Natural Resource Management Koala Population

Question: Discuss about theNatural Resource Management for Koala Population. Answer: Introduction This report is focusing at examining the current state of the Koala population in the East Coomera Area of Australia. In particular, the report reviews the threat facing the Koala population and provide and action plan that can be used to protect the endangered species. It has been alleged that the forestry operations in the region endangered the precious mammal and if no action is taken, then Koalas face extinction. Despite the modern and ecologically sustainable policies and principles that have been put in place by the Australian government, timber harvesting has confused with land clearing activities. Many people have not taken the existence of the Koalas in the timber-producing forests seriously. Therefore, before coming up with a conservation plan to protect the Koalas, it is important to examine the nature and extent of such threats (Allen, Saxon, McDougall , 2010). The Background of Koala Population Koalas have dwelled in the Southern, Eastern and the Mainland of Australia for a very long time. However, in the 20th century, events such as disease epidemics, increased urbanization, timber harvesting, hunting by fur traders from Europe and pastoral pressure have led to the reduction in abundance and distribution of Koalas in Australia (Traffic Engineering and Road Safety Practice Standards, 2011). It is difficult to estimate the current population of Koalas either locally, regionally or in entire Australia. Therefore the generations of abundance and distribution of Koalas have been made without proper assessment. According to the State Government program on Koala's population, it is estimated that the population of Koalas has reduced by approximately 60% between 1999 and present (Bednarik, 2013). In 2012, the Koala's population in Australia was listed as vulnerable in agreement with the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999. The Australian Senate instituted an inquiry on the state of the endangered species in 2010, according to the report findings, the Koalas' population faced conservation challenges especially in the Southern part of Australia (Mills Allendorf, 2002). The East Coomera area contains approximately 170 koalas spread within an area of 150 hectares. However, the original area covered by the Koalas is estimated to have been over 1500 hectares. Much is these areas have been cleared by timber harvesters and urbanization which have seen the development of roads, towns and other infrastructure such as the Pacific Motorway (Biolink, 2007b). Although the areas have established itself as supportive to the Koalas, the existence of this species has been threatened by habitat, degradation, isolation and fragmentation, bushfires, attack by dogs, vehicle strikes, and diseases. In 2007, a study commissioned by the city council on the Koala population and habitat assessment raised grave concern over the population. The report further indicated the area occupied by the Koalas have decreased since 1990. The study showed that only 52% of the preferred 150 hectares were occupied by Koalas. The population estimate also showed that the area as only occupied by between 50 and 100 koalas (Mills Allendorf, 2002). Key Threats to Koala Population The key issues affecting the Koalas' population in the East Coomera areas listed below; Degradation and Habitat Loss The actual reduction of Koala's population and distribution have been attributed by land clearing for urban and agricultural development more so in the high fertile areas. Today, degradation and habitat loss is considered to be the leading threat to Koalas' existence. Timber harvesting and farming activities have reduced the area covered by the Koala population to only 34% (Biolink, 2007a ). The existence of Koala heavily depends on specific species of tree found in the floodplains and river valleys. But due to the effects of fire, and drought, such trees have reduced forcing Koalas to retreat to unaffected areas. Urbanization in the East Coast region is considered to be a major threat to the remaining Koalas' population (CSIRO BoM, 2014). Diseases Chlamydia which is caused by C. pneumonia and Chlamydia is considered to be the prevalent Koala disease. The disease is easily transmitted among Koalas and can cause death within one week following infection (Koala Hospital ? Port Macquarie N, 2010). Predation Natural predators like dingos and Foxes pose a serious threat to Koalas both in trees and on the ground. Likewise, Owls and Raptors also kill or attempt to kill smaller koalas. Likewise, domestic dogs have been identified as a critical threat to the Koalas' population, especially in the urbanized areas. A study conducted by the State government in 2013 showed that the number of koalas killed by roaming and feral dogs has increased significantly and if no action was taken immediately then, Koala is an endangered species (Chenoweth EPLA and Bushland Restoration Services, 2012). Collisions An increasing number of road accidents also threaten the Koala population around the urban areas. For example in Moggil Koala Hospital reported over 250 Koalas that had been admitted to the hospital because of vehicle accidents between 2010 and 2012. Apart from, diseases, vehicle