Rate payers to help save Coast koalas with $3-a-year koala levy

COOMERA or Pimpama have been touted as possible areas for Gold Coast City Council’s $10 million koala habitat protection plan. Here’s how your $3 will help save koalas.

CONSERVATION groups have welcomed the Gold Coast City Council’s announcement of a $10.85 million fund for koala habitat protection, but hope it is not too late.

To create the fund, ratepayers will contribute $3 per annum to a special koala levy, starting this year.

Rate payers to help save Coast koalas with $3-a-year koala levy. Photo of a koala. Photo by Richard Gosling

Around $800,000 will be raised next financial year with the council planning to borrow the additional $10 million to fund “koala land” purchases.

Council told the Gold Coast Bulletin last September that they would buy koala reserves to counteract the impact land clearing and development had on the species.

However, a conservation group says while the move is welcomed, plans had to be actioned quickly as hundreds of koalas still remained trapped on urban sites.

As development continues on the Gold Coast the koala population is on the verge of being wiped out. Dead koalas pictured at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

“Time is ticking,” said Coomera Conservation Group spokeswoman Karina Waterman.

“We are losing critical habitat every day, especially in the Coomera area, and we can’t afford to lose any more koalas.

“It’s great council are going to put money towards land for a new habitat but there are already so many koalas fragmented and cut off,” she said.

“It’s a little bit overdue.”

Mayor Tom Tate said the Koala Fund had support of the councillors. Key areas being looked into included Coomera and Pimpama.

“We will be able to purchase habitat important for koalas,” he said.

Mayor Tom Tate is a fan of koalas. Here he is pictured with Games mascot Borobi. Picture Glenn Hampson.

“We will invest in infrastructure that will help the koala survive and thrive (including) improving habitat coverage and condition, decreasing koala injuries and fatalities caused by domestic and pest animals, and managing threats from traffic and bushfire.

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KOALAS ‘SCRAPED OFF OUR ROADS”

“For example, if a land purchase adjoins a busy road, we would look to install protective measures as we know that vehicle strikes are a major cause of koala injury and death.

Mayor Tom Tate has announced a $10.85 million Koala Fund. Picture Mike Batterham.

“The other big issue facing koalas are domestic dogs so we will look at what measures can be undertaken to keep domestic dogs away from these koala areas.”