Tree planting ramps-up after koala population doubles

Published 10 December 2020

The koala population at The Mill has literally doubled in the last three years, thanks to the nation-leading efforts of Council’s wildlife monitoring contractor Endeavour Veterinary Ecology (EVE).

To keep pace, Moreton Bay Regional Council this week approved the planting of an additional 50,000 canopy and understory trees as koala habitat over 45 hectares at the site.

Mayor Peter Flannery said the massive $1.2 million revegetation project will get underway in early 2021.

“I started this year as Mayor by making a commitment that Moreton Bay Regional Council would protect strategic wildlife corridors, koala habitat and precious greenspace,” Cr Flannery said.

“I’m proud to have the support of a Council team who know how important this work is, and fundamentally believe that as your elected local government we must work to get the balance between development and conservation right.

“In our 20/21 Budget we extended the original 2017 contract with EVE, after their outstanding success in growing the local koala population from 45 to 98 over that time.

“Right now there are 23 dependent joeys at the site, who will become independent at about 12 months of age.

“With such as thriving population, Council is continuing to provide the habitat required to not only sustain growing koala number but also plant green corridors around our region to improve corridor connectivity and help koalas move around the region safely.

“We are getting this right and we are learning more about koalas every day, and I hope we’re providing a beacon of hope to regions around Australia where koala number are in decline.

“We are proving that with good science, good environmental practices, and good planning you can turn the tide - but you also have to have a good budget allocation and I want to thank the Councillors for supporting this investment.

“Major planting works will get underway early next year to align with the optimal planting season and we are hoping to have a bumper wet season to get the trees growing nice and tall.”

Cr Flannery said more than 45,000 trees will be planted in our region over the next three years.

“Whenever we build a new road, or development or have to cut down trees to enable project construction we compensate for that loss with a massive tree replanting program.

“I believe it’s just as important to provide our wildlife with habitat as it is to provide residents with homes, and we need to get that balance right in order to preserve our lifestyle and ecology.

“Council has built more than 20 fauna rope bridges, constructed around 10 kilometres of fauna exclusion fencing, as well as 10 wildlife underpasses to keep our wildlife away from our roads.

“And in our 2020-21 Budget, we announced a $1.8 million land buyback initiative to protect wildlife corridors, koala habitat and greenspace.

For more information on Council’s land buyback program visit https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/News/Media/Environment-Funding

For more information on the success of Council’s koala conservation program visit: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/News/Media/Koala-Population-Defies-National-Trend