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Commonwealth legislation
What this instrument does (in plain terms)
This instrument makes and publishes a statutory recovery plan under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) for the Koala identified as Phascolarctos cinereus (combined populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory). It is titled the "National Recovery Plan for the Koala" and comes into effect on registration (cover page; Part I, section 3).
The recovery plan sets a national goal, measurable objectives for the next 10 years (to 2032), and a set of strategies and 37 actions to stop population declines and support recovery (Part II, sections 6–8). It establishes a National Koala Monitoring Program and requires governance arrangements (Recovery Team, Expert Technical Advisory Committee and Community Advisory Committee) for coordination across Commonwealth, state/territory and community partners (Part II section 9; Part III sections 11–12).
Who it affects
Governments: the Australian Government leads national coordination; state and territory governments are expected partners and will implement regional plans and regulatory changes (Part III sections 11–12; Part I section 4.2).
Land managers and private landholders: over half of the modelled Koala habitat is on private land, so proposed actions include incentives, stewardship agreements and potential land purchases to protect habitat (Part III section 12; Part II Strategy 3 and Actions 3a–3b; Table 2, section 16.1).
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Zoe can write the in-depth analysis on top of the summary above: how it works, who it affects and what each part actually does.
Direct links to the current provisions in Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Recovery Plan— Phascolarctos cinereus (combined populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory)) Instrument 2022.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
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Commonwealth of Australia
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Subsection 269A(3)
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Recovery Plan— Phascolarctos cinereus (combined populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory)) Instrument 2022
We, Sussan Ley, Minister for the Environment (Commonwealth) and James Griffin, Minister for Environment and Heritage (State of New South Wales), under subsection 269A(3) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth), jointly make a recovery plan titled:
National Recovery Plan for the Koala Phascolarctos cinereus (combined populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory)
This legislative instrument will commence on the day after it is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation.
Dated this 5th day of April 2022
Sussan Ley
Minister for the Environment (Commonwealth)
Dated this 4 day of April 2022
James Griffin
Minister for Environment and Heritage (New South Wales)
National Recovery Plan for the Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus
(combined populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory)
March 2022
The Species Profile and Threats Database page linked to this recovery plan can be found at: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl
Prepared by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
Developers, resource industries, forestry, agriculture, mining, infrastructure and local government: the plan expects integration into statutory planning and improved compliance (Action 4b), which can change how land-use proposals are assessed and what offsets or mitigation are required (Part II Strategy 4; section 16.1).
Community groups, Indigenous Australians, wildlife carers and researchers: the plan relies heavily on citizen science, Indigenous knowledge and community participation (Actions 1l, 2a–2d, 2f), and funds capacity-building and monitoring (Part II Actions 1d–1e, 2a).
Veterinarians, rehabilitation centres and zoos: the plan proposes national guidelines for care, disease management and translocation principles (Actions 2g, 6b).
Why it matters (mechanically, not politically)
Legal and regulatory effect: the recovery plan is an EPBC Act statutory instrument that sets the national recovery framework for the listed Koala and will inform Commonwealth assessment and approval decisions when an action is likely to have a significant impact on this listed species (Part I section 4.1). It does not itself change land titles or override state laws, but it directs Commonwealth coordination and investment and expects integration with state planning.
Practical programmes and obligations: it creates a nationally coordinated monitoring programme (NKMP) to establish baselines and track population trends (Part II section 9), and requires development of regional implementation plans and a National Implementation Pathway within 12 months to allocate responsibilities, budgets and data-sharing arrangements (Part III section 12.1–12.2).
Funding and actions: the plan lists indicative costs and priorities, and documents existing Commonwealth and state commitments (e.g. Australian Government commitments of ~$74.3 million since 2019, including $12m for monitoring and $47m for habitat restoration) but makes implementation contingent on negotiated partner contributions and future budgets (Part III section 13; Part II section 14.1; Appendix 1; Table in section 14.1).
Main mechanisms by which the plan changes behaviour
Public coordination and information: national mapping, data standards, monitoring, research priorities and regular knowledge-sharing forums are prioritised to change how agencies and communities plan and measure outcomes (Actions 1a–1k; Part II Strategy 1).
Land-use and incentive levers: the plan promotes land purchases, stewardship agreements, carbon programs and other incentives to protect habitat on private land, and asks jurisdictions to strengthen planning instruments and offsets to avoid habitat loss (Actions 3a–3b; 4b–4c).
Management actions: targeted revegetation, fire management, emergency response tools, and translocation guidance are to be developed and implemented (Strategies 5–6 and Actions 5a–5c; 6a–6e).
Regulatory integration: the plan directs state and Commonwealth authorities to align statutory planning instruments and regulatory practice with recovery priorities (Action 4b; Part I section 4.1).
