RALLY for KINGS FOREST KOALAS :- Saturday 10th December, 2011

Article in the Tweed News at goldcoast.com.au “Tweed activists call for planting now” (Nikki Todd, 16th Jan 2012)… Friends of Cudgen Nature Reserve have called for KOALA TREE PLANTINGS to be done immediately, at the LEDA ‘s KINGS FOREST DEVELOPMENT. The Landcare Group is asking that the KOALA food trees offered (20,000) to be planted by Leda should be planted now, as to leave them too long, for planting, will result in loss of KOALA life. The trees have been promised as part of a buffer zone near the Cudgen Nature Reserve.

“Concern over Kings Forest Koalas” – recent historical concerns about the impact of development at Kings Forest and the health of the diminishing local Koala population.

“More time urged for Kings Forest say” at ABC news 9th Dec 2011

 SUMMARY_Cudgen_Lake

An article by the Tweed Shire Echo (13th October 2011) outlined some of the concerns about this illegal clearing in the Cudgen Nature Reserve.( see “”cowboys” trash nature reserve” – article by  Luis Feliu and Chris Dobney).

Cate Faehrmann of the NSW Greens has attempted to find answers, (site legal notice NSW Govt Hansard)  concerning this dark operation of environmental vandalism. Cate Faehrmann is a courageous champion of the voiceless homeless millions, that are our endangered Australian Wildlife.

• Senate Environment and Communications Committee (Parliament of Australia : SENATE):-  ”The koala—saving our national icon” 22 September 2011  Commonwealth of Australia 2011 ISBN 978-1-74229-524-4
• FRIENDS of the KOALA : Koala Carers and volunteer support for the KOALAS of the NORTHERN RIVERS, NSW.
• ” Your Guide to Living with Koalas” – the City of Ballarat’s excellence award winning brochure (Planning excellence award from the Planning Institute of Australia). If you cannot find this guide, try searching for “Your Guide to Living with Koalas” in the bluecray Environmental Search.

This illegal clearing and environmental vandalism of the Cudgen Nature Reserve, is not the first such case, in the Tweed shire, nor indeed, in NE NSW and SE QLD. This is one of a long line, of illegal and government sanctioned clearings and degrading operations, that have and are still occurring. A careful search of the internet, public libraries (you should be able to find Hansard in the Library) , and news articles in newspapers can show you much more information than I could write here.

• Help the NSW Government Office of Environment and Heritage remedy and educate about illegal clearing of Native Vegetation in NSW. This NSW Government Office of Environment and Heritage has huge responsibilities, and a vaste number  of  (about 45 in total) ACTS that they administer.

• You can also look at Tweed Coast Estuary Management Plan HERE.

• The Cudgen Nature Reserve Plan of Management link is HERE**
• Australian Wetlands Data Base – NSW References
•  Kings Forest development application process
• Consider the following:-
  • “The National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974, requires that a plan of management be prepared for each nature reserve. A plan of management is a legal document that outlines how the area will be managed in the years ahead.”   &   “Now that the plan has been adopted by the Minister, no operations may be undertaken within the Nature Reserve except in accordance with the plan.”  (from the Cudgen Nature Reserve Plan of Management Part A. Introduction).
    
  • In the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974, have a look at Part 4 division 6; Part 5; Part 6A; Part 7; Part 8A; Part 14; Part 15… these parts of the Act may help you understand the seriousness of the illegal clearing that has occurred, of vegetation, wildlife habitat and wetland area of the Cudgen Nature Reserve.

• Australan Institute of Criminology -” Illegal Native Vegetation Clearing” .    Here you will find references to the NSW Native Vegetation Act 2003 .  There are also references to the following:-
  • Primary Statutes within NSW Concerning Clearing of Native Vegetation are:-  the Native vegetation Act 2003,   Threatened Species Conseration Act 1995 and the Environmental  Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (Local Environmental Plan)
  • Examples of Maximum Penalty for offences
  • Much more. This webpage is worth reading.
  •  Environmental crime in Australia “Research and public policy series no. 109″, by Samantha Bricknell (ISBN 978 1 921532 64  1  ISSN 1836-2079)  Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, October 2010 . This publication is available at the AIC’s website.

And now, back to original ARTICLE:-

However,  if pointing a  finger at identities and individual men or women who it is only “believed” may have taken part in this current proactive method of Environmental degradation, remember that a “forensic” trail/investigative instruments can be helpful. Sometimes, things are not what they appear.  Some more general points worth considering, when abhorrent and illegal clearing occurs may be:-

• The Australian Government’s “Australian Institute of Criminology” website has some useful INFORMATION on illegal native vegetation clearing.  Environmental crime in Australia “Research and public policy series no. 109″, by Samantha Bricknell (ISBN 978 1 921532 64  1  ISSN 1836-2079)  Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, October 2010 . This publication is available at the AIC’s website.
• Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales – Zoologist Article 2007 Vol 34 (2) – Milledge D Opinion Piece Threatened species conservation at the local level in New South Wales – this article can be found at the ZOOLOGIST data base for their journal. This article concerns NSW threatened species conservation, refers to illegal clearing, and degrading environmental management practiced by landholders, who then develop the landscape into inappropriate urban developments. Proposed developments ( such as KINGS FOREST – adjacent to where this illegal clearing of Cudgen Nature Reserve took place),  then even further degrade the ENVIRONMENTAL and ECOSYSTEM HEALTH, both to the local and regional detriment. It is  noted in this article that the  NSW government administerd threatened species CONSERVATION was at a low level (2007).
• Adam Gosling’s full paper presentation at the Healthy wetlands 20th NSW Coastal conference 2011 stated ”Australia is reported to have lost between 75 and 90 percent of coastal wetlands over the past 200 years (Finlayson, 2000. Usback & James 1993). Not only have wetlands been decimated historically through land clearing for agriculture and urban development and drained or isolated from adjoining wetlands, they remain one of the most severely threatened ecosystems in eastern Australia through coastal development and land use.“
• LAND CLEARANCE – a National Key Threatening Process - The threatening process meets s188(4)(a), s188(4)(b) and s188(4)(c) of the EPBC Act.   Description of Land Clearance from ” the Advice to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage from the TSSC on a public nomination of a Key Threatening Process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999″  -  “Land clearing consists of the destruction of the above ground biomass of native vegetation and its substantial replacement by non-local species or by human artefacts. Native vegetation is defined as vegetation in which native species constitute more than 70% of the plant cover, or other vegetation containing populations of species listed under the EPBC Act. Substantial replacement by non-local species or human artefacts is defined as the achievement of more than 70% of the total cover by species or human artefacts that did not occur previously on the site.  Land clearing includes clearance of native vegetation for crops, improved, pasture, plantations, gardens, houses, mines, buildings and roads. It also includes infilling of wetlands or dumping material on dry land native vegetation, and the drowning of vegetation through the construction of impoundments. It does not include silvicultural operations in native forests and manipulation of native vegetation composition and structure by grazing, burning or other means.  ” Endangered Species Scientific Sub-committee, (ESSS).
• It would be reasonable to think that the Destruction of the Coastal Strip of the Tweed Coast is looking like a very destructive form of Land Management. Laws such as the afore mentioned EPBC Act, with its key threatening Processes, the NSW Primary Statutes within NSW Concerning Clearing of Native Vegetation  -  the Native vegetation Act 2003,   Threatened Species Conseration Act 1995 and the Environmental  Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (Local Environmental Plan) – these laws are not helping with regard to environmental vandalism, and the mass destruction of remnant, highly disturbed (and fragmented) habitat that native wildlife are currently (and often stressfully ) surviving in, on the TWEED COAST….. Why are non ecologically sustainable developments and their associated destructive practices still occurring?  Is this due to due process? Is this due to inadequate legislation? Is it due to discretionary powers as opposed to obligatory requirement? Is this due to lack of education? Is it due to lack of practical management skills in authentic land and water stewardship? OR is it due to the fact that the fabric of society is living a massive lie, and that high energy, wasteful, destructive, non ecologically sustainable practices are still “running the economy, socially mainstream acceptable perceptions, and that, basically, the majority of people just really do not care about the future wellbeing of the Tweed Coast, the wetlands, the ecosystems of Australia, the biodiverse fabric of nature that supports us all, and the future of our Children??????  Where is the common good clearly displayed,  within this  social and legal machination of Ecologically Sustainable Development?
• Perhaps  this clearing of endangered Koala habitat in Tweed Shire may have occurred because all about the Northern Rivers, HABITAT CLEARING is occurring as a matter of course, and the clearing agent thought it was OK?
• Perhaps the man or woman who cleared the area of Cudgen Nature Reserve, or who INSTRUCTED the Habitat Clearing didn’t know that Australian Wildlife is rapidly disappearing from this area of the Tweed Shire???
• Perhaps they needed the money to live, and instructed the clearing to help them survive in this harsh economic environment, where property values are sliding, rents are increasing and non sustainable developments are stressing the land and water health to the point where the little man (and native animal) can no longer survive??????????. I have often observed that where clearing of land occurs, that is damaging to the environment, there is usually a chain of events that can be tracked, that will show where the real responsibility lies. Usually, it is found to be hand in hand with ignorance + the illusion that the illegal/legal clearing will lead to profit. 
• Occasionally, I have observed that vegetation and habitat destruction is prompted by a basic criminal mindset.  Whatever the case is, at Cudgen Nature Reserve – ignorance, greed or amoral /immoral mindset – the man / woman responsible requires immediate attention by all concerned over this illegal act. EDUCATION concerning the plight of threatened species (and disappearing wetland vegetation communities / habitats / ECOSYSTEMS) is lacking – both in the general public and professional/political arenas. The corporate arena ?- this arena has long since lost its authenticity and credibility:-  the mass destruction of  coastal wetlands from the North of Brisbane (QLD) to Ballina Shire (NSW) attest to this.  

