A total of 15 strategies have been identified to help recover this threatened [species/population/endangered ecological community]. Each of these strategies has a number of priority actions within it. The table below shows these strategies and priority actions. It also shows which organisation is responsible for each priority action, along with the progress made so far. You can also see details of the broad geographic regions each priority action applies to in New South Wales.
| Description of priority action | Priority |
|---|
| Recovery strategy: Aboriginal liaison and/or interpretation |
| Investigations into the cultural
significance of koalas to indigenous
Australians will be encouraged. | Low |
| Recovery strategy: Assess threats and determine recovery strategies |
| In areas where overbrowsing becomes a significant issue, develop management strategies based on the National Koala Conservation Strategy. | Medium |
| Recovery strategy: Captive Husbandry or ex-situ collection/propagation |
| Accredited and licensed wildlife rehabilitation groups will continue to rescue and rehabilitate injured, orphaned and/or diseased koalas according to the NPWS policy "Koala Care in NSW: Guidelines and Conditions", including an upgraded recording system. | High |
| DECC will analyse NSW koala care records, assist in developing improved protocols to record data to ensure consistency among rehab groups & to provide useful information for koala conservation. | High |
| DECC will assist wildlife rehabilitation groups to interpret the ecological
relevance and application of rescue
work and rescue records for koala
conservation. | High |
| Recovery strategy: Community and land-holder liaison/ awareness and/or education |
| DECC will make available/disseminate
the information gathered during the
implementation of the recovery plan. | High |
| DECC will investigate with stakeholders
the value of holding another koala
summit (state conference). | Low |
| DECC will prepare and make
available/disseminate information to
drivers in areas where koala populations
occur regarding the threat posed to
koalas by vehicles. | Low |
| DECC will provide information in
relation to the management of dogs and
their threat to koalas. | Low |
| Information regarding koalas and koala habitat, including maps of koala habitat, will be prepared by DECC and disseminated, following discussions, to relevant bush fire management committees. | Low |
| Recovery strategy: Coordinate the recovery and/or threat abatement program |
| DECC, through collaboration with a wide range of researchers & conservation partners, will coordinate & promote implementation of the recovery plan, using the Priorities Action Statement as the primary information & coordination tool. | High |
| Recovery strategy: Develop and implement protocols and guidelines |
| The NSW government will participate in the preparation of a revised National Koala
Conservation Strategy to replace the 1998 ANZECC Strategy. . | High |
| DECC will encourage the revision and/or production of a regional list of koala food and
shelter trees for catchment management authorities, local government areas and other
local/regional koala plans that deal with specific issues and/or locations. | Medium |
| DECC will prepare environmental impact assessment guidelines for the koala. | Medium |
| DECC will work with councils to assist in the preparation of
Comprehensive Koala Plans of Management under SEPP 44. | Medium |
| DECC, in partnership with planning research groups, will prepare a generic approach to
planning guidelines as an application of the research done on the impacts of habitat loss,
fragmentation and the impediments to koala movement between fragments. | Medium |
| DECC will advise consent and determining authorities on the appropriate measures which
should be included in the design and construction of new roads which may have the potential
to impact on koala habitat. | Low |
| Recovery strategy: Establish management agreements with public authorities CMAs and land managers/owners |
| DECC will approach key stakeholders to negotiate conservation outcomes for important koala
populations in NSW. | Medium |
| Recovery strategy: Habitat management: Ongoing EIA - Advice to consent and planning authorities |
| DECC will provide specific advice arising from the koala recovery plan, as required, to consent & determining authorities regarding their decision-making resposibilities under SEPP 44, the EP&A Act and the NV Act.. | Medium |
| DECC will provide appropriate regional koala food tree species lists to catchment management authorities. | Low |
| Recovery strategy: Habitat management: Other |
| Management of all DECC estate will specifically provide for the protection of koalas. | Low |
| Recovery strategy: Habitat Rehabilitation/Restoration and/or Regeneration |
| DECC will contribute to koala habitat rehabilitation & revegetation activities undertaken by individuals, community groups & government agencies by identifying priority areas for work in each koala management area & providing technical advice & support. | Medium |
| Recovery strategy: Monitoring |
| DECC will design & implement a program to monitor changes in the status of koalas & koala habitat & evaluate the success of recovery actions in improving the conservation status of koalas in NSW. | Medium |
| Recovery strategy: Other Action |
| Consideration will be given to amending Schedule 2 (Feed Tree Species) of SEPP 44 to include additional food tree species of koalas. | High |