Costs, incentives and trade-offs (how the plan reallocates resources and who pays)
Indicative Commonwealth and partner funding is presented (Appendix 1 and summary tables). The plan estimates a total indicative program cost range over ten years in the tens of millions (Appendix 1; Appendix 3; Table 4: $44.5m–$72.4m plus additional land purchase and in‑kind costs). Many actions are explicitly expected to be absorbed into ‘‘normal government business’’ or delivered through in‑kind and partner contributions (multiple actions and Appendix 1). The plan therefore spreads cost across Commonwealth, state/territory, local government, non‑government and private contributors (Part III sections 12–13; Appendix 1).
Incentives vs restrictions: funding and incentives (stewardship, carbon-funded restoration, land purchases) are proposed to secure habitat on private land (Actions 3a–3b). At the same time, strengthening planning instruments and offsets (Action 4b–4c) implies potential constraints on some development and land‑use choices; the plan recognises potential economic impacts on timber, grazing, agriculture, mining and development and calls for consultation (section 16.1).
Opportunity costs and substitution effects: measures to protect habitat (land purchase, dedication of Crown land, restrictions on clearing) will allocate land away from alternative private uses (agriculture, development). The plan flags that costs and benefits will be regionally variable and that regional implementation plans will prioritise action where recovery value is highest (Action 1c; Part III section 12.2).
Implementation risks and administrative features
Intergovernmental reliance and negotiation risk: the recovery plan depends on negotiated National Implementation Pathways and regional plans with states and territories; outcomes depend on ongoing cooperation and budget commitments (Part III section 12.1–12.2).
Data gaps and monitoring dependence: the plan repeatedly notes large knowledge gaps (northern and inland Queensland, inland NSW, ACT) and makes the NKMP central to prioritisation. This creates timing and evidence risks: many on‑ground priorities are conditional on updated mapping and monitoring results (Part II Actions 1a–1f; section 9).
Compliance and administrative burden: the plan asks jurisdictions to review statutory planning instruments and integrate the plan into policy and approvals (Action 4b). That can increase the volume and complexity of impact assessments and offsets decisions, and therefore compliance costs for proponents (section 4.1; Action 4c).
Who decides, who pays and what must change in behaviour (summary)
Who decides: the Australian Government coordinates nationally; state and territory governments make and apply regional plans and statutory instruments; a Recovery Team and advisory committees provide scientific and community advice (Part III sections 11–12).
Who pays: a mix of Commonwealth funding, state/territory budgets, local government, non‑government organisations, philanthropic and private landholders (for in‑kind or contracted restoration). The plan gives indicative Commonwealth spending figures and notes much additional funding is required and contingent on partner contributions (Part II section 14.1; Appendix 1).
Behaviour changes expected: improved and coordinated monitoring; increased protection and restoration of habitat (including on private land via incentives); integration of recovery objectives into planning and approvals; enhanced disease, welfare and translocation guidelines; and greater Indigenous and community engagement in monitoring and on‑ground works (Strategies 1–6; Actions across Part II).
Concrete trade-offs flagged in the plan
Concentrated costs and diffuse benefits: the plan recognises some industries and landholders will face concentrated restrictions or transaction costs when habitat is protected or when planning instruments change; benefits (biodiversity, tourism, national reputation) are broadly distributed (section 16.1–16.3).
Implementation burden vs flexibility: many actions are intentionally non‑prescriptive until regional plans and monitoring data are in place. That reduces immediate regulatory clarity for proponents but increases the plan’s adaptive capacity (Part III section 12.2; section 17).
(References: overview and purpose — Part I section 3; goal, objectives and strategies — Part II sections 6–8; National Koala Monitoring Program and costs — Part II section 9, Part III section 13, Appendix 1; governance and implementation — Part III sections 11–12; affected interests and economic considerations — Part II section 16 and Part III section 12.)
Made under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
© Commonwealth of Australia 2022
Ownership of intellectual property rights
Unless otherwise noted, copyright (and any other intellectual property rights) in this publication is owned by the Commonwealth of Australia (referred to as the Commonwealth).
Creative Commons licence
All material in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence except content supplied by third parties, logos and the Commonwealth Coat of Arms.
Inquiries about the licence and any use of this document should be emailed to copyright@awe.gov.au.
Cataloguing data
This publication (and any material sourced from it) should be cited as: DAWE 2022, National Recovery plan for the Koala: Phascolarctos cinereus (combined populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory). Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra. March 2022. CC BY 4.0.