It is important to let the due process occur. It is also important to recognise the real and immediate victims of this crime –  The Native Wildlife of the Tweed Coast and Hinterland. It is of most importance that it be recognised that, when it comes to development in the Tweed Shire, infrastructure and development processes have both an insidious and uncaring trend – both as social implication for the human residents, and for the environmental health of the region.

• Tweed Coast Estuary Management Plan HERE.

• The Cudgen Nature Reserve Plan of Management link is HERE.

What is of note, concerning this most recent highly publicized act of proactive land degradation in the rapidly developing Tweed Coast is:-

• IF the surrounding area of  VEGETATION COMMUNITY, ECOSYSTEM and NATIVE WILDLIFE HABITAT  were intact, RESILIENT, CARED FOR( by individuals, companies, developers, landholders, Environmental Australian and NSW LAWS), then a small area of highly disturbed, highly degraded Habitat and Ecosystem may recover rather quickly.
• Authentic Land and Water Stewardship, if enacted out by Australian, NSW and QLD Laws, individuals and corporate entities, could help save, and indeed enhance our threatened species and threatened Ecosystems. This is clearly not the case, when it comes to these Australian, NSW and QLD LAWS, corporate entities and individuals.
• Koala Corridors and Buffers Zones should be part of the WHOLE DEVELOPMENT APPROACH. The area being developed for human settlement and infrastructure SHOULD include a whole plan approach, whereby the KOALA and ITS HABITAT is integral and 100% incorporated into the whole design.
• This is the same for ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE PRINCIPLES :-  water storage for each house; SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT and WASTE MINIMISATION; improved and enhanced wetland and INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT & integrated native wildlife  habitat  enhancement throughout the entire development; sensible covenants on fencing, dogs, cats, rabbits, vegetation; energy efficient materials/design and development procedures & processes; local and regional environmentally sustainable employment opportunities; local food & local sustainable industry creation or mentorship; fire, flood, noise, environmental and noxious weeds awareness. Town Planners know these lists more comprehensively. These things reinforce the importance and inherent understanding of not clearing areas such as the Cudgen Nature Reserve. RESPECT!!!!
•  SOCIAL INCLUSION and COMMUNITY RESOURCE areas. Educational information for all prospective and existing settlers to the REGION can be of great value also – particularly for ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS, and SOCIAL WELLBEING. TRANSPORT should be state of the art Environmentally Sustainably Networked and Implemented, by both the developer (who profits and thus should care where and how his/her profit arises) and the Governments (who should CARE and show diligent leadership). Healthy minds, educated people, these days, try to do the right thing by our beautiful endangered species and their homes.
• NATURE RESERVES ARE TO BE RESPECTED BY ALL – that is why they are nature reserves.

Nature, when left undisturbed, or when disturbed only slightly, has remarkable resilience, if it is surrounded by INTACT RESILIENT NATIVE  VEGETATION and healthy Ecological Units and Ecosystems.

In my original “Balance of Faeries” article, I explained how, little by little, the degrading of small land parcels can add up to large scale degradation. I explained that unless the smaller fragments of  Wildlife Habitat are preserved and actively enhance, then the larger factors of WIND, SUN, RAIN, DROUGHT, adjoining DEGRADED LAND, FIRE, FLOOD etc will take their toll. I explained, via my imagery, that the little things in our complex NATURAL ENVIRONMENT serve to keep the bigger components in check, thus promoting Native Vegetation Community and Ecosystem Resilience. I explained that the current scientific knowledge base ignores these little  components, in large – both in scientific studies, and in our overall LEGAL and HIGHER LEARNING knowledge base. The COMPLEX pattern, of usage and dependency within our current Australian ECOSYSTEMS,  by Australian Wildlife is largely an unknown scientific fact.

This is because many studies that have been conducted, have been conducted once the land has already been disturbed for many decades. This is because many studies use other studies as their basis. This is because many important studies are disregarded, ignored or superceded by studies done by scientists who have a minimal level of understanding of the complexity of Australian Wildife requirements, in a cross dependent sense. This is because the Corporate, Scientific and Legal worlds often operate behind closed doors.

In defence of the dedicated workers in Australian Wildlife understanding and demonstrating scientific research – many good and valuable studies HAVE also been made, concerning Native Australian Wildlife. Studies concerning the Koala have often been used as a POLITICAL, corporate  and  development/ infrastructure FOOTBALL. The degrading developments and infrastructures have HISTORICALLY won this football game.  I can readily say that, in the light of the  corporate greed  V’s Nature battles, corporations have historically existed for a relatively short time. Nature is, has, and always will be, running the show, and winning in the long and even short term.

Personally, I have little faith in the  NSW Government’s ability to address this issue of the clearing of vegetation in the Cudgen Nature Reserve. Why? Because they are probably snowed under with all kinds of investigations concerning illegal clearing and other environmental acts of vandalism. I have even less faith in the developers and their associated networked entities who have been developing the Tweed Coast and other areas of NE NSW ( and SE QLD )in such a way that their LACK of DUTY OF CARE, to current & future human populations health and well being, is so obvious, yet not held to account. Education is important in these matters.

