The State Government is asking Queenslanders to have their say and help strengthen the state’s south east Queensland koala protections.
Introduced in February 2020, amendments to planning regulations increased existing protections for koala habitat in the south east corner where koalas are particularly vulnerable.
More than 714,040 hectares are now mapped as koala habitat – that includes more than 332,278 hectares classified as koala priority areas, where development is prohibited.
Three years on from its introduction, a post-implementation review of the regulations will seek feedback on how to improve on areas like unintended clearing of koala habitat areas, monitoring, and some experiences with complexity, costs and limited certainty from industry.
Feedback received will contribute to the development of final recommendations published in a Decision Post Implementation Review report.
It builds on other initiatives to protect koalas across Queensland including $24.6 million locked in during last year’s budget, as well as the 2020-2025 south east Queensland Koala Strategy.
Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said, “We introduced the strongest koala protections ever in Queensland’s history.”
“It means more than 700,000 hectares of land is subject to strong conditions to protect this native species.
“Like any good government, it’s necessary to review regulations and see how we can continue to improve.
“We have heard from stakeholders that the 2020 koala regulations, which include both development assessment requirements and a prohibition on applications to clear koala habitat in priority areas, have been successful.
“But we also know we can do more. We’ll be seeking view on improvements we can make to the framework to meet the needs of its users and ensure the protection of koala populations in the long term.”
More information on how to comment on the review and the proposed improvements to SEQ’s koala habitat regulations is available at bit.ly/40nBYBf.
Submissions close at 5pm on 5 June, 2023.
