cut down, ring bark, push over or destroy in any way including burning, flooding or draining. It does not include destroying standing vegetation by stock or lopping a tree.
District A: is defined as the SEQ Region as per the SEQ Regional Plan. District A contains the highest koala population densities at the highest risk from threatening processes.
Koala Habitat Areas are identified as Koala Conservation Areas (KCA), Koala Sustainability Areas (KSA) or Urban Koala Areas (UKA).
Koala Habitat Tree: means a tree of any of the following genera: Angophora; Corymbia (gum tree), Eucalyptus (gum tree); Lophostemon (brush box or swamp box); or Melaleuca (paper bark or tea tree).
You can sign up to receive an EPA email newsletter fortnightly by sending a message with ‘subscribe' in the subject line to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The whole Queensland government Koala Conservation Plan and Management Plan 2006-2016 [6.32Mb] can be accessed or downloaded from this page - essential reading before the review of SEQ Regional Plan towards end 2008.
YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED TO PROTECT KOALAS.
This week Premier Anna Bligh and Andrew McNamara , Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation announced the urgent need for a koala taskforce and rescue plan. Recent reports predicted a decline in koala populations and that koalas could be extinct in South-east Queensland within the next 20 years.
Reports by GHD consultants for Moreton Regional Council showed a 46% decline in the last 6 years in Pine Rivers' urban koala population density, and an EPA report in 2007 showed numbers had dropped by 26% in the Koala Coast Region (Redlands Council).
While Logan and Albert Conservation Association agree with the summation of the report, this announcement comes after the Premier officially released 40 000 hectares of bushland for development under the guise of affordable housing, despite the protests of conservation groups in South-east Queensland.
Despite these predicted declines in koalas in South-east Queensland, massive development is still proposed for Logan City Council and Scenic Rim Regional Council areas with population increases of 30 000 for Park Ridge MPA, 25 000 for Greenbank, 60 000 for Flagstone and 60 000 for Yarrabilba as part of the SEQRP. The koala populations of Logan City and the Scenic Rim Region are still unknown. To date no official koala surveys have been conducted to identify and map Koala Conservation Areas. LACA believes Logan Council will conduct surveys in former Beaudesert Shire areas.
Matters taken into consideration by the inquiry included, but were not restricted to:
The ACCC provided its report to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs on 31 July 2008.
The grocery inquiry report is available by following the links on this webpage. No printed version of this publication is available. There is at no cost.
Premier The Honourable Anna Bligh, and Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation The Honourable Andrew McNamara released a joint statement Wednesday 5 August 2008. It reads
are among options to be considered as the Bligh Government confronts a crisis facing koalas in southeast Queensland.
Premier Anna Bligh said new research showed the population of koalas in the wild was directly linked to the animals' movement through urban areas and urgent action was needed to slow the dramatic mortality rate.
This information has come to light since the introduction in 2006 of the Government's Koala Plan and means more radical moves are needed to stop the extinction of koalas in SEQ.
Hon Andrew McNamara MP Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation says in the foreword:
The policy establishes a framework for using environmental offsets in Queensland. It provides principles and guidelines for applying and developing more detailed ‘specific-issue' offsets policies for important environmental values such as vegetation and fish habitat. Environmental impacts from development must first be avoided and if not avoidable then minimised. Environmental offsets may be used to counterbalance any
remaining loss of environmental values. The policy will ensure that offsets are used consistently and transparently across the State, as a last line of environmental preservation response. The full document can be read here.
All levels of government need to place more value on conserving koalas and their essential habitat now in order for the koala species to survive in Australia. Dr Hanger from the Wildlife Hospital Australia reports on the latest findings of a study University of Queensland have conducted the past year following the progress of 10 koalas which, up until their release, had never lived independently. This story is available from Sunshine Coast Daily Online. Read it here.
The Australian Koala Foundation and other conservation groups are very concerned about the longterm survival of the koala - our national icon. AKF called for an overhaul of the 1998 National Koala Strategy because it has "not helped the koalas" with over 25 000 recorded koala deaths since its inception. The media release is available here. Australian Koala Foundation also has an enewsletter which can be accessed from the same page.
Koala Campaigners is a recent strategy led by the Australian Koala Foundation to help you help the koala.
A TEAM of international young volunteers from Hong Kong, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, UK and Belgium has arrived for the next phase of the "Rescue Action for the Veresdale Scrub" managed by the Logan and Albert Conservation Association (LACA). The team of seven young people and team leader Myrium De Rignies has been provided by Conservation Volunteer Australia to help LACA on the Bilarabyn Reserve site at Veresdale. The one per cent of the remaining areas of the Veresdale Scrub stretch across the Scenic Rim and Logan City Councils from Gleneagle to Cedar Vale.
Team leader Myrium De Rignies (left) with the LACA volunteers about to tackle rescue action at Veresdale Scrub with project leader Carla Parker on the right.
The Rescue Helpline is available for bat rescue advice and assistance. The Helpline services the Greater Brisbane Area, taking in Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands and Pine Rivers.
The Helpline is staffed by local volunteers, who have been trained in Bat rescue, care and rehabilitation. It is an EPA requirement that all bat hanlders be vaccinated against Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABL). All of our volunteers have been appropriately vaccinated.
Rescue Mobile - 24 hr service - 0488 228 134
Bat Information Help Line ph : (07) 3321 1229
.rescue.education.conservation.habitat.
ENDANGERED REGIONAL ECOSYTEM is threatened by subdivision and development application being assessed under out of date planning documents. A copy of this planning scheme is available on Logan's website here. It is a pdf file of 171 pages. It was first published 9 February 1985. The Beaudesert Shire Planning Scheme 2007 (commenced 30 March 2007) can be accessed from this webpage.