However, some interesting facts are emerging:-

How much money does it take to destroy lives? Why do individuals and corporations and governments seek to destroy on one hand, yet soothsay that they are SUSTAINABLE and ENVIRONMENTALLY CORRECT? Why are people still able to use bulldozers and other heavy earth moving equipment, mining processes, and other methods of land use that clearly lack precaution of due care (with subsequent degrading land and catchment re-design) without the necessary education and accountability, concerning the power they wield? How much due process is involved in remedy?  Why is development on the Tweed Coast continuing to fragment already stressed Habitats and Ecosystems? Did the men or women involved in this illegal clearing of the Cudgen Nature Reserve know what they were doing?

I had better leave it here. Research and talk to others. Find out what is going on.

Oh, and one more thing…… for those of you versed well in astrology, have a look at the current planetary stories. Neptune is finally direct in the last degrees of AQUARIUS, and heading towards PISCES. Illusion, deceit, over institutionalising of faith and vision are on the rise. Exposure of deceit, lies and corruption will become easier for those who follow God’s Law and God’s Natural Law.  As Neptune approaches the fixed star Fomalhaut, the guardian / Archangel Gabriel and WATCHER of the SOUTH, approx. 4 degrees Pisces, and then Deneb Adige at about 5 degrees Pisces, the precession of the equinoxes will unfold one of the greatest stories of mankind. Balance will become of utmost importance to the entire planet.

The above astrological / environmental collage shows Neptune direct (as of 10th Nov 2011) in Aquarius. The above horoscope is for the 17th November, 2011 and is taken from What Watch at papertv.com .

With the entry of Neptune in Pisces, the birds of the air will tell the story, better than any man or woman. The small animals of the earth will bear witness. Those of pure heart and who practice redemption, those who have the COURAGE to own up to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY will find their wings.

ARCHANGEL GABRIEL and the BUTTERFLY EFFECT (a poem by TAIKO)

excerpt from A Balance of Faeries:-

“Part four: The return
I have since returned to visit the Marburg Range, some months back, before the 2008 summer rains drenched it once again, and after many years of drought, harsh winds and relentless sun. The road verge leading to the top of the ridge is bare, no trees have grown back yet, and no koalas, birds or marsupials could be seen on the narrow strip that was cleared so suddenly, 20 years ago.

With biodiversity comes the ability for our ecological systems to withstand the greater forces of nature – wind, sun, rain, fire, cold, heat. With knowledge and understanding of the smaller, delicate portions of nature, comes an ability to hold back the greater forces that great knowledge exposes us to.

It is time to wake up.”

The following KOALA POEM is a reflection of an earlier poem that I wrote in “B is for Biodiversity“. Sometimes, when I write on bluecray.org , I add a poem or two.  This following POEM is about a Developer who has  learnt how to listen and respect NATURE’s LAWS.  It is in direct contrast to the Koala Poem that I wrote last year (where the moneybag developer was ignorant and thought only of profit taking for himself and his mates).

said the “Enlightened” developer………..

Peaceful KOALA asleep in your tree
can you please share your land
and let me live here?
My homes of simplicity,
clean electricity
gardens and bikeways
can you share with me please?
I’m fond of your family
I’ll enhance our shared home
slow roads, tracks and parklands,
over which you can roam.
Dear KOALA, please tell me how to help you stay free!

Iconic KOALA, so high in your tree
can you see the new bushlands, they were planted by ME!
I know that you’ve struggled at home many years
You wandered and waited amidst local fears
But development’s slow, I’ve had time to think
so KOALA – i’ve planted a great Carbon Sink.
My learned approach will show ALL that I care
No bulldozer damage, no smoke fills the air
Diverse native landscapes we’ve planted for you
They’re resilient, and strong, i hope they will do

KOALA please tell me how to help you stay free!

Dearest KOALA, in treetops above
how else can i help you, in patience and love
My authority’s sanctioned, I’ve owned this land years
So KOALA, dear friend, i hope you’ll be pleased

Hey KOALA, dear icon, i’ve covenants here
I’ll protect you from dogs, cars, diseases and fear
Now our lots are divided, some share a great view
So KOALA, please answer – it’s all up to you

I see you’ve been ill, fevered, trembling and scarred
but your welcome to stay here, in all of my yards.
My planners invite you to tell me what more
you’ll need for your home. We respect nature’s LAW.

KOALA in our tree, our lots are surveyed
The wetlands are thriving, new homes are displayed
And wildlife’s returning, coming into it’s prime
bio- diversity balance and time.
This development’s needed, and it helps me spend more
on those that need houses – the young and the poor
My development teaches ALL- you are our host
now why don’t they do this on all of our coast?
The GOD given wonders of nature make more
than ignorant developments bulldozed next door

So KOALA, marsupial, once dwindling here
I’ll start small scale nurseries, to give you more cheer
and all of the school children, that go to my school
will thank you KOALA – you’ve made their homes cool

We’ve local food markets, each home has a tank
They say I am great, but it’s you i must thank
And KOALA – i’ve told all “go slow on your road”
Even after i’ve gone with my life soul’s great load

Oh KOALA – what’s this, i see you’re now here
In GOD’s arms, oh so peaceful with nothing to fear
And GOD’s angels tell me, they’ve opened the gates
for me and my load, and all of my mates
Dear GOD, i look down, from heaven and smile,
my real estate legacies – they’ve been all worthwhile
I promised, delivered, enhanced all my land
native plant woodlands – all of them grand.

I see that the wildlife and children run free
It is you, dear KOALA who educates me
And GOD, i now wonder about all the fuss
The hustle and bustle – all i needed was trust
My chattels and cargo, are lightweight to hold,
I’m glad that i learnt from KOALA’s dear soul

said the Koala……
w’ell, Maaaate, what can I say… you listened and learnt.

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

We hear about these dreadful things that are happening in our world  – fires, floods,  droughts,  earthquakes,  war,   oil / gas disasters, species extinction, habitat loss,  increasing pollutions and nuclear threat, but often, we are so busy in our own little world, that all these things seem far away from the safety of our homes here.  Living safely in our homes, we also forget that there are many homeless families and individuals in Australia.

Homeless Persons’ Legal Service .

youhaveafriend.org.au – sign the petition here to help the Tweed get a drop in centre for homeless people. The Tweed district has the highest per capita homeless rate in NSW, Australia. “homeless forced to camp on the street” article in Tweed Shire Echo 7th October 2010

The ACE Study – “Bridging the gap between childhood trauma and negative consequences later in life” Adverse Childhood Experiences Study & Score

Public Interest Advocacy Centre :- “The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is an independent, non-profit law and policy organisation that works for a fair, just and democratic society, empowering citizens, consumers and communities by taking strategic action on public interest issues. “

Below is a poem about a mother and her young son. In the poem, the mother is looking after her son with love and care, teaching him all she knows…..but harsh circumstances prevail  upon her and and, uprooted from her home, she endeavours to find a new place to live with her son….

I will protect you and teach you……..

(an environmental advocacy  poem )

“For you, little young one, as you sleep with your dreams
cradled in arms of protection, it seems
that your future on earth faces heat, drought and less
than the past futures made by “them” leaving this mess.”

