Media Release - 16-05-06
Community is called to assist in conserving Koalas in the SE region
A coalition of State and local government agencies is working with the local community to develop a new approach to the management of Koalas in the South East that considers the species across all land tenures rather than just public lands.
In an effort to find the best way to manage and improve the sparse koala population on the far south coast a Working Group has been formed to contribute to a new plan for the management of Koalas in an area south of Tuross River to the Victorian border and as far west as Bombala.
The NSW Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) has engaged a firm of environmental management planners to help develop the new plan.
To help the planners the Far South Coast Koala Management Working Group was convened and has so far met once in Merimbula. The group includes two community representatives (Jack Miller and Bob Harris), and representatives from the DEC, Forests NSW, Bega Valley Shire Council, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. .Representatives from the Aboriginal community and the Catchment Management Authority are also being sought.
Working group spokesman and DEC Biodiversity Conservation Manager, Michael Saxon, said today that convening the group was the first step towards improving the overall management of koalas in the region.
'The Koala population in this region is very sparse. They once numbered in their thousands but for all sorts of reasons they may now number less that a hundred in this part of the world. It's a critically low number and a management issue that the entire community needs to consider if we are to reverse this obvious and dramatic decline," Mr Saxon said.
"Before we take another step the Working Group acknowledges that to manage Koalas effectively we have to consider the whole population in the region and not just those that exist in on public lands.
"Clearly they are found across all land tenures, including private property, national parks and state forests. "So we need to develop a management framework that looks at the bigger picture rather than just isolated populations and how they may be impacted by certain activities and developments in the region.
"To help us,the DEC has engaged environmental planners Eco Logical Australia to prepare a management framework that looks at the broader issue of koalas across the region and provides some clear objectives.
"The planners will also manage a public consultation process which will begin within weeks with two public workshops at Bermagui and Wyndham where we hope to gather the available information and on-ground knowledge of local residents who have experience with or sighted koalas in recent times. "The working group will be a key part of this process and will provide advice and guidance to the planners. It is our hope that we will begin to develop a clearer region-wide plan for the effective management of Koalas across the landscape that will help us help this species survive regionally in the future," Mr Saxon said.
The first workshop will be held at the Wyndham Town Hall on Tuesday May 30 between 6.30 and 9pm and the second will be at Bermagui Community Hall the following evening also between 6.30 and 9pm. For details call Steven Ward on 02 85368613