BIODIVERSITY
RECLAIMING LAND FOR KOALAS
NOOSA, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Meaningful conservation projects are happening all over the globe. Next time you travel, check to see if any reforestation projects are happening nearby and see how you might be able to contribute to their efforts. Noosa, Australia, has a long history of conservation to protect its koalas and other wildlife.
What's
changing
Saving land from development often has little impact unless conservation groups acquire enough space to sustain an ecosystem and provide wildlife corridors. Where development threatens wild areas, the cost of land often increases as developers compete for tracts, but passionate individuals and groups can collaborate to make large-scale acquisitions. It just takes time, money and vision.
What's already
possible
In Noosa, the Yurol Ringtail Conservation project added 2,400 hectares (5,930 acres) to a national park. In an area with 23 species threatened, the acquired land connects protected habitats on a scale necessary to rehabilitate the flora and fauna.
Seizing
the opportunity
A timber company, called HQPlantations (HQP), held a 99-year plantation license from the Queensland government for the land that makes up Ringtail and Yurol State Forests. HQP harvests timber and plants pine trees for future felling. In 2015, the Noosa Parks Association, a not-for-profit conservation group that has been working to connect the national parks in the region since 1962, asked HQP if it would sell its interest in the forests. Two years later, the two organizations agreed on a price of 3.5 million Australian dollars. Negotiations included stakeholders from business, government and local non-profit organizations. The parties agreed that HQP would have five years to complete a final harvest of pine trees. Koala-detection dogs identified where the animals were during harvesting to ensure none were at risk as trees were cut. As harvesting ended on each tract, HQP transferred the land to the national park, and local organizations started restoring it to a more natural habitat.
Standout
tactic
Revegetating the land, removing non-endemic species and diversifying monoculture areas were huge tasks that needed to be funded. Organizations and volunteer groups were essential for replanting native forests. One organization, Greenfleet, focused on areas that had been affected by harvesting. They raised money by selling carbon credits to people and organizations as offsets. They also entered into a land-use agreement with the Kabi Kabi Aboriginal People’s Corporation to provide training opportunities for the Kabi Kabi People. A local non-profit carries out Greenfleet’s work in reforesting the area. The Body Shop’s philanthropic arm contributed more than 25,000 plants, and a local resort, Peppers Noosa, paid for more than 7,000 plants.
How
it helps
After five years, natural regrowth of endangered species in the new national park parcels was higher than what conservationists expected. More than 130,000 trees have been planted, and another 180,000 trees will be. The percentage of land in Noosa Shire managed for its environmental value is currently 43% with a target of 50% by 2030.
Diving
deeper
How can conservation areas like this work to minimize human-wildlife conflicts as species begin to replenish and fill the new ecological niches provided by connected preserves?
Increasing
impact
As southeastern Queensland’s population grows, land acquisition would give Noosa Parks Association routes for connecting additional parcels of land and further expand the wildlife corridor.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