“I cry for your children, your hopes dreams and cares
As mysterious moneymen count ill gotten fares.
The userers wallow in time stole from you
Masked wasters of life , toxic moneys accrued.”

“You stir as  the night owl glides from its tree
And the howling of dogs surrounds you and me
My arms close  about you, ancestral strength
I’ll protect you and feed you,  I’ll teach you at length”

“Now waken my dear one, the night closes in
And it’s time that we moved through this forest -so thin
We’ll find a tall tree where the shelter is safe
To keep us till morn – ”

They moved on in good faith.

Following tracks, the mother  showed son
what she’d learnt and had followed when she had been young
But tracks, trees and wetlands – were now tarred concrete
It went on for miles,  it hurt their bare feet.

“For you, my dear young one, hold fast on my back
I promised to lead you, but I’ve lost my old track
The morning approaches, dogs bark -  so near
My darling – please waken – I smell a great fear”

The mother and child then ran for their lives
straddling a fence and cut by the wires.
The fierce dogs chased them and hounded them hard
as a tall tree loomed up – unfenced in its yard

Scrambling treeward  they climbed, then looked down
three dogs barked out loudly with dark dogged frown
Up in the tree, confused,  bleary eyed
Mother cradled her child -  with full strength of the wild.

.  … ….    ….   .   ….    …. …  .

It was a crisp winter’s morning……..a young child woke up and looked out of her window.

(She had woken suddenly from a nightmare, where, as she played in a faery glade,  large fierce dogs came to attack her.  In her dream, she had run into a tall building where smiling business suited men , dripping with oil and tar, offered her suitcases filled with plastic money . )

The young child cried out to her mother,  “Oh Mother – look see – a Koala is in our tree!! Oh, Mama, I think it has a baby with it!!!”

Concreting the Coastal 2003 : Clearing and Development Pressures on the NSW Coast 2003 Total Environment Centre PDF – this compiled resource by the TOTAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE show problematic development, land clearing activity, approvals and proposals in coastal nsw 2002 -2003. It looks at the larger, more controversial, uncompleted developments at that time – (not the smaller, under the radar ones, nor the already completed ones). This is an excellent recent historic resource.

“I will Jail you and Feed you” – Balance of Faeries article at bluecray.wordpress.com – includes links to help you understand SEPP’s for NSW Koala Plan of Management.

Clearing the habit of Habitat Clearing .

“Koala warning ignored in assessment” article at Tweed Shire Echo 30th September 2010 which states:- “A draft habitat study which warned about the plight of the Tweed’s dwindling koala population had been kept secret by Tweed Council while the state government assessed the controversial township of Kings Forest which it recently approved”

SEPP 44 koala plan of management – search results bluecray environmental search

State Environmental Planning Policy 44 - Koala Plan of Management – NSW  Consolidated Regulations

Below is some Koala Legislation, policy, koala advocacy, habitat management information for NE NSW and SE QLD, Australia:-

(not exhaustive, but includes links to some current (2010)  ways in which the governments of Australia steer people and their industries  to save the Koala on the east coast of Australia from increasingly localised Extinction -  habitat clearing and koala corridor destruction-  death and illness.)

• Spatiotemporal dynamics of habitat use by koalas: the checkerboard model .   William A.H. Ellis, Alistair Melzer, Fred B. Berkovitch  Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology Volume 63, number 8,1181-1188, DOI: 10.1007/s00265-009-0761-2.           find at http://cat.inist.fr/ or   SpringerLink .  Published online 31st March 2009 – the keywords are :-  foraging strategies , koalas , phascolarctos, resource use, spatial ecology, home range.

• Bluecray now has a number of Koala Articles and LINKS to Koala info, and so searching the KEYWORDS and using the Bluecray Environmental Search Engine may turn up more info to help you understand.

joint submission prepared by the North Coast Environment Council and the NSW Nature Conservation Council:- Re: Phascolarctos cinereus (Koala) – Assessment of Koala’s eligibility for listing as a threatened species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) EPBC Act nomination to list as a threatened species , ( link disappeared!.. like the Koala?)  at Australian Government Department of  the Environment, Water, Heritage & the Arts.  FIND  the KOALA info the Australian Government makes available…..

by searching for KOALA listings  at the Australian Government Department of  the Environment, Water, Heritage & the Arts.

• Threatened Species Scientific Committee assessment of the koala – Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett Interview with Annie Gaffney ABC Sunshine and Cooloola Coasts         25 May 2010

NCC of NSW = Nature Conservation Council of NSW – their Assessment of Koala’s eligibility for listing as a threatened species under EPBC Act 16th June 2010

KOALA at Qld Government Department of Environment and Resource Management .

KOALA Response Strategy at Qld Government Department of Environment and Resource Management – this link has the following information, mostly  in PDF format :-

• South East Queensland Koala Conservation State Planning Regulatory Provision

• State Planning Policy 2/10: Koala Conservation in South East Queensland

• Offsets for Net Gain of Koala Habitat in South East Queensland Policy

There is also the following information:-

• The  State Government Supported Community Infrastructure Koala Conservation Policy .
• Koala Habitat Mapping .  This section deals with the 2009 SEQ Koala Habitat Values Assessment map & the GHD Report: SEQ Koala Habitat Assessment and Mapping Project .
• Koala Habitat Programs :- This Koala Habitat Program is focusing on the Koala Nature Refuges Program.

I am not sure as to what “on the ground IMMEDIATE SOLUTIONS ” to the plight of the Koala all these initiatives are creating.

The information about koala habitats and the capacity to create useful extension tools and outreach programs for KOALA GUARDIANS and koala future wellbeing has been about for decades. Whilst new techniques, scientific studies and all typesof “credentialled experts” and authentic Koala HABITAT guardians have contributed to this “new approach” from the Qld Government, the fact remains that Koalas are and HAVE disappeared from many KOALA HABITAT areas in SE QLD and NE NSW. KOALAS are, right NOW, and in the near forseeable future, GREATLY AT RISK

The above poem about habitat destruction and its consequences on wildlife mothers and their young shows us that the education of young wildlife by their parents can be very stressful in a constantly changing environment. This is especially so when the native fauna habitat is destroyed or altered dramatically. Non environmentally sustainable development and its related infrastructure nightmare in SE QLD and NE NSW are two of the many factors destroying habitat for native Australian wildlife.

BIODIVERSITY LINKS : -  some useful  links for Biodiversity, Flora, Fauna, Koalas, Ecology and Catchment Management  (NE NSW and SE QLD – Mt Warning Caldera Region)

Animal Law Centre :- nice animal advocacy site – giving an overview of Animal Law in Australia – references and links to Australian and State legislation. Includes animal law and the Australian Constitution, enforcements and threatened species laws in Australian States

KOALA SCHOOL

Biodiversity Certification :  enabling ” local government in areas with high development pressure to provide for the protection of biodiversity, including threatened species at the strategic planning stage. These are likely to be mainly urban and coastal areas.

Certification can switch off the need for threatened species assessment under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, providing more certainty for local government, development applicants and other stakeholders. Biodiversity must be improved or maintained for certification to be conferred. ” from environment.nsw.gov.au  – biodiversity certification”

More plans, more paperwork, more “expert opinion” and re-hashing of studies, more re-arrangements of habitats and ecosystems to justify heavy machinery handling and toxic lifestyles???? hard to say, but more than likely it is going to be the same as it always is……. better to focus on education of our young in environmentally friendly ways of living… then, instead of  regulations, paperworks, endless time and money spent on professional “spin”, people may just end up walking gently with the earth….