strikes have been reported to be the second leading cause of Koala admissions (Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, 2009). Natural Events Natural events such as drought, wildlife, and dying of Eucalypt trees have also endangered the abundance and distribution of Koala population. With drought, water supply in the forests have declined in the region. However, with urbanization the level of competition for resources among the wild animal has increased. Koala can be therefore considered to be a threatened mammal (Clifton, 2010). The nature and extent of the threats to the facing Koala population clearly show that there is the need to protect them from harm as a result of habitat fragmentation or loss, vehicle accidents, predators, diseases, genetic isolation and bushfires. This project is based on the community awareness through education, research, koala welfare, monitoring, reviewing and evaluation of the current conditions facing the koala population (DAFF, 2013). Describe any (Multi scalar) Planning Instruments City of Gold Coast Council Using to Protect Koalas There exist several institutional policies that have been established to protect the Koala population from extinction in East Commera and the larger region of Gold Coast. The established policies that have been put in place are ranked acc0ording to the institutions that established them i.e. international body, national bodies, State bodies, Regional and Local as summarised in the table below; Levels Established bodies/ institutions International The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) policy and the US Fish and Wildlife service policy offering international guideline on the protection of wildlife and the marine. National Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 or simply the EPBC Act which is a legislative that manages and protects the flora, fauna, heritage places and ecological communities at the national level. State a) South East Queensland Koala Conservation State Planning Regulatory Provisions (SPRP) 2015 which addresses priority areas in the conservation of Koala targeting areas where the Koala population is considered to be at a higher risk of extinction. It offers guidelines that minimizes the negative effect on the Koala population depending on the habitat type and the development type. b) The Queensland Environmental Offset Policy guiding the rehabilitation of the environment, protecting and establishing conducive Koala habitat. c) TheState Government Supported Community Infrastructure Koala Conservation (SEQKPA) Policy provides outlines for the public infrastructures to follow while constructing infrastructures such as schools and roads within the Koala habitat. d) Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan 2006 and Management Program 2006-2016 (koala plan) provides a general overview of handling Koala habitat. It refers to sustainability and conservation of Koala habitat. Regional The South East Queensland Natural Resource Management Plan (SEQNRMP) Plan ensures that the policies that have been established at the higher levels have been implemented at the region level. Local The Koala Conservation Plan for East Coomera Vegetation Protection Order (VPOs) plan, The GCC plan among others have been established to ensure that indigenous trees have been protected by the local governments in the region Land Clearing Management by the City of Gold Coast Council Management of vegetation in public and private lands is solely managed by the City of Gold Coast Council. Planting and Clearing of Trees The planting, maintenance and clearing of trees in public reserves, road side, nature strips, gardens, and parks is controlled by the City Council. Likewise, the city council has enacted laws, policies and regulations that govern the preservation of trees on the private lands within the state. A land owner has to make a written application before clearing the land, planting trees or pruning them. An expert is then assigned to determine is the action that the land owner has applied for is for the best interest of the city residents and its habitats. The council cannot allow cutting or a tree or land clearing because it is dropping twigs or leaves around the residential areas. The city council holds that their experts should be involved in trimming/ pruning a tree because such an action would make the tree unstable or unhealthy. The application by the land owner for land clearing should include the reason as to why he feels the land should be cleared. The application should also include the site plan which identifies the vegetation under discussion for the purpose of assessment. Management of Vegetation on the Private Lands The city Council of Gold Coast has a mandate to protect the vegetation found on the private lands as a way of preserving the citys amenity, character, historical, biodiversity and ecological values. The city council is dedicated to protect the lifestyle and culture of its people and the wildlife such as the Koalas. The vegetation and other indigenous trees are protected by Vegetation management plan by the city council which outlines the guidelines that are considered to be acceptable for land clearing. The Conservation Action Plan The proposed Koala conservation action plan is to be implemented between the period of December 2016 and