A National Approach to the Integration of Koala Spatial Data to Inform Conservation Planning Report
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A national approach to the integration of koala spatial data to inform conservation planning report Claire A Runge (UQ), Jonathan R Rhodes (UQ) & Peter Latch (DAWE) March 2021 Cite this publication as: Runge, C.A., Rhodes, J.R., Latch, P. 2021. A national approach to the integration of koala spatial data to inform conservation planning report. NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub Project 4.4.12 report, Brisbane. Cover image: Koala. Image: Philip Pirsten, Unsplash 2 Contents 1. Executive summary ................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 3. Context: Review of existing protocols for delineating koala areas .............................................................................................. 6 3.1 Risks .........................................................................................................................................................................................................7 3.2 Summary of current NSW criteria for ARKS identification ....................................................................................................... 8 3.3 Summary of current Queensland criteria for KPA identification ............................................................................................ 8 4. Issues and challenges to be addressed .............................................................................................................................................. 9 4.1 Maintain connectivity and resilience (Recommendation 1) .................................................................................................... 9 4.2 Better delineation of known koala populations (Recommendation 2) ............................................................................. 10 4.3 Maintain koalas throughout their range (Recommendation 3) ............................................................................................ 10 4.4 Maintain genetic populations and flow (Recommendation 4) .............................................................................................11 4.5 Active participation of local and Indigenous people (Recommendation 5) ......................................................................11 5. Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................................................................12 6. Conceptual foundation: Supporting koalas long-term ..............................................................................................................13 6.1 How much habitat is required for koala to persist long-term? .............................................................................................13 6.2 Which areas will support stable or increasing koala numbers? .............................................................................................13 7. Suggested conceptual criteria for spatial delineation of Nationally Important Koala Areas (NIKA) ....................................15 7.1 Known NIKA .........................................................................................................................................................................................15 7.2 Recovery NIKA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 7.3 Connectivity NIKA ............................................................................................................................................................................. 16 7.4 Adaptation NIKA ................................................................................................................................................................................. 16 8. Suggested technical criteria for delineating NIKA ............................................................................................................................17 8.1 Technical criteria for Known NIKA ................................................................................................................................................ 19 8.1.1 Uncertainty around habitat mapping ...................................................................................................................................21 8.1.2 Uncertainty around future climate suitable areas ...........................................................................................................22 8.2 Technical criteria for Recovery NIKA ...........................................................................................................................................24 8.3 Technical criteria for Connectivity NIKA .....................................................................................................................................24 9. Koalas and habitat at risk under climate change .............................................................................................................................24 9.1 Potentially extinct koala populations ........................................................................................................................................... 27 10. Application of research ..........................................................................................................................................................................28 11. Impact of research ..................................................................................................................................................................................28 12. Broader implications ...............................................................................................................................................................................28 13. Future research priorities .......................................................................................................................................................................28 14. Datasets ......................................................................................................................................................................................................30 15. Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................................30 16. Ethics statement .......................................................................................................................................................................................30 17. Appendix 1: Datasets supporting delineation of NIKA .....................................................................................................................31 17.1 Datasets and data processing .......................................................................................................................................................32 17.2 Harmonising koala habitat across regions ................................................................................................................................33 17.3 Climate envelopes and refugia ....................................................................................................................................................33 17.4 Koala records ....................................................................................................................................................................................33 17.5 Land use and recovery potential .................................................................................................................................................34 17.6 Soil and water characteristics ......................................................................................................................................................34 17.7 Bushfire history .................................................................................................................................................................................34 A national approach to the integration of koala spatial data to inform conservation planning report 3 1. Executive summary NESP4.4.12 A national approach to the integration of koala spatial data to inform conservation planning was a 12-month long collaboration to develop a framework and datasets to support planning and implementation of the National Recovery Plan for Koala. In this sense, the research was primarily designed to support recovery planning rather than regulatory activities. In particular, NESP 4.4.12 has developed criteria and datasets that will contribute towards identifying Nationally Important Koala Areas (NIKA). The purpose of such areas is to delineate broad regions within which Commonwealth conservation activities and funding for koala recovery could be prioritised, and to provide guidance for states, local government authorities and non-government organisations for regions which are important for long-term koala persistence. NIKA include: • places where there are known koala populations that are likely