PLANNING GUIDELINES FOR KOALA CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY – C McAlpine – 2007:- search results bluecray environmental search engine

Advocacy for Animals at Encyclopaedia Britannica and Kangaroo Culling .

Wildife – Native Australian Wildlife Advocacy at (We)  can do better .

Meanwhile, at Kingscliff,NE NSW:-  large developments (that will further fragment our native wildlife habitats) are planned nearby (Kings Forest, Cobaki Lakes ) and the sea is moving inwards – “Hungry Mother Nature bares her teeth” -  infrastructure damage at Kingscliff on the NSW North Coast -  by coastal erosion (2010): SMH article by Saffron Howden

Kingscliff battles beach erosion (story 11th august 2010):- at ABC local + other local beach coastal erosion stories from NE NSW (Tweed and Byron shires)

the above environmental advocacy images by al at bluecray

Tread lightly, honour the earth – it is the only home we have.

..                             and now,

for some philosophical freedom food

TRY

*******************FREEDOMAIN RADIO***************

blogs + philosophy + podcast+ videos +philosophical conversations….

“The Bomb in the Brain”

Human Contraptions: Episode Guide - “Academy Award-winning animator and political cartoonist Bruce Petty takes us on an anarchic journey for five minutes each” topic.

Ideas Serving Knowledge and Vision .  Some astrobabble for the anarchist – Includes Australian Federation Astrological Chart.

Phantom Koala

Below are a a few links that may help you understand what is happening in the Tweed Coast concerning development.

Concreting the Coastal 2003 : Clearing and Development Pressures on the NSW Coast 2003 Total Environment Centre PDF – this compiled resource by the TOTAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE show problematic development, land clearing activity, approvals and proposals in coastal nsw 2002 -2003. It looks at the larger, more controversial, uncompleted developments at that time – (not the smaller, under the radar ones, nor the already completed ones). This is an excellent recent historic resource.

Kings Forest Development threatenes 21 Threatened Species of Fauna . This article includes a list of some of the Threatened species (including the Koala -Phascolarctos cinereus ), with links to find out more about some of them.

Phantom Koala sees that the KOALA -which has been “iconised” by a number of organisations- is much much more than an ICON##(see below). Inappropriate development  threatens many more individual endangered species than just the KOALA of the Tweed Coast.  The creation of “sustainable development” which is NOT sustainable development, but in reality, development that threatens many AT RISK vulnerable individual Australian wildlife species and their habitats on the Tweed Coast is inappropriate for this day and age of disappearing species and habitats.

In July 2005, with very little consultation, the NSW government introduced a new Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. See more about the implications of this planning law HERE.

• “Administrative Law in an Environmental Context” search results at bluecray Environmental search engine
• Duty of care and the precautionary principle : search results at bluecray environmental search engine.

Urban Taskforce – representing property developers

Planning Workshop Australia – Kings Forest and some other State Significant Sites’ work for developers

link on Sylvia Hale (Greens elected Member of the Legislative Council NSW) website to the Green’s Bad Developer Awards – to be announced October 15th 2009

Ian Cohen : media release Kings Forest (11th March 2010)

Some Regional Advocacy Links and   EDO Compliance Portal .

Stateline NSW – Special Features: Systemic corruption in New South Wales?
View the letter from The Greens to the ICAC and the ICAC response.

search for Bob Ell development on bluecray’s ENVIRONMENTAL SEARCH engine

search for Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act on bluecray’s ENVIRONMENTAL SEARCH engine

PK and Moneybags discuss the future on the Tweed Coast

As I am writing this advocacy article, (24th September 2009)  fire fighters are battling a blaze close to Kings Forest, on the Tweed Coast. While this fire has been contained, 40 ha of land has burnt, requiring 6 tankers to respond to the emergency. *The State Significant Site of Kings Forest and the surrounding area is under serious threat by a potential development being engineered by Bob Ell, one of the wealthiest people in Australia, who has a history of environmental vandalism. Development, habitat disturbance and inappropriate land management in Australia’s eastern coastal strip between Brisbane and Byron Bay has led to vaste numbers of native Australian fauna and flora disappearing forever from this zone.

The creation of Kings Forest as a State Significant Site and Part 3A,  as successfully lobbied for by Bob Ell’s Leda Group ??(see Planning Workshop Australia above), has resulted in limited appeal actions on the part of advocates and concerned parties over inappropriate development there. To understand how Part 3A of the NSW works – try this link here to the Nature Conservation Council articles on Part3A of the Environment Planning & Assessment Act in NSW

When fires occur in the Australian landscape, many species are equipped with survival mechanisms that help them withstand the pressures of fire regimes so that these species can survive the ravages of fire in the Australian landscape.

However, when there is little resilient native bushland left about the area burnt, the wildlife and native plant populations can be stressed beyond repair. As development increases on the coastal strip, and as more people arrive to live in that region, more fires will become the norm. People often light fires, and the more people that are living in an area can often equate to more fires being lit.

Phantom Koala is hoping that love of Australia’s Natural Heritage will prevail over money and ego of developers and planners who use the Part3A of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act to over- develop the remaining low coastal remnant habitats  of the Tweed Coast.

Phantom Koala hopes that the spread of Coastal development from SE Qld into NE NSW doesn't become the development from 'ell

And while you are here, have a look at these:-

AFAC 2009 - Annual AFAC Conference Incorporating the Bushfire CRC Conference.  AFAC = Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authorities Council

“Determining the distribution and abundance of a regional koala population in south-east Queensland for conservation management” 2004,  at CSIRO Publishing by David S. Dique, Harriet J. Preece, Jim Thompson and Deidré L. de Villiers

PK and Benoit look at biodiversity v's moneybags. They see that moneybags makes things empty, and biodiversity makes things beautiful and abundant

##  Developments  under the umbrella of “its ok if we make it into some type of environmental Koala sight seeing tour” or more hollow motherhood statement theme developments that are based on tokenism as opposed to valid sustainable environmental practices that cater for many individual Australian Wildlife HABITATS that are required for BIODIVERSITY resilience.

Tim Flannery on Biodiversity -  Copenhagen Climate Council at bluecray Environmental Search

“A Balance of Faeries” 1989 by al at bluecray – a true story about Koala Habitat Destruction, and how little by little, the Koala Habitat of SE QLD and NE NSW, if continually destroyed at the rate it is, will have far reaching consequences for our Children’s future. “A Balance of Faeries” tells us that the destruction of small, seemingly insignificant parcels of biodiversity in our natural landscapes,  leaves us increasingly exposed to the greater forces of nature, WIND, SUN, HEAT, RAIN, FLOOD, FIRE . And that, folks, can lead to some rather harsh realities!

*AND one more thing – concerning BUFFER ZONES and KOALAS: the concept of a 50m buffer zone is an absurd and very much an “80′s way of appeasing developers’ mindsets or trying to enlighten politicians who still hadn’t been educated.

Lobbying for , say a 50m Buffer zones about large non sustainable developments does a disservice to KOALAS and all Australian native wildlife. Particularly threatened species.  Buffer zones are a concept that came about to help ease political mindset into caring for our Natural Resources adn Natural Heritage. We must move forwards in a clever way now, and really see what chronic non environmentally sustainable over-urbanisation of our East coast Australian landscape is doing to our biodiverse ecological heritage. If we must lobby for buffer zones – at least one or two Km is the barest minimum – preferably more.

