National Koala Conservation Strategy 1998
About the strategy
The koala is an important part of Australia's natural and cultural heritage. The koala is clearly declining in some parts of Australia and because of its cultural significance there is public and scientific concern about its conservation. The ANZECC National koala conservation strategy was prepared in 1998 to deal with the important management issues facing one of Australia's most high profile species. It provides a national framework for the conservation of the koala.
The conservation status of the koala varies from region to region. The strategy outlines management issues and sets out objectives and approaches for addressing them.
The main management issues for koalas in the wild are identified as:
- clearing
- fragmentation and degradation of habitat
- disease
- natural disasters
- roads
- dogs, and
- over-browsing.
The objectives of the strategy address:
- conservation of koalas in their existing habitat
- restoration of degraded habitat
- the need to better understand the conservation biology of the koala
- education
- management of captive, sick or injured koalas, and
- management of over-browsing.
The conservation of the koala is a complex task requiring an integrated management approach. This includes input from the community and from all levels of government.
Review of the Strategy
In November 2006, the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC) agreed to a review of the Strategy. The review is being overseen by a steering committee, chaired by the department and comprising representatives from the main koala range states (New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland) and the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF).
As part of the process for the review of the strategy, the department undertook a consultancy to evaluate progress in the implementation of the objectives of the strategy and to provide recommendations for updating and improving the strategy.
The consultancy has now been completed and the resulting evaluation report Review of Progress in Implementing the 1998 National Koala Conservation Strategy was presented to the steering committee on 9 October 2008. The consultant gathered information from a range of participants, including Commonwealth, state and local government representatives, university researchers, and conservation and wildlife groups, through interviews and written submissions.