How much can a koala bear?

ENVIRONMENT Minister Dr Steven Miles was in Noosa today (30 September) to announce a new survey that will ask for the community’s opinion on the declining koala population.
Dr Miles visited Makepeace Island for a fund-raising luncheon and said the government was now seeking comment from the public through a new online survey that will gauge community perceptions on koalas and their management.
Dr Miles said the survey would be used in part by a newly-appointed koala expert panel in the development of recommendation for future strategies to ensure the long-term survival of koalas in the wild.
“We want input from the public and will also be consulting with key organisations including regional councils, land use and planning representatives, and koala conservation representatives,” he said.
Some of the questions on the survey include: What are the threats that are having the greatest impact to koalas in your local area? Can you recommend measures that could address these treats? Do you record koala sightings in your area?
“Although protection measures have been in place for the past 20 years, there is still a decline in koala population densities, which is concerning,” Dr Miles said.
“However, without these existing measures, there is the potential that the decline may have been significantly greater. There is now an opportunity to review all koala programs and initiatives to determine if changes are needed to current strategies.”
Speaking at the luncheon, Dr Miles praised the work of the Richard Branson Koala Conservancy in raising awareness of the plight of the koala.
“The drastic decline in koala numbers led to the establishment of this conservancy and a commitment by Makepeace Island owners Sir Richard Branson and Brett Godfrey to fund koala research,” he said.
“As is the case with the State Government, the conservancy believes that action must be based on scientific research.”
The new survey is on the Get Involved website www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au and will be open until Friday 21 October.