Many native animals need quite a few kilometres of habitat to live and reproduce in, particularly if the area is already degraded. Some need even more. Buffer zones are not really an adequate way of addressing danger and stress to threatened species when non sustainable urban development is in the area.

Animals do not read maps, follow scientific reasoning or keep up with where the next quick multi billion dollar development is being orchestrated. Some small native wildlife- threatened native species adapt, if they are able to, to small buffer zones, like ones I have seen suggested – 50 m, but the stresses and the pressure from urbanisation will eventually take their toll. Mostly, even a few kilometres is far from adequate, when it comes to other environmental issues, such as fire, climate change and human settlement consequences – fire, pests, domesticated animals gone wild, noise and light to name a few.

Particularly over time,  “buffer zone”  is a term that is long outdated. Integration of landscape features, infrastructure development and environmentally sustainable living necessitates that we move beyond this false concept, and move directly to honest and authentic land custodianship and land and water stewardship. The ’80′s concept of “wildlife corridors” must also be viewed in the wider context, for the 21st Century and beyond.

Habitat Clearing and habitat fragmentation, that is done little by little,  is such a serious threat to the Koala and indeed, all native Australian Wildlife, that we, as responsible Australian Citizens, can no longer turn a blind eye, and allow inappropriate “supposed Environmental Stewardship”, under the guise of “necessary development” to continue.

“don’t be fooled again”

• NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water : Summaries of Legislation (ACTS) that the Department operates under
• NSW Department of Planning… and the legislation and planning instruments associated with it

• Environment and Planning Law in NSW : (book reviews etc) : Environmental and Planning Law in New South Wales By Rosemary Lyster, Zada Lipman, Nicola Franklin 2007
• Bluecray Environmental Advocacy Links for the Mt Warning Caldera Region of NE NSW & SE QLD, Australia

• EDO New South Wales Ltd – while you are there, check out the Compliance Portal – for environmental advocacy help in understanding matters such as Planning & Development, Land Clearing, Water, Threatened Species & Land
• Northern Rivers EDO Office – Lismore, NE NSW
• Caldera Environment Centre
• “A preliminary investigation of the distribution of koalas and their potential habitat in the Tweed Shire, and implications for management”  by Judy Faulk Australian Zoologist, June 1991 Vol. 27(1 & 2).                 ##You may find it here at the Royal Zoological Society of NSW in the Journals. Alternatively, try this google search : australian zoologist June 1991 Vol. 27(1 & 2)
• Draft National Koala Conservation and Management Strategy 2009-2014 – submissions close COB 5th August 2009 and the National Koala Conservation Strategy 1998
• Tweed Shire Koala Habitat Atlas this was created 1993 ?by the Tweed Shire Council with the assistance of the Australian Koala Foundation
• “Clearing the Habit of Habitat Clearing” – at Journey for Wisdom in the Land

His search and their saga – ever so long,  told PK quite clearly that something was wrong!
For months on end, that stretched to years, calling through fences with their tears

Across that void – that fierce road,
the trucks, the cars – their rushing load.

But now the best bit will unfold
As Pk’s stories now are told

One early evening waiting near the talking tree for his mother dear, he heard the wrens and bush birds say that to get to the coast there WAS a way
It was very long, and took some skill, and involved a risk of getting killed
Pk ask more from his flying friends, and they told him of roads that had no ends
However if game, they said that PK could travel those roads for part of the way

“Stick to the edges, and watch for the lights they’ll freeze you and fix you and BOY those cars bite”
“So stay in the shadows, and travel with stealth and you’ll get to a place which is full of ill health -
the drained swamps of coastlands” – the refugees called, but take take care of  dogs so that you won’t be mauled

God speed you PK, called the Birds of the Land, as he started his journey with their helping hand.

Familiar with Mooball and Cudgerra Creek, his crossing of this place took more than a week.
Then suddenly there he was ,over THAT ROAD – that huge roaring thoroughfare with it’s faceless load.

Now where to begin to start tracking his Mum? Her scent was not there on the road he had come,
so sniffing the breeze in the quiet morning light, he touched on a memory ever so slight.
The “feel” of his mother! It came from these trees- she’d been here before, but it had been some years.

The urge to continue, to follow his nose – led him to a high fence and again more loud roads.

Yet our hero undaunted, his mother he’d find -  then suddenly Pk saw one of his kind……..

A cousin – a cousin! There in the tree – he called out “KOALA! it’s PK!…. it’s ME!!”
The cousin’s eye’s opened   his nose sniffed PK.   Then he slowly pointed north,    saying     “that is the way”.

Now trembling with fatigues of his open road walk, our darling PK said “so sorry- can’t talk”. For gone were those days of the safe bushland life, now the people of Tweed were  giving them strife.
The human machines screamed and roared all the day, the constant truck noise – the people – the fray.
Bravely PK lumbered slowly along, to the east and the north where it felt very wrong.

Something was happening that made PK sick – he’d felt it before, it was like a bad trick.
And there – in the distance, from a tall tree he spied, the lay of King’s Forest. Was it there he could hide?

For all about PK, was nothing but bare – all cleared and flat land and the trees were nowhere! There were fences and houses, and small shrubs and trees, but the way to the forest was filled with disease.

The waters were putrid, the sparse old trees ill. Yet PK kept going, with his strong free will
He “knew” that his Mother would be near this place – this great fading Forest – ( Tweed Coast’s disgrace)
Past cypress and tea tree, our little friend ran, then though a sharp fence and across the bare land

And suddenly there he was facing his MUM! She cried out PK – you really have come!

OH reader, now listen of PK’s delight! To find his dear mother at last – what a sight!

Full adventure was over, he could rest .. he could talk. Then he told his Mama about his “LONG WALK”,

so proud of her son and his clever repose – big roads and big fences- do more than we suppose.

*******************************************************************

The above Poem, about Phantom Koala and how he finds his mother and becomes a Hero, reminds us that Koalas  are at very high risk here, on the NE Coast of NSW.

The actions and work by the Australian Government has done nothing to save the plight of the Coastal Koala, here in SE QLD and NE NSW. Koala population Numbers are dropping dramatically, and the same habitat destroying development is continuing at an alarming pace, all along the coast.

However: THERE IS A WAY!!!

Download some KOALA info here:- from the EPA, QLD.

“Koala (Phascolartos cinereus) survey and habitat assessment of Lot 4 on RP 35335 Doolong South Rd, Wondunna, Hervey Bay, Queensland / conducted for the Hervey Bay City Council” -  by ddwfauna August 2005,  is a good start….

” When Phantom Koala was Young -  A Koala Saga “ : my wordpress version of the first PK poem at Balance of Faeries blog.

