Nature Advice and Information
On this page are links to various Government and Council websites with information on where you can find the regulations concerning things like clearing habitat or where you can make complaints about works going on in habitat.
We've also included information pages on species to help you decide if a rescue or health check is required.
View this page to understand why your sightings are important to us.
If you've found a baby bird, often the best thing to do is leave it, especially if the parents are around. Follow the decision chart to decide what you should do.
The size of your property, the soil and topography you have will affect the choices you have in deciding what to plant. A tree planted now can take 8-10 years to be of use to a koala. This is why "Developers Offset" money is not a fair trade-off when they hand over money to councils in exchange for trees they are felling. The koala that currently relies on those trees for food, find themselves unable to source what they've grown up learning to eat. Those koalas will have died from old age (if not starvation) before those new trees planted from offset money are of use as a new food source.
Our habit volunteers can give advice. If you have unanswered questions about what to plant, please use the Contact Us page. Download or read the
Koala habitat regulations for South East Queensland
Development regulations introduced in 2020 protect important areas in which koalas live in South East Queensland (SEQ) by:
- Prohibiting interfering with koala habitat in koala habitat areas in koala priority areas
- Regulating the interfering with koala habitat in koala habitat areas via development approvals.
Interfering with koala habitat:
- Means removing, cutting down, ring-barking, pushing over, poisoning or destroying in any way, including by burning, flooding or draining native vegetation in a koala habitat area.
- Does not include destroying standing vegetation by stock, or lopping a tree.
The koala habitat regulation framework includes the Planning Regulation 2017 (Planning Regulations) and the Nature Conservation (Koala) Conservation Plan 2017 (Koala Conservation Plan). Read the full policy Legislation Policy
If you have witnessed cruelty to an animal, a complaint can be made to the RSPCA via their website form.
If you have concerns about wildlife safety due to development or roadworks taking place or have witnessed something happening to wildlife
You can make a complaint or bring something to the Council's attention via their website.
Contact City of Moreton Bay Council
The council also has an app you can download called Snap, Send Solve. Snap – take a photo of the issue, Send – the council receives. Solve - the council fixes it.
Be aware, with reduced habitat, koalas often require moving from tree to tree by climbing down and crossing open space. A dog that's off leash, no matter how obedient you think yours is, will chase and fatally attack a koala. John Bray Park, we had an instance where the dog owner left the koala to die. We'll never know whether a call to us and timely treatment could have saved it. Dog interactions can be minimised by keeping your dog on a leash in public parks. Obey all signage and utilise fenced off-leash parks if you want your dog to run around.
The full document of responsibility as an animal owner can be found here on the City of Moreton Bay Council website. Animal Management Local Law 2023