Koala Coast no more as crucial land left out of crucial habitat zones

A grim picture for the future of Queensland’s koalas has been painted after startling state government statistics show more than 380,000 hectares of habitat have been left out of priority zonings.

A grim picture for the future of Queensland’s koalas has been painted after startling state government statistics revealed this week showed more than 380,000 hectares of habitat have been left out of priority zonings.

Environment Department statistics showed 12 southeast council areas had protected 577,155ha for the endangered species but a whopping 43.95 per cent of that land, or 244,877ha, was not koala habitat.

Statistics from the Department of the Environment for 12 local government areas.

The koala data was for Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, Noosa, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba areas.

The Moreton Bay Regional Council area had the largest amount of koala priority land in the southeast with 135,371ha listed.

However, of that designated land, 57 per cent, was not koala habitat, while 10,425ha of crucial habitat was not in the zoning.

A koala goes walking on the footpath at Cleveland.

Brisbane allocated 40,959ha as priority koala land with 29,000ha inhabited by koalas.

A further 7421ha of land where koalas were living in Brisbane had been left out of the priority zoning.

The figures showed Redland City, which uses a koala for its logo and was once known as the Koala Coast, has more than 19,000ha of koala habitat left out of the state’s koala priority zoning.

A koala in a tree in Cleveland drew much attention from walkers, even though the land is not mapped koala habitat.

Almost half of the city’s total land area of 52,056ha, is designated as Koala Priority Areas but only 8182ha is mapped as koala habitat.

Koala advocates and conservation groups said it was ridiculous that 19,716ha in Redland had not been prioritised while 13,001ha of land not essential to koalas had been included.

Koala Action Group president Debbie Pointing said her members noted significant flaws in the state’s koala mapping with large tracts of important coastal breeding land overlooked.

Koala Action Group president Debbie Pointing said there had been an 80 per cent decline in the Redland koala population from 4000 to about 700-800 over the past decade.

She said it was vital the correct land was prioritised and believed many of the councils were “chest-beating” by adding non-essential and irrelevant land to their koala land tallies.

“State maps exclude coastal and urban lands where data shows the majority of koalas are living and breeding,” she said.

“It’s vital that the coastal and urban koala population and their habitat are recognised and protected as they’re likely to be the last koalas standing.

“The large bush areas included in Koala Priority Areas can’t be regarded as the only safe areas as we saw the 2019-20 bushfires wipe out entire populations.

Koala trees that will be bulldozed to make way for a sports complex on Heinemann Rd, Mount Cotton.

“On one hand, the Redland council is doing some great koala research, but on the other, a sector is making decisions so development wins out every time.”

Ms Pointing said concerns were raised this year, when Redland council announced plans to clear koala habitat land to make way for a multimillion-dollar sports complex at Mount Cotton.

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon at Australia Zoo with Lilly the Koala. Photo: Annette Dew

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the data reflected core habitat areas and priority areas.

“Within these Koala Priority Areas, clearing of core and locally refined koala habitat is prohibited, subject to certain exemptions,” Ms Scanlon said.

“In order to provide certainty to landholders and businesses, the Koala Priority Areas have not changed since their first release in early 2020.

Mum and bub in Cleveland.

“These areas will remain the same for the life of the South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020-2025 and will be reviewed in 2025.

“Koala Habitat Areas are amended annually to allow the state to continue to accurately identify the best available koala habitat based on the latest data and science.

“Decisions based on science are the foundation for responsible management in order to protect koalas as well as balancing the needs of an expanding population.”