An Inconvenient Koala: The case for a Koala Protection Act - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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An Inconvenient Koala: The case for a Koala Protection Act - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mar 25, 2023 10 likes •356 views

An Inconvenient Koala: The case for a Koala Protection Act www.savethekoala.com The Australian Koala Foundation The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is the principal non-profit, non- government organisation dedicated to the conservation

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www.savethekoala.com

An Inconvenient Koala:

The case for a Koala Protection Act

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The Australian Koala Foundation

www.savethekoala.com

  • The Australian Koala

Foundation (AKF) is the principal non-profit, non- government organisation dedicated to the conservation and effective management of the wild koala and its habitat.

  • We take no money from

Government, so that we can speak the truth for the Koala

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Federal Koala Protection in Australia

www.savethekoala.com

  • The Koala was listed as a

Vulnerable species under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in May 2012.

  • Listing only protects Koalas

in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT.

  • There is no Federal

protection for Koalas in Victoria and South Aust.

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State Federal Government 1990 Estimate Federal Government 2010 Estimate % Decline Queensland 295,000 167,000 43.4 New South Wales 31,400 21,000 33.1 Victoria 215,000 200,000 7 South Australia 32,000 19,500 39.1 National Total 573,400 407,500 28.9

Federal Koala Protection in Australia

www.savethekoala.com

  • The threshold for a National Listing is 30%
  • Where is the Precautionary Principle?
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Federal Koala Protection in Australia

www.savethekoala.com

State Federal Government 1990 Estimate Federal Government 2010 Estimate % Decline AKF Estimate Queensland 295,000 167,000 43.4 17,375-33,735 New South Wales 31,400 21,000 33.1 10,050-14,070 Victoria 215,000 200,000 7 21,240-47,980 South Australia 32,000 19,500 39.1 12,180-13,970 National Total 573,400 407,500 28.9 60,845-109,755

  • AKF estimates, which are generated from mapping and probability

models (informed by research across Australia), are far lower

  • How did the Federal Government get such massive numbers?
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Federal Koala Protection in Australia

www.savethekoala.com

State Federal Government 1990 Estimate Federal Government 2010 Estimate % Decline AKF Estimate Queensland 295,000 167,000 43.4 17,375-33,735 New South Wales 31,400 21,000 33.1 10,050-14,070 Victoria 215,000 200,000 7 21,240-47,980 South Australia 32,000 19,500 39.1 12,180-13,970 National Total 573,400 407,500 28.9 60,845-109,755

  • Victorian and South Australian populations are not listed because

the Federal Government manipulated the numbers for Koalas in Victoria and South Australia

  • This was based only on the opinion of the Victorian State

Government that the estimate for 2010 was wrong (TSSC Listing Advice 2012)

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So, how many Koalas were there?

www.savethekoala.com

  • Research has revealed millions of Koala skins were exported

from Australia before 1930

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The current system is failing

  • Urban development and associated habitat loss continues

with little real constraint

www.savethekoala.com

2008 Look at the changes here…

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The current system is failing

  • Urban development and associated habitat loss continues

with little real constraint

www.savethekoala.com

2010 Look at the changes here…

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The current system is failing

  • Urban development and associated habitat loss continues

with little real constraint

www.savethekoala.com

2010 …and here

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The current system is failing

  • Urban development and associated habitat loss continues

with little real constraint

www.savethekoala.com

2013 …and here

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The current system is failing

  • In this case, the site is good habitat, and Koala activity levels

are medium (which means the site is important)

  • Why then did the environmental consultants suggest it is low-

value Koala habitat?

  • Federal Government takes this on face value…

www.savethekoala.com

SAT Site Activity Level 1 2 2 23 3 27 4 20 5 27 6 7

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The current system is failing

www.savethekoala.com

  • Infrastructure development is consistently prioritised over

the environment (Bush is cheaper)

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The current system is failing

www.savethekoala.com

  • Forestry activities continue to threaten

Koala populations

  • Who is keeping watch? Who prosecutes?
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The current system is failing

www.savethekoala.com

  • Mining operations continue to clear quality habitats, with the

promise of rehabilitated habitat for Koalas in 30+ years time

  • Will that habitat ever be restored?
  • Will there still be Koalas around to use it?
  • Who is watching to see if these trees are planted?
  • Will they?
  • Do we trust them?
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The current system is failing

  • We haven’t even begun to see the

impacts of mining and CSG

  • What will this mean, not just for the

Koala, but for agriculture, and water?

www.savethekoala.com

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And numbers continue to plummet

www.savethekoala.com

  • The Koala Coast (Southeast QLD) has the best long term data
  • Numbers have decline by 68% between 1997 and 2010
  • No data on further surveys has been released. Why?

