Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00555:body:0:p11
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00555
Segment Type: other
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Character Range: 28732–31759

local threats affecting decline or recovery over the entire species distribution, including Victoria and South Australia. The National Koala Monitoring Program will work with other initiatives on Koala health, disease and habitat restoration. It will also allow the evaluation of the effectiveness of management actions through an adaptive management framework (section 9).
Habitat across the geographic distribution of the listed Koala supports more than 50 other threatened species and ecological communities listed under the EPBC Act. Consequently, actions in this recovery plan to manage and protect the habitat of the listed Koala may provide direct benefits to many other threatened species and communities.
The implementation of this recovery plan is expected to have social and economic benefits and costs. Measures to assist recovery of this species that involve restrictions in the use or management of land may result in economic impacts to some affected industries. Conversely, engaging positively with these sectors may provide benefits in terms of achieving sustainability certification or other indirect benefits, such as increasing the amenity of urban landscapes (section 16).
The Koala is an iconic and much-loved Australian animal. Supporting recovery of the listed Koala is likely to provide a positive image of Australia to the world and to Australians, and encourage tourism to regions where Koalas exist. The recovery of the listed Koala will be an exemplary representation of broader efforts to manage Australia's environmental sustainably into the future.

PART I
Background and policy context

1. Cultural significance

1.1 Significance of the Koala to Indigenous Australians
The Koala is a deeply significant animal in the spiritual and cultural lives of many Indigenous Australians. It is embedded into numerous Dreaming stories and Songlines, and demonstrates Indigenous Australians' deep understanding of Koala ecology (State of New South Wales 2020; Phillips 1990).
For many Indigenous Australians, the Koala is also an important totem. This status carries weighty responsibilities to protect Koalas and their habitat and to pass on specific Traditional Knowledge from generation to generation (State of New South Wales 2020). The many values, names and stories relating to the Koala reflect the diversity of Indigenous cultures across eastern Australia (Costello 2019; Schlagloth et al. 2018).
Indigenous Australians have developed sophisticated ecological knowledge frameworks over thousands of years that guide their management of the plants and animals of their lands. They also weave Traditional Knowledge with scientific best practice to maximise outcomes for biodiversity (Woodward et al. 2020). In some regions, these frameworks inform the management of the Koala and its habitat. For example, the Gumbaynggirr People from the Northern Rivers of New South Wales use fire to protect Koala habitat as well as the ground between trees and patches to enable Koalas to move freely.
Koalas are