December 2021. During the period, the action would be reviewed to identify areas that require more action for the effective performance of the action plan (Clifton, 2010). The action plan comprises of; Habitat conservation and restoration Traffic management Management of feral animals Dog management Management of Bushfires Establishing koala welfare movement Community awareness and education Funding Monitoring Conducting further research on the issue. Habitat Conservation Habitat degradation and loss has been identified to have a devastating effect on koala species. Habitat loss has exerted pressure on the remaining koala population which have been confined to a smaller area. The best approach to conserving the koala habitat would be through a combination of several regulations-both incentives and legislative based. Combined with appropriate community awareness and education, the action will succeed (Couvet, 2012). The following actions should be taken to conserve the habitat. Enhancing the level of protection accorded to the tree species preferred by the koalas within the areas as identified under the Priority Koala Conservation Precinct (PKCP). Amending the 2015 City Plan based on mapping and codes to comply with the PKCP. Adoption of the Nature Conservation Policy and Code 8 on the protection of Koala species. Continue the negotiation with the City developers and the general population on the voluntary protection of the koala species. Investigating habitat linkages in the PKCP for possible enhancement of the opportunities to the safe koala. Introduce incentive-based programs that would encourage management, restoration, and conservation of koala habitat. Conduct annual inspection of parklands and reserves to determine the conditions of the koala preferred tree species (Matthews Lunney, 2006). Traffic management The Australian wild care should continue to gather information on the number of koalas treated by them. This would help in the ongoing conservation planning and population monitoring. Collaborate with the Transport Department to implement additional measures for State and City roads. This would enhance the koalas' existence by protecting them against potential accidents. Engage with the road designers to identify scheme code planning favourable to the koalas. Check the Australian wildcare database to identify the emerging black spots on the local road. The information will help in marking koala crossing points. Implement appropriate road signs in line with the findings in d) above. Some measures to be taken include upgrading road signage and making the roads as slower speed areas in collaboration with the traffic department. Dog management Reviewing the local laws to a) prescribe regulations that should be met before residents are allowed to keep their dogs within koala areas. And b) creation of standardized dog ownership notifications informing of the owners about their role towards protecting koalas (Jones Dexter, 2013). Raising awareness about the threats posted by the dog threats on the koala population. The wild officer should respond as shown there is a complaint about dogs roaming in the areas. Following up attack cases until the issues have been resolved adequately. This would include imposing fines on the people whose dogs have been involved the attacks (Gold Coast City Council-AECOM, 2009). Management of feral animals Employing proactive measures in the management of Foxes and wild dogs. Designing and implementation of a wild dog and fox monitoring program within the Bush sites. Continue the collaboration with the Geographic Information System (GIS) to maintain the Feral Animals Database to map the East Coomera area. Management of Bushfires The stakeholders should ensure that the koala and their habitats are effectively considered when preparing the Bushfire strategic management plans as well as hazard reduction plans on bushfires (Gold Coast City Council, 2010). Ensure that the plans mentioned in a) are well managed to minimize the risks associated with bushfires within the koalas' habitats. Liaising with the state fire brigades in the East Coomera area in outlining the conservation requirement for the koala. The requirements should include methods that would enable the identification on whether or not koalas were present during bushfires. Review the previous bushfires in the region and the extent of damages caused by them. The findings would be used to map the areas that are likely to be affected and outline proactive measures (McAlpine, Rhodes, Lunney, 2007). Establishing koala welfare movement Actively engage in promoting awareness information on koala conservation. The stakeholders should engage the community in reporting koala sightings. Maintaining informative information on koala's health, rescue locations and threats. Collaborating with learning institutions to engage on researches that would help in developing chlamydia vaccine to reduce the effects of the disease on the koala (Ellis, 2010). Collaborate with the Australian Wildcare in rescuing injured and sick koalas in time. Liaising with the East Coomera's states on the best ways of managing clearing of vegetation in the area. Community awareness and education Maintaining and promoting updated information on koala conservation on East Coomera website and the social media platforms. Encourage