Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00555:body:0:p19
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00555
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 51820–54995

supported by state-of-the-art Koala habitat mapping using advanced modelling techniques. The new methodology was endorsed by the Koala Expert Panel and independently reviewed by the CSIRO. The mapped Koala habitat represents the best habitat for Koalas, based on the combination of biophysical measures (including climate), suitable vegetation and Koala occurrence records. This approach will allow the new Koala habitat modelling and mapping to be updated and refined periodically, and enable the government to continue to accurately identify the best quality Koala habitat and track changes over time.
Outside South East Queensland, Koala populations are protected by a range of measures under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and subordinate Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan, including requirements in relation to clearing habitat in areas containing Koalas. Koala habitat outside South East Queensland is also regulated through the Vegetation Management Act 1999 as Essential Habitat.

PART II
Goal, objectives and strategies

5. Overview of threats
The human-induced threats of land use change and climate change, and their social, economic, and cultural drivers, underpin the impacts on listed Koala populations that this recovery plan aims to address. With a wide distribution, Koalas are impacted by a broad range of interacting direct threats that vary at local scales: land use threats such as urbanisation, grazing, agriculture, transport infrastructure, mining and energy extraction; modification of natural systems that includes vegetation change through forest harvesting and altered fire regimes; droughts and heatwaves, exacerbated by climate change; and other direct threats such as disease and dog and vehicles (Figure 4).
These threats interact to impact populations of the listed Koala via the ecologically threatening processes such as habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, changes to population processes that alter demographics, impact from disease, and genetic effects (Figure 4, see Part IV for further details on threats).
Addressing individual drivers, threats, and resultant ecological threatening processes in isolation from each other is unlikely to recover listed Koala populations (Beyer et al. 2018; Rhodes et al. 2011). Therefore, an integrated strategy that simultaneously manages multiple threats, is appropriate to local conditions and undertaken at an appropriate scale, is the most effective and efficient response to address declines.

Figure 4. Stylistic representation of the relationships between land use change affecting the landscape and Koala habitat, and Koala populations, exacerbated by climate change and natural systems change. Changes in landscape configuration and habitat quality mediate the disruption of population processes of both Koala trees and Koala populations through many interrelated and synergistic processes culminating with changes to population sizes, dominated by declines for the listed Koala. Disease is both a direct threat and ecologically threatening process due to increased stress from anthropogenic threats, resulting in increased mortality and reduced fecundity. Red = direct