| Implement the objectives of SEPP 44 and the National Koala Conservation Strategy for the conservation of koalas and their habitat in NSW. | High |
| Consideration will be given to amending SEPP 44 to: allow for other koala plans to be developed by councils on a regional or local government basis; & allow for Schedule 2 (Feed Tree Species) of SEPP 44 to include additional koala food tree species. | Medium |
| Consideration will be given to having a single definition of koala habitat, instead of 'core' and 'potential' habitat and to expanding the list of koala foods. | Medium |
| DECC will revise the local government area list on the basis of the 2006 map of
koala distribution (from the community survey) and consider whether to recommend its incorporation into SEPP 44. | Medium |
| DECC, together with Dept. of Planning, will work with councils & CMAs to assist them in developing koala habitat protection measures for incorporation in relevant local environmental plans, & regional natural resource and vegetation management plans. | Medium |
| DECC will approach Forests NSW to collaborate in developing policy & practice consistent with the NSW Koala Recovery Plan; exchange information, given koalas move across tenure boundaries; & work within the context of agreed regional forest agreements. | Low |
| DECC will approach RTA to align its policy & practice with the koala recovery plan; exchange info & produce plans; ensure RTA has an active program to implement engineering solutions & other measures to reduce adverse impacts of vehicles on koalas. | Low |
| DECC will approach the Department of Planning to jointly develop and provide specific
advice to local government about the incorporation of koala protection into their new local
environmental plans, currently under development. | Low |
| Recovery strategy: Research |
| Analyse community-based survey data on koala distribution in NSW in relation
to features such as habitat, tenures, catchment management authority and bioregional
boundaries, and compare 2006 survey results with those of the 1986 survey. . | High |
| DECC will analyse patterns of koala road deaths to enable recommendations to road managers on appropriate
management measures which limit the risk to koalas on existing roads. | High |
| DECC will analyse the impact of dogs to identify whether dogs posse a significant threat to koala populations, and alert land managers to the problem. | High |
| DECC will undertake and encourage other researchers to undertake population studies of
koalas in a range of habitats in relation to a range of issues such as fire, drought, dogs, cars,
habitat fragmentation, and climate change. | High |
| DECC will undertake research on koala ecology to better understand the primary issues affecting their conservation, & coordinate/contribute to the disparate interests & activities relevant to understanding & managing koalas in NSW. | High |
| Define the factors that determine koala habitat including soils, elevation, climate and tree
species (food and shelter). . | High |
| Disseminate the results of the community-based survey on koala distribution in NSW, including in a standard scientific publication. . | High |
| Assess koala population dynamics and habitat use across the NSW range. | Medium |
| Assess the significance and extent of overbrowsing which is likely to emerge in NSW. | Medium |
| Compare and assess the reliability of different koala survey and analytical techniques. | Medium |
| Conduct research on the relative impacts of different levels of habitat loss and fragmentation
on koala populations, and on the ability of koalas to move between patches, relating to both
daily movements and long-term dispersal. | Medium |
| DECC will encourage groups to undertake research on any aspect of koala biology & to communicate with DECC when research is being undertaken & when results are published, so officers managing the recovery plan have access to the best available info. | Medium |
| Investigate the relative importance of different threats to koalas, how to ameliorate them and
the effectiveness of mitigation measures. | Medium |
| Undertake studies of the history of koala management as part of an adaptive
management strategy. | Medium |
| Assess the economic and non-biological values of koalas to the whole
community. | Low |
| Recovery strategy: Survey/Mapping and Habitat assessment |
| DECC will determine the distribution of koalas across NSW by conducting a
community-based survey. | High |
| DECC will identify important koala populations in NSW for active management,
monitoring and conservation. | High |
| Undertake local and/or regional surveys in selected koala populations with particular
emphasis on repeating earlier surveys to search for trends and causes of changes in koala
distribution. | High |
| Examine the population of koalas in Bongil Bongil National Park to assist in the implementation of the Koala Recovery Plan in this icon forest. . . | Medium |
| Undertake coordinated surveys of koalas across a range of scales, using appropriate methods & focusing on different issues at the site, landscape/regional, & state scale, including a mechanism for identifying endangered populations. | Medium |
| Recovery strategy: Translocation and/or reintroduction |
| A translocation proposal consistent with the NPWS Policy for the Translocation of Threatened Fauna in NSW will be prepared for any proposed movement of koalas. DECC will disseminate info regarding translocation of koalas. | High |
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