The State Government has partnered with Sunshine Coast Council to secure key koala, glossy black cockatoo and ground parrot habitat by acquiring a 150-hectare property at Peregian Beach for future declaration as a conservation park.
The property, located on Monak Road, shares boundaries with the Doonan Wetland Nature Refuge and Noosa National Park.
Its inclusion on Queensland’s expansive list of protected area builds on the Noosa-Maroochy Wallum Area biodiversity corridor which provides koalas and other native species a safe passage to thrive in, and move between, key habitat areas on the Sunshine Coast.
As well as koalas, the estate provides essential habitat for the ground parrot, the glossy black cockatoo, the Wallum Froglet and the tusked frog.
The property is also home to the endangered Mountain Emu she-oak, which is only found within a 55km radius between Beerburrum and Noosa.
The new conservation park will allow visitors to connect with these protected species in their natural habitat while ensuring the estate continues to foster its unique biodiversity.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service will work together with Sunshine Coast Council and the Kabi Kabi People to oversee the management of the estate, including pest control and fire management to ensure the area maintains its significant environmental value for generations to come.
“Three of the protected species found on the property – the sand yabby, the ground parrot and the Mount Emu she-oak – are mostly restricted to this part of Sunshine Coast region, highlighting the importance of conserving this area to protect these species,” Environment Minister Leanne Linard said at the site on Tuesday.
“This is an exciting acquisition and I thank Sunshine Coast Council for partnering with the Miles Government to ensure the environmental values of the area are protected.”
“Connecting the Doonan Wetlands Nature Refuge and Noosa National Park on Kabi Kabi land, with this bushland, will create a wildlife corridor that locals have been fighting for for a long time,” Queensland Conservation Council Protected Areas Campaigner Nicky Moffat said.
“Queensland has spectacular, unique natural and cultural landscapes and they need to be cared for. Well-funded protected areas are vitally important and it’s great to see leadership from this Government towards the important goal of doubling Queensland’s protected areas estate.
“It’s great to see the vital habitat these forests create for threatened species like our iconic koalas will be protected from development and cared for in meaningful consultation with Traditional Owners, the Kabi Kabi People.”
“This parcel of land at Peregian Beach provides a critical link in the Noosa–Maroochy Wallum Area between Doonan Wetlands Nature Refuge and Sunshine Coast Council-owned environmental reserves to the south and Noosa National Park in the north,” Sunshine Coast Council Environment and Liveability Portfolio Councillor Maria Suarez said.
“The estate features extensive high-quality bushland, a strong diversity of vegetation communities across six mapped regional ecosystems and a strategic position within the landscape, and will offer rare protected habitat for the vulnerable ground parrot in our region.
“This is fantastic news for the region with huge benefits for our adjoining Sunshine Coast and Noosa Biospheres and communities,” Sunshine Coast Environment Council (SCEC) Advocacy & Engagement Manager, Narelle McCarthy said.
“The expansion of the nationally important Noosa-Maroochy Wallum Corridor with this important acquisition provides crucial connectivity vital for biodiversity and threatened species.
“It is particularly significant to see the outstanding values and extent of the conservation estate on Kabi Kabi Country further increased through collaborative partnerships and management given the long-running campaigns first waged by the community over 20 years ago to establish the foundations of this incredibly important Protected Area.
“SCEC is absolutely thrilled with this latest acquisition and looks forward to further additions in future to safeguard habitat and ecosystems.”