the community to voluntary report the presence of foxes and wild dogs in the areas to the State's Animal Management Department. Initiating koala cooperative programs in the area within the first one year after the action plan has been implemented (Friends of the Koala, 2009). Developing environmental education programs that will increase the community's awareness on the importance of koala conservation. Collaborating with the local media houses in promoting koala conservation programs. Funding Funding potential opportunities and researches that will help in promoting koala conservation and cooperative programs. Identifying organizations and well-wishers who are ready to funds project aimed at conserving the koala population. Identification of research and action partnerships. Conducting further research on the issue. Participating in researches aimed at discovering new ways of enhancing koala population and habitat. The research should also involve identification of new sources of funds. Maintaining a database containing reports and researches conducted on this issue. The information should then be added to the Nature Conservation database to serve a larger population. Collaborating with universities to conduct researches on the koala. For example of research topics would be; a) long-term effects of bushfires on koala habitat; and b) researches that promote the awareness on diseases facing koala population. Monitoring Monitoring habitat after every two years to check on how the habitat have been affected by both the natural and artificial factors. Reviewing the database that had been created on koala to investigate changes that have occurred in the koala habitat on an annual basis (Friends of the Koala, 2009). References Allen, C. D., Saxon, M., McDougall , K. (2010). Koala survey in central forests of the Bermagui ?Mumbulla. Sydney South : 200709: An interim report. Bednarik, R. G. (2013). Habitat use by koalas at the Koala Conservation Centre, Phillip Island. Melbourne: University of Melbourne. Biolink. (2007a ). Koala Population and Habitat Assessment for Gold Coast City LGA. Report prepared for Gold Coast City Council. Biolink. (2007b). Conserving Koalas in the Coomera-Pimpama Koala Habitat Area: a view to the future. Report prepared for Gold Coast City Council. Chenoweth EPLA and Bushland Restoration Services. (2012). South East Queensland Ecological Restoration Framework: Guideline. Brisbane: Prepared on behalf of SEQ Catchments and South East Queensland Local Governments. Clifton, I. D. (2010). High koala mortality associated with low browse moisture in tropical environments. Aust. Mammal, 32 (2), 157?9. Couvet, D. (2012). Deleterious effects of restricted gene flow in fragmented populations. CXonservation Biology, 16:369-376. CSIRO BoM. (2014). Climate change in Australia. technical report 2014. DAFF. (2013). The tenure of Australian native forests. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Retrieved from https://www.daff.gov.au/brs/forest?veg/nfi/forest?info/tenure Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP). (2012). Koala Sensitive Design Guidelines: A guide to koala sensitive design measures for planning and development activities. Queensland Government. Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP). (2013). Koala Sensitive Design Guideline State Planning Policy 2/10 Koala Conservation in South East Queensland. Queensland Government. Dique, D., Preece, H., Thompson , J. (2012). Determining the distribution and abundance of a regional koala population in south?east Queensland for conservation management. Wildl. Res, 31 109?17. Ellis, W. (2010). Climate change and the koala Phascolarctos conereus : water and energy. Aust. Zool. Friends of the Koala. (2009). Firends of the Koala ? Conservine koala and their habitat in the Northern Rivers of NSW. Retrieved from https://www.friendsofthekoala.org/fok/ Gold Coast City Council. (2010). Burleigh Green Space Conservation Reserves Management Plan. Gold Coast City Council. Gold Coast City Council-AECOM. (2009). Burleigh Green Space Conservation Reserve-Fire Management Plan. Gold Coast City Council. Jones, D., Dexter, C. (2013). Koala Retrofit works program-evaluation monitoring for koala specific over pass structure. Environmental Futures Centre. . Griffith University. Koala Hospital ? Port Macquarie N. (2010). Koala Hospital ? Port Macquarie, NSW ? The facts about koalas. Port Macquarie. Retrieved from https://www.koalahospital.org.au/the?facts Matthews, A., Lunney, D. (2006). Tree use by koalas Phascolarctos cinereus after fire in a remnant coastal forest. Wildlife Research , 34:84-93. McAlpine, C., Rhodes, J., Lunney, D. (2007). Planning guidelines for koala conservation and recovery. Brisbane: University of Queensland. Mills, S., Allendorf, F. (2002). The one migration per generation rule in conservation management. Conservation Biology, 10:1509-1518. Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council. (2009). National Koala Conservation and Management Strategy 2009-2014. Commonwealth Government. Traffic Engineering and Road Safety Practice Standards. (2011). Wildlife Signage Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.google.com.au/url?url=https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/busind/techstdpubs/trum/TRUMWildlifeSignsUnderDevelopmentV11.pdf