ISBN 978-1-76003-386-6
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Telephone 1800 900 090
Disclaimer
The Australian Government acting through the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has exercised due care and skill in preparing and compiling the information and data in this publication. Notwithstanding, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, its employees and advisers disclaim all liability, including liability for negligence and for any loss, damage, injury, expense or cost incurred by any person as a result of accessing, using or relying on any of the information or data in this publication to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Images credits
Cover page: (from left to right) Mother and joey, Magnetic Island, Qld. Image: © E. Vanderduys, CSIRO; Leaves of the river red gum E. camaldulensis which occurs across Australia and a favourite food of the Koala. Image: © S. Brown; Open grey-box woodlands (E. microcarpa) cleared for cropping resulting in habitat loss, scattered paddock trees, narrow corridors and small patches, central NSW. Image: © S. Brown; A young Koala in care rescued in the 2019–2020 summer bushfires. Image: © Marta Yebra; An iconic road-side sign warning drivers to be aware of Koalas. Image: © S. Brown.
Back page: Child’s drawing of a Koala. Image: © Tom Mallela-Leavesley.
Glossary
Acronyms
Overview
PART I Background and policy context
1. Cultural significance
1.1 Significance of the Koala to Indigenous Australians
1.2 Non-Indigenous significance
2. Conservation status
3. Purpose of the recovery plan
4. Planning and policy context
4.1 Australian Government
4.2 State and territory governments
PART II Goal, objectives and strategies
5. Overview of threats
6. Goal
7. Objectives
8. Strategies and actions
9. National Koala Monitoring Program
9.1 Governance structure
PART III Implementation
10. Introduction
11. Governance, Recovery Team and structure
12. National coordination, regional implementation
12.1 National implementation pathway
12.2 Regional implementation plans
12.3 Conservation and other translocations
13. Schedule and costs
14. Current recovery actions
14.1 Australian Government
14.2 NSW Government
14.3 ACT Government
14.4 Queensland Government
15. Community interests and roles
15.1 Indigenous communities
15.2 Community conservation for the listed Koala
16. Potential benefits and impacts
16.1 Affected interests
16.2 Social and economic considerations
16.3 Broader biodiversity benefits
17. Monitoring, evaluation and adaptation of the recovery plan
PART IV Threats and impacts
18. Introduction
19. Direct threats
19.1 Climate change
19.2 Land use change
19.3 Natural systems modification
19.4 Other
20. Ecological threatening processes
20.1 Habitat loss and fragmentation
20.2 Habitat degradation
20.3 Genetic effects
20.4 Genetic effects and disease
PART V Distribution trends, genetic structure and diversity, and habitat
21. Distribution
21.1 National
21.2 The listed Koala
21.3 Predicted 2070 distribution under climate change
21.4 Queensland
21.5 New South Wales
21.6 Australian Capital Territory
21.7 Victoria
21.8 South Australia
22. Genetic structure and diversity
23. Valued populations
24. Habitat
25. Habitat critical to survival
PART VI Biology and ecology
26. Species description
27.1 Reproduction
27.2 Demography
27.3 Movement patterns
28. Foraging ecology
29. Physiology
References
Appendices
Appendix 1 Costings
Appendix 2 EPBC Act-listed fauna
Appendix 3 Predicted habitat loss under climate change
Appendix 4 2019–2020 fire extent
List of figures
Figure 1. Modelled distribution (geographic range) of the listed Koala and unlisted Koala
Figure 2. Summary of the structural overview of the relationship between the supporting strategies and the on-ground strategies to meet the recovery plan’s goal
Figure 3. Policies, programs, strategies and regulations at all levels of local, state, territory and Australian governments that relate to the listed Koala recovery
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
Figure 5. Proposed governance structure of the National Koala Monitoring Program and relationship with the National Koala Recovery Plan, and the state and territory strategies and plans, and committees
Figure 6. Predicted listed Koala distribution in 2070 under a high global emissions scenario (RCP8.5) considering the impacts of climate-change driven changes to droughts and heatwaves on Koalas
List of tables
Table 1: International, national, state and territory conservation status of the Koala
Table 2. Proportion of forest or woodland by land tenure across the listed Koala’s modelled habitat and states
Table 3. Estimated losses of Koala distribution due to climate change under a high global-emissions scenario (A1FI or RCP8.5)
Table 4. The area and percentage of land burned in the 2019–2020 summer bushfires by Natural Resource Management (NRM) areas within the area where the listed Koala and its habitat for known or likely to occur
Table 5. Methods used to describe genetic diversity in the Koala, their benefits and limitations
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters, and thank them for protecting this country and its ecosystems since time immemorial. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Indigenous Australians.
Open grey box (Eucalyptus macrocarpa) woodlands, central NSW. Image: © S. Brown.
