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Redlands Biodiversity in Danger

by

Lindsay Hackett

Urban and other developments within the Redlands continue apace, at the expense of the environment. There seems to be a disconnect in the mindset of governments when comparing their actions with their rhetoric in relation to the environment.

This paper highlights the status of some important factors affecting the sustainability of biodiversity within the Redlands. A glossary is appended at the end of this paper.

Remnant Vegetation in the Redlands

In 2005, the Redlands had only 30% of remnant vegetation left on the mainland.1 Thirty per cent is accepted as indicative of the minimum amount for a functioning ecology. The Queensland Herbarium analysis2 states that, averaged across all regional ecosystems within the Redlands, in 2005, there was 56% of remnant vegetation; a large part of it on Stradbroke Island. However, for the same period, the data shows that 7 of the 34 regional ecosystems within the Redlands had less than the viable 30% threshold of remnant vegetation. This data does not include what has been lost from 2005 until today. Note, also, that in 2005, the analysis found that the annual clearing rate within the Redlands was the sixth highest in the State, at 0.611%.

The map below shows the Redlands regional ecosystem status at 2003 for the mainland part of the City, the latest map available. (The key to the map can be seen best if this document is enlarged by 200%). The coloured parts of the map show the areas that have remnant and moratorium vegetation.

The dark blue parts are the moratorium areas declared by the Queensland government on 8 April 2009. The purpose of the moratorium is to ensure that high-value regrowth vegetation cannot be cleared pre-emptively while the government is working with stakeholder groups to improve the vegetation clearing laws in Queensland. Under the moratorium, all native regrowth vegetation within 50 metres of a watercourse in the priority reef catchments of the Wet Tropics, Burdekin and Mackay/Whitsunday regions and endangered regrowth vegetation in rural areas across the state on freehold and agricultural and grazing leasehold land is protected for a period of at least three months. The moratorium, however, does provide exemptions and, in any case, is due to expire on 8 July 2009.

Note the impact of removing the dark blue parts. All that would remain are the pinkish- and orange-toned areas that show the endangered and of concern regional ecosystems, and the green-toned areas that are the not of concern regional ecosystems. The Redlands has destroyed much of its remnant vegetation and, thus, much of the habitat that is essential for the survival of the plants and animals that depend upon it.

1 Council Minutes of General Meeting 19 December 2007, Item 10.2.11 2 Queensland Government, Environment Protection Agency, Queensland Herbarium, “Analysis of Remnant Vegetation 1997 to 2005” 2 of 6

Wellington Pt.

Capalaba Cleveland

Redland Bay 3 of 6

Another view of the situation is depicted by these two maps3 showing respectively the pre­ clearing and the remnant 2005 extent of the broad vegetation groups in the Redlands region of south-east Queensland. The white patches show cleared areas.

North Stradbroke Is.

Tweed Heads

In November 2007, the then Redland Shire Council recognized the problem of vegetation destruction in its Vegetation Enhancement Strategy4, stating "Significant fragmentation of landscapes in the area has occmTed due to fanning and development practices and has resulted in the loss of many species of plants and fauna across the Shire and contributes to climate change". Fragmentation is a serious problem for smvival of an ecosystem; small arnas are less viable floristically, and fauna become isolated.

Redland City Council (RCC) Policy 3070 of 28 May 2008 reiterated the problem, and RCC Biodiversity Strategy 2008-2012 proclaims the intention of council to protect and rehabilitate the environment, declaring "the extent of native vegetation remaining on the mainland to be at an ecologically functional crossroads (at 30 percent remnant vegetation cover)".

However, as stated in the first paragraph, this latter proclamation by RCC is misleading; in 2005, 7 of the 34 regional ecosystems within the Redlands ah-eady were below the ecologically functional crossroads.

The Koala

The much loved koala population in the Redlands is one of the casualties. Residential and other developments in the koala habitat areas are allowed, with token attempts made to protect the koalas; poles across fences and dogs restrained. Major causes of the decline in koala numbers are habitat loss, car strike, and dog attack. All of these impacts are worsened by mban development in koala habitat. The Council initiative, in November 2008, to pay property owners a fee to protect koala habitat is another attempt to deflect

3 Remnant Vegetation in Queensland, Analysis ofremnant vegetation, Queensland Herbarium 2008 4 Red/and Shire Council - Vegetation Enhancement Strategy - November 2007 4 of 6 attention from the real issue, that koalas and development are fundamentally incompatible; koalas cannot coexist with dogs, traffic, general disturbance, and loss of habitat.

The Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland made a statement in December 2008, based on the 2005 – 2006 survey by the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management, “Koala numbers in Redlands City have dropped by 27% since 2000. The current population is about 4600; a sustainable population should be 5000-6000 animals. Major causes of koala numbers decline are habitat loss, car strike, and dog attack. All of these impacts are worsened by urban development in koala habitat.” 5

The results of the latest count, the 2008 Koala Coast koala survey, estimate a population of 2279 animals. Based on the population estimate of 4611 koalas in 2005- 2006, this represents a 51% decline in less than three years and a 64% decline in the 10 years since the original 1996-1999 estimate of 6246 koalas. Bushland koalas are not protected from the consequences of the high levels of anthropogenic mortality and habitat loss impacting on the urban koala population. In the absence of conserving a viable urban koala population, adjacent bushland koala populations will continue to decline with consequences for the viability of the entire Koala Coast koala population.6

Typically, koalas occur in densities of from 0.02 to 1.26 koalas per ha. Studies have suggested that conservation programs for wild populations need to be designed to conserve habitat capable of supporting approximately 5000 - 7000 animals in order to ensure longterm persistence (Begon et al. 1996; Smith 1996; Reed 2003). To conserve this number of koalas in the Koala Coast, the area of Regional Landscape (RL) and Rural Production (RP) lands would need to be increased by between 12% (24 550 ha) and 57% (34 440 ha) based on habitat composition in 1997. Improving the landscape composition through bush rehabilitation to fully vegetate the RL/RP would not provide sufficient habitat by itself to maintain a viable koala population of 5000 - 7000 animals. Consequently, functional habitat must also be conserved on the Urban Footprint to secure sufficient resources to sustain a viable koala population in the long term. 7

However, koala habitat, by itself, is not sufficient for the many other plants, birds and animals that must be protected.

