Koala Protection

It is clearly recognisable in the State Government Planning Policy Interactive Mapping that approximately 65% of Lot 178 SP141675 is declared.

· MSES - Regulated Vegetation (Category C)
· MSES - Regulated Vegetation (Essential habitat)
· MSES - Wildlife habitat (Koala habit area – core)

This portion of land has been recently earmarked for a Primary School under the Draft Development Charges and Offset Plan (DCOP)
This land has been protected by the Scott family (known as Scott’s Farm) and has not been cleared of trees or vegetation, with many of the trees being over 300 years old. Due to the surrounding land being cleared for high density housing, Lot 178 has become a refuge area for wildlife, koala’s, kangaroo’s, sugar glider possums & various other marsupials. It also provides a safe corridor for wildlife displaced by housing development.

The attached koala photo was taken on the 26 January 2022, within Lot 178 SP141675, which clearly shows the recent evidence of Koala activity. Koala’s are frequently seen on the property and regularly in the same section of woodland including within this parcel of land.
The recently launched Qld Government SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy http://www.environment.des.qld.gov.au/.../seq-koala-strategy details the decline in Koala numbers and the need for Habitat Protection, Habitat Restoration and Threat Management. If the government has “introduced the strongest Koala protections Queensland has ever seen”, then this portion of land needs those protections. Action 1.6 of Habitat protection states avoiding the expansion of the urban footprint, this surely includes acquiring land for a primary school.