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Koala protection strategy by Toowoomba - resulting in 83% less koala deaths

By Emily Mason posted 03-11-2022 11:14

  
Top 11 Priorities on Koala Protection
A collaborative Griffith University project that successfully helped reduce the number of koala deaths in South East Queensland (SEQ) has moved into its next phase.

Social Marketing @ Griffith (SM@G) researchers used co-design strategies to determine what locals wanted to know about the furry animals and to learn how people living in SEQ could assist in protecting the endangered species.

In its first year, the project, which is supported by Queensland Department of Environment and Science funding, delivered a communications campaign across the Logan City Council area in the 2021/22 koala movement season.

“This campaign resulted in 83 per cent less koala deaths from car strikes and doubled the number of koala sightings reported,” SM@G Director Professor Sharyn Rundle-Thiele said.

“While we are thrilled with the outcomes achieved in year one of this project, we know there is much more to do.”

The project included surveys of residents, partnerships with local government areas, community organisations and business, as well as numerous events and communications campaigns.

“We distributed surveys to residents of 12 SEQ councils and co-designed initiatives with community. We found people wanted to be provided with more information on the impacts human activity has on koalas,” Professor Rundle-Thiele said.

“They also wanted to be provided with clear and actionable tips on what they can do the help koalas, including how to spot and identify sick koalas, as well as who to call.”

People also identified they wanted to see more local statistics and information on local koalas, like where they were moving around in the area.

A Facebook page, Wildlife Watcher, was also successful in creating an online community and managed to deliver support to koala carers by securing paint, towels and joey pouches.


Here were the top 11 priorities laid out in the report, as voted by the community:
  • Stop land clearing and new developments in known koala habitats and wildlife corridors.
  • Re-route the inland rail to save the koalas.
  • Implement the three “Rs” Retain - Rehabilitate and Revegetate (reduce habitat loss).
  • Identify priority areas for habitat restorations, ideally with connectivity to existing high value koala habitat areas.
  • Use cultural burning techniques learned from local Custodians of the land - devastating bushfires are occurring because Cultural burning has stopped.
  • We need to learn from the local Custodians of the land how to manage the land.
  • Lobby State Government to extend SEQ development controls into Toowoomba.
  • Put in place safety measures along roads in koala habitat areas to protect the koalas from being hit by cars.
  • New residential development in koala habitat to meet minimum design requirements (veg retention, fencing, covenants on pet ownership etc).
  • Maintain existing koala habitat.
  • Supporting the wildlife carers and groups in the area that rescue and rehabilitate them.
  • The legislation which is so complex that even the State struggles to interpret it. It is managed by three different departments which each have their own legislation. Keep the legislation within one department. That way people have a better chance of complying with it!

Interested in reading the report? Read it here!

Article Attrition: Griffith University.
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This project is supported by Landcare Australia, through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.

Landcare Australia is proud to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which we live and work. We value and respect their deep and continued spiritual and cultural connections to the land, waters and seas, and pay our respects to their Ancestors and Elders past, present and future.