Logan and Albert Conservation Association

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