Thank you for the ongoing support for our petition to protect Mount Glen Rocks' precious native Fauna and Flora. 

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Pictured are the Koalas of Mount Glen Rock and surrounding Sandy Creek area. To more fully understand the specific needs of our Endangered Australian icon, Koala Research is crucially important.

Why?

Research on Koala populations and their threats, along with ongoing monitoring and evaluation of implemented conservation actions, is imperative to ensuring that future generations have the same privilege as we do: The observation of healthy Koala populations in their natural habitat. 

Unfortunately, decades of meek political will and half-hearted conservation actions, has recently led to Koala's status being upgraded from Vulnerable to Endangered. 

There are 14 recognised Koala populations in the South-East Queensland region of Australia.

These are at Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Kilcoy, Caboolture, Pine Rivers, North Stradbroke Island, Esk, Koala Coast, Rosewood, Purga, Jimboomba, Coomera, Coombabah and Numinbah.  

Looking at the Koala Coast population studies over the decades, between the years of 1996-2006, a 51% decline in population was observed. 

A further study concluding in 2014 shows this decline increasing to 80%.

There is evidence that this decline in population is not only increasing, but that it is actually accelerating.

The data shows that the largest population declines were observed in bushland areas at 59%, as opposed to urban areas at 30%. 

Loss of Koala habitat is considered to be the greatest threat to declining population numbers. 

An expert panel report, indicates that some existing Local and State Government Koala conservation measures, are simply not working. 

For example, the Koala Bushland Coordinated Conservation Area, has seen rapid declines in Koala populations, with great difficulty in securing long-term populations. 

This decline has gone from 400 individuals in 1997-1999, to less than 100 in 2013. 

This expert panel largely attributes this to the area being of low-quality habitat, as it is an area that lacks the alluvial soils more characteristic of areas with strong Koala populations. 

They note that Koala densities here would likely have always been low. They even question why time and investment keeps being directed into this area, given the poor outcomes. 

This example highlights the importance of conserving high-quality Koala habitat, and also that simply designating an area as a 'Koala Conservation Park' does not make it so. 

Mount Glen Rock and the Sandy Creek Corridor have extensive areas of high-quality Koala habitat on alluvial soils. 

These are also Endangered ecosystem types which are noted as providing good quality habitat for Koalas. 

Successful Koala Conservation is multi-facetted, requiring knowledge, wisdom and careful planning.

Appropriate, expert led Koala Research is the obvious starting point.

This is one of our goals for the Koalas of Mount Glen Rock and surrounding area.

SOURCES: 

Department of Environment and Resource Management on behalf of the Queensland Government (n.d), ‘Inquiry into Australia’s koala population’ 

Department of Environment and Resource Management (2008), ‘Decline of the Koala Coast Koala Population: Population Status in 2008’ 

Rhodes, J., Beyer, D., Preece, H., McAlpine, C. (2015), ‘South East Queensland Koala Population Modelling Study’ 

Rhodes, J., Melzer, A., Mucci, A., Hood, A. (2017), ‘Koala Expert Panel Interim Report’