“A Balance of Faeries” 1989 by al at bluecray – a story about koala habitat destruction – little by little – and the consequences

Kings Forest at articles Balance of Faeries blog and more links

Wisdom in the Land blog has Koala Planning Dreaming : a simple guideline for developing land, hand in hand with nature

Kings Forest : articles at bluecray.org and more links

***And, for inspiration……Some beautiful Koala ART WORK and a poem “Winter Koala” by Carol McCormack

]]> http://bluecray.org/advocacy/there-is-a-way-06.08.2009/feed 0 http://bluecray.org/advocacy/when-phantom-koala-was-young-a-koala-saga-14.06.2009 http://bluecray.org/advocacy/when-phantom-koala-was-young-a-koala-saga-14.06.2009#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:19:17 +0000 al http://bluecray.org/?p=1572 ...»»]]> Phantom Koala, as a story teller for Bluecray, resides mainly at the “Balance of Faeries” wordpress blog.  However, out of respect for the many Koalas that have struggled for survival in the ongoing rapid development and habitat destruction in SE Qld and NE NSW, Australia, his “Story” belongs here.  PK’s home is in the Mt Warning Caldera Region.  *ALSO: Draft National Koala Conservation and Management Strategy 2009-2014 - Submissions close 5th August 2009

I have tried to update this article a number of times. The Qld government appears to keep rearranging itself, its departmental responsibilities and Koala Habitat visions. I wonder now, if anyone there even knows what they are doing??? (SEE BELOW##). Perhaps, for more info, you could try searching the QLD GOVERNMENT .

{###(UPDATE 25th August 2010)I wrote an article more recently on Koalas – “I Will Protect You and Teach You” (30th July 2010) which has more recent Queensland Koala legislation, policy, ecology info. Also, see my article in Balance of Faeries blog – “I will Jail you and Feed you” – which is more about the NE NSW Koala situation concerning the Tweed Coast Koala Advisory Group. Koala populations in SE QLD and NE NSW  are still decreasing rapidly.} However, what I have written below will possibly still give you more background info… good luck!!!

Submissions are currently invited on two issues shown below: (click HERE for the link to these DETAILS at the QLD Department of Infrastructure and Planning)

* 1. The moratorium on clearing vegetation, part of the Draft South East Queensland Koala State Planning Regulatory Provisions (PDF icon 151 KB). Submissions close 24 December 2009.
* 2. The biodiversity development offset area policy, part of the Proposed South East Queensland Koala Conservation State Planning Regulatory Provision (PDF icon 794 KB). Submissions close 1 December 2009.

Please remember, there are areas where Koalas are not deemed as important, within SE QLD Koala Mapping – some of these areas, West and South-West of  Brisbane, will now be seen as opportunities for inappropriate development, despite Koalas actually being present there. Koalas need these areas, deemed less important by government planning, for their health, and movement. It is important that inappropriate development in these areas doesn’t destroy what remaining koala “corridors” are in place, and the chance for future Koala “corridors” to be created and enhanced.

Recent Background:-

Back in the mid nineties, the Queensland and SE Qld Local Governments’ approved ongoing development processes were continuing the 20th century’s relentless rate of clearing & destroying coastal wetlands and Koala habitat areas. This rate was far from environmentally sustainable for future generations of South East Queensland, and indeed, the world.

Rates of development are currently still environmentally unsustainable, despite Ramsar Convention, Agenda 21 and protection of threatenend species and ecological communities at various levels of government ( SE QLD ; NE NSW ; AUST ).

Koalas have long been a political and development “football”, and now issues of relocation,  infrastructure development, and conservation / habitat status are again being re-defined by governments and “scientists” throughout the Mt Warning Caldera Region.

Now that we have almost completed our first decade of the 21st Century, the environmental law capacities of the combined Australian Governments have vastly increased. They have become much more complex, supported by an array of GIS and mapping data, studies, scientific processes and protocols.

Study after study has been completed. Map after map has been produced.

Regional Planning instruments have multiplied faster than wire coathangers in a wardrobe, AND  YET – Koala corridor after corridor is still being destroyed, even as I write this article. And,  -  more elections and regional plans are looming!

Dedicated on the ground Koala carers, hard working community groups, well meaning scientific researchers, and informed environmental legal advisors have gradually impacted on the Government. There still remains

• developer trends to clear land in a wholesale manners
• government trends to implant infrastructure as a necessity that over-rides environmental sustainability
• increasingly complex regional planning documents.

The Queensland Government has closed the comments for the new Koala Planning Regulation provisions, but the Draft QLD Government SEQ Regional Plan 2009-2031 is still open for submissions. Workshops around SE Qld have been held, and are still being held.

Invitations for Comment closed for the SEQ Koala State planning regulatory provisions on Feb 27th. Information concerning these Koala Planning Provisions for SE QLD appears to be in the hands of the  Queensland State Government Department of Infrastucture and Planning .

Regional Workshops and Articles:-

• The Logan and Albert Conservation Association : activities for DRAFT Qld Government SE QLD Regional Plan 2009 – 2031 . This is a very informative article concerning Koalas.      The Qld Governmant SEQ Koala State planning regulatory provisions in the Mt Warning Caldera Region of SE QLD can be found on the LACA site HERE.
• The Gold Coast & Hinterland Environment Council has some info regarding a workshop held,and other LINKS for the SEQ Regional Plan. They have sent a submission.
• LACA also has articles on Information relating to the preservation of the Koala population in Logan and Albert Shires .
• EDO QLD (Environmental Defenders Office QLD) has held, and is holding more workshops for this Draft SE QLD Regional Plan 2009-2031
• The Qld Conservation Council held this event, but the link has now disappeared (updated 3rd December, 2009)  :  Event: ‘Draft South East Queensland Koala State Planning Regulatory Provisions Seminar – Brisbane’

**Qld Department of Infrastructure and Planning : DRAFT Qld Government SE QLD Regional Plan 2009 – 2031 Submissions close on April 3rd 2009.

• SEQ Catchments Submission page and information for the DRAFT  SE Qld Government Regional Plan 2009-2031. Well, if you look, there doesn’t appear to be much information about the above  DRAFT, so why not try the Department of Natural Resources and Water ? The LEGISLATION that they work under can be found on this page HERE . There is information on VEGETATION, but the KOALA appears to be missing, as does mention of the DRAFT SEQ Regional Plan 2009-2031. And, oh look, the KOALA is also missing from the Australian Threatened Species LISTS under Legislation!!! ( Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) Endangered Species Protection Act 1992) ***(see below)

There is, however……. A PLAN… yes, another PLAN!!! The National Koala Conservation Strategy !

And so, summing up, and I am sure that I have missed lots of links and info, but have a search around, and you are sure to find what you need. Just be tenacious.

1.The Koala’s well being in SE QLD appears to be in the hands of Qld Planning and Infrastructure.

2.As I mentioned above, there is a new SEQ Regional Plan for 2009-2031 being put together now, in its DRAFT form and submissions are still open.

3.The Australian Government has a National Koala Conservation Strategy, but does not actually protect the Koala by Legislation.

4.The Environmental Protection Agency, the Agency acts under legislation listed at this Link:  Legislation .

5.The KOALA is recognised by the Queensland Government under the Nature Conservation Koala Conservation Plan 2006

6.The key Koala Corridors of the old Beaudesert Shire and Boonah Shires – Now the Scenic Rim Regional Council – have been left out of these reasonably new SEQ Koala Plan documents due to the KOALA populations, distribution and Planning guidelines.

**Draft South East Queensland Koala State Planning Regulatory Provisions at the Qld Department of Infrastructure and Planning. You can view Maps here, documents etc concerning the future direction of Queensland Government Development protocols and the threat to Existing Threatened Koala Populations of South East Queensland. Keep all this in mind if you are commenting on the new SEQ REGIONAL PLAN 2009-2031. The Koala Maps provided by the website of the Qld Department of  Infrastructure & Planning seemed  exceedingly frustrating to read, over technically presented, and are extremely slow to load if you do not have high speed internet!

