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Sunday, April 2, 2017
A coal seam gas (CSG) company has been given approval to clear 54 hectares of Koala habitat to make way for the construction of 25 gas wells and associated infrastructure.
On March 17 Shell owned QGC Pty Limited was granted approval on a CSG development proposal by Mr James Barker from the Department of the Environment and Energy.
The wording of the approval highlights that it is now up to CSG company QGC to present the Minister with an offset management plan that includes the company’s plans for offsets for the Koala’s habitat.
“There is currently no legislation, anywhere in the country, that can protect Koalas and Koala habitat in Australia. The listing of the koala as “vulnerable” under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in 2012.”says Deborah Tabart of Australian Koala Foundation, “I have written to minister Jackie Trad and the Premier in recent times on several occasions saying that not one single piece of koala habitat in Queensland should be allowed to be cut down.”she says.
In a 2015 report by the University of Queensland for the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, it was shown that koala populations were near extinction in South-East Queensland with an average decline of 54.3 – 80.3 percent in the studied areas.
The decline in koala populations in the areas within the study is attributed to primarily climatic factors along with declining foliage protective cover. Professor Rhodes one of the principal authors of the report was quoted by ABC News saying “There may be some tough decisions we need to make about where we prioritise the protection of koalas,
“If there are populations we really cannot do anything about, we should acknowledge that and focus on the populations where we can have success,” he said.
Koala’s feed almost exclusively on Eucalyptus leaves and are highly selective about which leaves they consume.
If Koala’s are going to survive in their natural habitat in South-East Queensland, the state and Federal Governments are going to have to make decisions that prioritise the small furry Australian native as opposed to approving large clearing operations that prioritise the mining and energy sector above the needs of the trees and the small native Australians that live and feed on them.