Protected Matters

While we are distracted by the high-profile koala, we overlook environmental issues that are equally pressing. Commonwealth Government legislation, including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, requires Redland City Council to protect: a. 1 wetland of international significance, b. 1 threatened ecological community, c. 45 threatened species, and

5 http://www.wildlife.org.au/i-koala.html 6 Qld Government, Dept of Environment and Resource Management, “Decline of the Koala Coast Koala Population: Population Status in 2008” 7 Report on Koala Coast Koala Surveys 2005-2006, Qld EPA 5 of 6 d. 46 migratory species within the Redland City bailiwick. This includes the need to protect habitat for these species.8 The Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992 and its subordinate legislation demand similar protection.

Within Australia, between 2000 and 2007, the number of terrestrial bird and mammal species assessed as extinct, endangered or vulnerable rose from 153 to 174, an increase of 14%. This proportion of extinctions would apply to Redland City. While some change in biodiversity might be expected due to other causes, loss of native vegetation due to human activity such as land clearing has been identified as a key threat to Australia’s biodiversity.9

Conclusion

Biodiversity is at risk within the Redlands. The removal of the moratorium areas from protection would be disastrous. Redland City Council must act decisively to implement its policies and plans to protect and enhance the ecology, and must enforce this protection.

All actions must be progressed on the basis that a sustainable ecology must be maintained and development pressures will not be allowed to jeopardize ecological survival.

Lindsay Hackett 23 June 2009

Glossary

10regional ecosystem status has three conservation categories: Endangered, Of concern and Not of concern.

Endangered regional ecosystem means a regional ecosystem that has either— (a) less than 10% of its pre-clearing extent remaining; or (b) 10% to 30% of its pre-clearing extent remaining and the remnant vegetation remaining is less than 10,000 ha.

Of concern regional ecosystem means a regional ecosystem that has either— (a) 10% to 30% of its pre-clearing extent remaining; or (b) more than 30% of its pre-clearing extent remaining and the remnant vegetation remaining is less than 10,000 ha.

Not of concern regional ecosystem means a regional ecosystem that has more than 30% of its pre-clearing extent remaining and the remnant vegetation remaining is more than 10,000 ha.

11regrowth vegetation means vegetation that is not remnant vegetation.

8 http://www.environment.gov.au, and use the Protected Matters Search Tool 9 Beeton RJS (Bob), Buckley Kristal I, Jones Gary J, Morgan Denise, Reichelt Russell E, Trewin Dennis (2006 Australian State of the Environment Committee), 2006, Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra. 10 Remnant Vegetation in Queensland, Analysis of remnant vegetation, Queensland Herbarium 2008 11 Vegetation Management Act 1999 6 of 6

remnant map— 1 A remnant map means a map— (a) certified by the chief executive as a remnant map for a particular area; and (b) maintained by the department for the purpose of showing, for the area, areas of remnant vegetation. 2 A remnant map includes any amendment to the map included in a schedule to the map and certified by the chief executive as an amendment to the map at the day the amendment is certified. remnant not of concern regional ecosystem— 1 A remnant not of concern regional ecosystem, for an area of Queensland within a regional ecosystem map, means the part of a not of concern regional ecosystem mapped as a remnant not of concern regional ecosystem on the map. 2 A remnant not of concern regional ecosystem, for an area of Queensland for which there is no regional ecosystem map, means the part of a not of concern regional ecosystem having vegetation, forming the predominant canopy— (a) covering more than 50% of the undisturbed predominant canopy; and (b) averaging more than 70% of the vegetation’s undisturbed height; and (c) composed of species characteristic of the vegetation’s undisturbed predominant canopy. remnant of concern regional ecosystem— 1 A remnant of concern regional ecosystem, for an area of Queensland within a regional ecosystem map, means the part of an of concern regional ecosystem mapped as a remnant of concern regional ecosystem on the map. 2 A remnant of concern regional ecosystem, for an area of Queensland for which there is no regional ecosystem map, means the part of an of concern regional ecosystem having vegetation, forming the predominant canopy— (a) covering more than 50% of the undisturbed predominant canopy; and (b) averaging more than 70% of the vegetation’s undisturbed height; and (c) composed of species characteristic of the vegetation’s undisturbed predominant canopy. remnant vegetation— 1 Remnant vegetation, for an area of Queensland within a regional ecosystem map, means the vegetation mapped as being within remnant endangered regional ecosystems, remnant of concern regional ecosystems and remnant not of concern regional ecosystems shown on the map. 2 Remnant vegetation, for an area of Queensland within a remnant map, means the vegetation mapped as remnant vegetation on the map. 3 Remnant vegetation, for an area of Queensland for which there is no regional ecosystem map or remnant map, means the vegetation, part of which forms the predominant canopy of the vegetation— (a) covering more than 50% of the undisturbed predominant canopy; and (b) averaging more than 70% of the vegetation’s undisturbed height; and (c) composed of species characteristic of the vegetation’s undisturbed predominant canopy.