This plan represents the combined efforts of many people, including those who have directly contributed to the content of the plan, those whose site and management action information has been captured, and those who have built the knowledge and understanding on which this plan relies.
Due to the vast number of contributors who have provided inputs to this plan representing the interests of a diverse range of stakeholder groups including traditional owners, land managers, landowners, conservation organisations, researchers, Koala friends’ groups and government agencies, attempting to list them all would be impractical and risk missing someone unintentionally.
We extend our sincerest thanks to every individual and organisation that has contributed and invested effort to support the recovery of this iconic and culturally significant species to remain in the Australian landscape for future generations.
Area of Occupancy. The area within the extent of occurrence (distribution) that is occupied by the species using 2 x 2 km grid cells (IUCN 2019).
Barrier/s. Impediments to the genetic dispersal of Koalas such that fewer than one individual capable of breeding can naturally move between populations over three generations. Barriers include geographic features such as escarpments or inhospitable landscapes but do not include structures such as roads where movement is possible even if irregular or results in an increased rate of mortality.
Direct threats (anthropogenic). The proximate human activities or processes that directly cause changes to Koalas’ survival or breeding, or that reduce the quality of extent of their habitat. Direct threat classification is adapted from the IUCN Threat Classification Scheme (Version 3.2)(IUCN 2016). Examples include housing developments, road building, and harvesting using silvicultural systems that directly remove habitat trees and patches. The occurrence of dogs and vehicles may cause direct mortality of Koalas.
Drivers. Drivers are the demands from the society or human systems from which threats arise. Drivers can be direct or indirect. Indirect drivers are factors that influence the level of production and consumption of ecosystem services and the sustainable use of resources (sensu MA 2003), and can include biophysical, economic, social, cultural, or other factors.
Ecological threatening processes. The biophysical processes that may affect the survival, abundance or evolutionary potential of a native species or ecological community. Examples include habitat fragmentation, increased mortality and changes in habitat quality. Processes need not be outside the natural bounds of variability to be ecologically threatening. These can be grouped into landscape processes – those processes acting on Koala habitat and landscapes, and metapopulation processes – those processes acting on Koala populations and structure.
Indices (singular, index). Parameters or numerical metrics used to characterise a system of interest. An index is a single number compiled from one or more metrics and may be a direct or indirect metric. Direct metrics may be measures of abundance, density, and presence/absence (population parameters), or; homozygosity and allelic richness (genetic parameters). Indirect metrics may include measures of population change of the Koala inferred from changes in habitat area or a categorical measure such as an overall condition score for Koala health.
Landscape effects. The consequences of ecologically threatening processes acting on Koala habitat and landscapes. Examples include habitat loss and fragmentation, changes in habitat quality.
Listed Koala. The legal entity covered by this recovery plan, being Phascolarctos cinereus (combined populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory) which is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act. This entity is considered to be a ‘species’ for the purposes of the EPBC Act. See also see Species (legal definition), in this glossary.
Metapopulation (synonyms: composite population, assemblage of populations). The set of biological populations within a larger area, where movement or gene flow from one biological population to at least some other patches is possible and is important for maintaining abundance and distribution at regional scale, even if such movement is infrequent.
Metapopulation processes. The processes acting on populations that influence spatial structure of populations. Processes that cause extinction and recolonisation and affect metapopulation structure may be caused by disruption to dispersal patterns and exchange of genes between populations, changes in the carrying capacity of habitat and therefore the size of populations and their viability, changes to sex ratios, and mortality rates.
Model. A physical or mathematical or conceptual representation of ideas, events or processes.
Patch. Location or area of habitat with all the necessary resources for the persistence of a population and that is separated from other patches by inhospitable habitat that does not contain all the resources necessary for long-term survival and reproduction (though the inhospitable habitat may allow movement). At any given time, a patch may be occupied or empty. Isolated patches are those patches separated from other patches by habitat or a distance that is unlikely to be traversed by Koalas.
Population (biological definition). A biological population as defined in this recovery plan is a set of individuals that live in the same habitat patch and interact with one another, commonly forming a breeding unit within which the exchange of genetic material is more or less unrestricted (synonyms: local population, subpopulation, deme).
Population effects. The consequences of ecologically threatening processes acting on Koala populations and individuals that influence the demographic structure and status of populations. Examples include stress, changes to mortality rates and recruitment.
Species (legal definition). Following the EPBC Act (s528) a species is a group of biological entities that (a) interbreed to produce fertile offspring; or (b) possess common characteristics derived from a common gene pool; and includes (c) a sub-species.
Under section 517 of the EPBC Act, the Minister for the Environment may determine that a distinct population of biological entities is a species for the purposes of the Act. On 27 April 2012, the Phascolarctos cinereus (combined populations of
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