Plans to turn land into massive nature reserve submitted to Toowoomba council

Plans have been revealed to turn a plot of land in the northern parts of the city into a reserve that would provide an environment for vulnerable and endangered plants and animals.

A plan to turn a large piece of land north of Toowoomba into a massive nature reserve for vulnerable and endangered plants and animals has been proposed to council.

Dr Diana Beal, the vice-president of the Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species (FAME), has lodged plans with the Toowoomba Regional Council to split a large lot off Magpie Lane at Gowrie Junction into two.

Under the plan, the new northern lot measuring 17ha would be classed as an “environmental facility” under the care of the Wildlife Fund, a non-profit company associated with Wildlife Queensland.

Magpie Lane at Gowrie Junction, Toowoomba.

According to the report by Alpha Planning Application’s Anna Lu, the land would not be connected to any council infrastructure or be open to the public.

“At present the fund owns several smaller private nature reserves located in southeast and central Queensland, with each holding significant conservation values,” the report said.

“The fund primarily relies on donations from the public, and a volunteer program, to manage, protect and preserve the significant conservation values of each of their wildlife/environment reserves,” the report said.

“It is expected that only periodic ‘working bees’ will be held by the fund, utilising volunteers to carry out activities which are likely to involve land management and rehabilitation activities including revegetation, erosion and sediment control, weed and pest control and animal control; and varied scientific/research studies.”

An ecological impact assessment by Yarramine Environmental concluded the land had a “high level” of significance, adding the designation of the area as a nature reserve would enhance this.

“Given the nature of the proposed development in the context of the established ecological values of the subject site and its contribution to the surrounding landscape, it is considered the proposal would not have any impact on the ecological values prevailing in the area,” the report said.

“On the contrary it is expected that with sound land management and conservation practices by The Wildlife Fund, the proposal would have a net benefit.”

It determined 33 threatened fauna species could potentially occur within a 5km radius of the subject site, although the author observed none of these during a field survey.

These include the Grey Falcon (vulnerable), Swift Parrot (critical), Australian Painted Snipe (endangered) and the koala (endangered).

However, the report also featured a list of more than 90 native species spotted on the property between 1973 and 2022.

“Given previous observations within the locality, the subject site may potentially provide some intermittent/transitory habitat value within a broader home-range or migratory pathway (for birds),” it said.