Source: QLD Department of Environment and Heritage Protection 2012

1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Koala Coast Population Abundance

Estimated Koala Abundance

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And numbers continue to plummet

www.savethekoala.com

  • Sharp declines are echoed around the country
  • How long can this continue before Koalas are functionally

extinct?

State Federal Government 1990 Estimate Federal Government 2010 Estimate % Decline AKF Estimate Queensland 295,000 167,000 43.4 17,375-33,735 New South Wales 31,400 21,000 33.1 10,050-14,070 Victoria 215,000 200,000 7 21,240-47,980 South Australia 32,000 19,500 39.1 12,180-13,970 National Total 573,400 407,500 28.9 60,845-109,755

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And numbers continue to plummet

www.savethekoala.com

  • Of 22,000+ koalas reported in Queensland since 1997, nearly 75%

were Dead on Arrival or subsequently died

  • How long can this continue before Koalas are functionally extinct?

Cause of Death

Dead Released

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And numbers continue to plummet

www.savethekoala.com

  • Koala hospitals nationwide show as many, if not more Koalas

are dying than are released

  • How long can this continue before Koalas are functionally

extinct?

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Admission Released Died Euthanased In care Transferred

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sep-06 Apr-07 Nov-07 Jun-08 Jan-09 Aug-09 Mar-10 Oct-10 May-11 Dec-11 Jul-12 Feb-13 Sep-13 Apr-14 Nov-14 Admission Released Died Euthanased

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And numbers continue to plummet

www.savethekoala.com

  • A Government project monitored 441 Koalas between May

2013 – January 2015; half these animals are now dead

  • How long can this continue before Koalas are extinct?

Cause of Death

Dogs Carpet Python Cars Other Disease Unknown

Mortality

Alive Dead

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The National picture

  • Lack of effective legislation to protect Koalas from the myriad

threats

  • Has the EPBC Act and the Federal listing improved outcomes for Koalas? No
  • Lack of any coherent plan for the conservation of the Koala
  • What did the National Koala Conservation and Management Strategy

(2009-2014) achieve? Nothing

  • Where is the Koala Recovery Plan? In consultation with the QLD

Government, but who knows when it will be released…

www.savethekoala.com

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It’s time for new thinking

www.savethekoala.com

  • A simple piece of legislation to protect Koalas and Koala

habitat: The Koala Protection Act (KPA)

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A new way - The Bald Eagle Act

  • Enacted in 1940
  • A key driving principle behind

the Act was the protection of a National Icon in a time of War

  • Simple legislation – you can’t

touch the bird, you can’t touch nest trees

www.savethekoala.com

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The Koala is one of the few species that can change the world

www.savethekoala.com

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The Koala is one of the few species that can change the world

www.savethekoala.com

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The Koala is one of the few species that can change the world

www.savethekoala.com

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The Koala is one of the few species that can change the world

www.savethekoala.com

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It’s not just about the Koala

www.savethekoala.com

Threatened Species in Potential Koala Habitat

  • If you protect Koala habitat, you protect the habitat of a range
  • f other species
  • There are currently 1,664

threatened species in Australia; if you protect Koala habitat, you also protect the homes of at least 1,000 of these species

Low Low-Med Medium Med-High High

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It’s not just about the Koala

  • Koala tourism is estimated

to contribute $AU 3.2 billion to the Australian economy each year

  • Koala tourism is

responsible for 30,000 jobs

www.savethekoala.com

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It’s time for something new

www.savethekoala.com

  • It’s not about stopping development;

it’s about better development (e.g. AKF’s Koala Beach)

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It’s time for something new

www.savethekoala.com

“The AKF is not the custodian of the Koala, nor is any Zoo, nor is any Vet, nor is any University, nor is any koala hospital or carer group. “The custodian of the Koala is the Australian Government, and they have abrogated their responsibility and allowed immense cruelty to be perpetrated on the Koala for last 200 years. “It is truly time for something new.” Deborah Tabart OAM

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Do you agree that the Koala need protection? Do you agree that, to protect Koalas we need to protect habitat?

Two simple questions

www.savethekoala.com

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If you answered yes, and want to support the AKF in its bid to see the KPA become a reality, join the Koala Army (www.savethekoala.com/koala-army)

Join the Koala Army

www.savethekoala.com