The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is looking to ensure the long-term protection and survival of Victoria’s koalas with the release of a draft strategy for their welfare.
Calling for feedback on the draft Victorian Koala Management Strategy, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio said the Strategy would guide State conservation efforts and outlined actions to ensure koalas’ security, sustainability and health.
“Koalas are one of our most loved species, known all over the world as a symbol of Australia’s unique wildlife,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“This Strategy will guide how we conserve and manage Victoria’s koalas into the future,” she said.
“This is an opportunity for the Victorian community to have their say and make sure our koala populations, and their habitat, are healthy and resilient for future generations.”
Ms D’Ambrosio said since the previous 2004 Strategy was released, new issues impacting koalas had emerged and others had become more significant, including climate change, genetic diversity and extreme bushfires.
She said the beloved creatures had recently been listed as endangered in Queensland, the ACT and NSW, but were not threatened in Victoria.
The Minister said estimates from the first Statewide koala abundance model proposed a Statewide koala population of 460,000, with an estimated 413,000 koalas in native forest and woodland, and a further 47,000 koalas in eucalypt plantations.
DELWP’s 40-page Strategy can be downloaded at this PS News link.