Ipswich Koala Protection Society – (IKPS) – wild life rescue, image gallery, how you can help Koalas of the Ipswich Region, and LINKS

##PLEASE NOTE : The Links  that do not appear to work anymore are mainly the QLD EPA LINKS. The Google search engine now resends many of the links to the  DEPARTMENT of  ENVIRONMENT & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.

And so, what we appear to have is a sudden change in where all the KOALA information can be found, concerning recent internet public information on the KOALA in Queensland.

When this article was written, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure appeared to be holding much of the information about planning for the KOALA 2009.   Here is the current (October 2009) info available at the QLD Dept. Planning & Infrastructure KOALA PAGES . It shows timetables for the events surrounding Koala Planning 2008-2009 and the Queensland Governments State Planning Policy.

Also, it shows how this Department (QLD DIP)  is responsible for introducing interim development controls, updating the SEQ Regional Plan Section2.2 Koala Conservation and “fast-tracking the development of a state planning policy for koala conservation in SEQ, in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Resource Management.”

****************************************

Remember: The Queensland Government Environmental Protection Agency has a copy of the KOALA Conservation Plan 2006 for the Management of Koalas in SE QLD 2006-2016. In this Plan, the Koala appears to be left out of consideration within  Scenic Rim Regional Council Areas. This statement is now obsolete, as the EPA appears to have disappeared from the QLD Government to be replaced by the Department of Environment & Resource Management. Talk about keeping people confused! This is amazing. No wonder the Poor Koala is disappearing and facing entrapment in this region, when the Government Land Stewards can’t even show consistency in their own organisation.

And you should see what is happening just over the border on the Tweed Coast , NE NSW, concerning KOALAS. It is ongoing development that appears to be relentlessly and carelessly repeating the mistakes of the SE QLD non sustainable Development agendas of the past two decades.

****************************************

***”New nominations for species and ecological communities will be assessed under the EPBC Act by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) according to the criteria for the new categories and listed accordingly. The TSSC will reconsider the status of the initial list of threatened species and communities in line with the new refined EPBC categories as information is updated and made available for assessment” from  : EPBC ACT LIST of Threatened Species

*****************************************

And where is the KOALA?????

Phantom Koala and Benoit compare biodiversity with moneybags. They decide that biodiversity fills the world with beautiful things, and moneybagsmakes lots of dangerous empty spaces full of machinery and bare earth

“A preliminary investigation of the distribution of koalas and their potential habitat in the Tweed Shire, and implications for management”  by Judy Faulks . Find article at – Australian Zoologist, June 1991 Vol. 27(1 & 2). Whilst this investigation was in NE NSW, there are implications for Koala populations in SE QLD, so why not have a read!.

Phantom Koala (PK) articles  at  Bluecray Balance of Faeries blog  &  Bluecray Wisdom in the Land blog :  there may be some more useful links here in these articles:

• A Balance of Faeries – revisited
• Holiday time for PK & Litoria near Egg Rock
• PK (Phantom Koala) ponders past Pottsville for Food
• Kings Forest Koalas and NSW Planning Laws
• Koalas Mt Warning Caldera Region NE NSW SE QLD
• Phantom Koala and the Roadworks
• Corridors Conservation and Phantom Koala
• PK and Litoria

LINKS:

thekoala.com – simply presented koala information for the lay person or young student

Koala at Wikipedia

Koala Research at the Environmental Protection Agency – QLD Government

Griffith University : Griffith Research online – The Research and Management of Non Urban Koalas – oops, couldn’t find it!!!

Koala research LINKS : at Koala research site

Koala Links : at koala research site (I contacted this research team, a number of weeks back, for more information to put into my articles, but have yet to receive an answer)

My own personal  experiences with Koalas and Koala advocates includes having shared habitat with them on the Marburg Range, west of Brisbane, Qld  for many years.  Living between the Nightcap National Park and the Whian Whian Forests – Fox Road, Rosebank, Lismore Shire. And living at  Upper and Lower Beechmont in the Hinterland of the Gold Coast.

Koalas have come to my door, talked to me from the trees. I have watched them eat leaves from trees that are not on  koala tree lists, watched them climb trees that are not on any koala tree lists, talked to volunteers that have released Koalas into the Scenic Rim Regional Council Area (old Beaudesert Shire), talked and worked with Koala carers, scientists and advocates who have testified in Court on behalf of Koala’s when Highways have been built through the SE QLD Region. I have also talked with wildlife workers who have worked with entrapped Koala Populations on the Gold Coast, SE Qld.

My art for Phantom Koala (PK) was conceived many years ago, as a vehicle to explore and portray the Koala as an animal that is largely misunderstood, romanticised, politicised and exploited for monetary gain.

“A Balance of Faeries” 1989 by al at bluecray.org – a story about habitat clearing, Koalas, and how little by little, the Koala Habitat clearing in SE Queensland has  implications for more than Koalas

If you look at the trend for infrastructure development within the SE Qld Region, there will be a focus to develop the west of the Brisbane metropolitan region. Infrastructure of vaste arterial road systems and associated developments will occur, and if the KOALA is not included within any protective legal mechanism, this will mean a halt to Koala Population travel along the current, already fragmented “corridors” west of Brisbane and Logan Cities and the Urban Development to the Qld border and into NE NSW. The Old Shire of Boonah and Beaudesert (Scenic Rim Regional Council) are in this region, as is Ipswich City Council . To the south of the Border, in NSW, lie the Tweed Shires, Kyogle Shires and Lismore City Council areas.

****example of proposed development areas west of BRISBANE:- “Supercity plan to cope with population growth in southeast Queensland” – as told by the Courier Mail May 2010 – “The ULDA will now take planning control for the identified areas from the Ipswich and Logan councils to assess their capacity to deliver more than 100,000 new homes.”****

• Entrapment of Koalas in fragmented, localised, often non biodiverse vegetation communitites and habitats logically can cause stress, and much work on the part of caring koala workers , to maintain their upkeep.
• Koalas do not read maps, understand planning documents, line up willingly at scientific or ecological expert’s offices and ask to have trackers put onto them, or be examined (even if this is done “with care”).
• Koalas do not understand state borders, council boundaries or roadside signage.
• Koalas do not line up to be taken to zoos, be cuddled by people eager to have their photo taken with them.
• Koalas do not form lines in eager anticipation of  being rescued, when engineers of infrastructure, mines and housing developments bring in bulldozers and large mass destruction machinery.
• Koalas have, however, been documented to run extremely long distances, under stress, when released into unkown habitat areas.
• Koalas have been documented to come to people, when they need help.

If you have read to the end of this article, I congratulate you. It is, indeed, a very long article. But it barely scratches the surface of what is required to help Koalas of the Mt Warning Caldera Region.

Become informed, listen to your heart and  try not to become exhausted by the  rigidity & rigmarole of bureaucracy.

Above all, inspire others to create a world where  ”laws” to protect these beautiful and unique animals are no longer necessary, due to increased respect for  Natural Law and true custodianship and stewardship of  of Koala habitat in Australia.

Back in the 1990′s I was involved in a number of different community environmental initiatives – landcare co-ordinator, ACF Gold Coast Inc. committee member / campaigner  and  ICM Committees (Lockyer Ck SEQ & Loders Ck SEQ) rep.

Community environmental education and activities that I engaged in included:

• Government policy planning
• lobbying for Koala corridor linkages
• vegetation mapping
• community workshops
• land & water  management issues
• development forums
• roadside management
• habitat fragmentation