Australia’s first national koala recovery plan has been released by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) to halt the population decline of the nation’s most loved animal.
Welcoming the National Koala Recovery Plan, Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said the Plan set clear strategies to support protection and population recovery, reduce disease impacts, and coordinate programs across multiple levels of Government.
Ms Ley announced she would form a national koala recovery team to guide the implementation of the Plan and monitor outcomes.
“This Plan coordinates action across all levels of Government and the community and will produce significant improvements for endangered populations in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory,” Ms Ley said.
“Actions under the Plan include the identification of nationally important populations, national monitoring, restoration of habitat, and community education in urban and peri-urban areas.”
She said the Plan also considered the importance of the management of healthy koala populations in Victoria and South Australia.
In a statement, DAWE said the Plan’s purpose was to provide for the research and management actions necessary to stop the decline, and support the recovery of the koala to maximise its chances of long-term survival in nature.
“It is the road map to recovery,” the Department said.
“Its goal is to stop the trend of decline in population size of the listed Koala, by having resilient, connected, and genetically healthy metapopulations across its range, and to increase the extent, quality and connectivity of habitat occupied,” it said.
DAWE’s 132-page Plan can be accessed at this PS News link.
