KOALAS and other native wildlife on a private property at Purga will be further protected through the first Voluntary Conservation Covenant between Ipswich City Council and landholders.

Mayor Teresa Harding said the signing of the covenant with the owners of the sprawling, gumtree-laden property was a step forward for conservation efforts in Ipswich.

“Some of our city’s highest value environmental areas are on private land and a Voluntary Conservation Covenant is a way for council to join with landholders to protect native flora and fauna,” Cr Harding said.

“It protects the land for conservation purposes in perpetuity, meaning it is binding for the current and future landowners and is recognised under Queensland’s Land Title Act 1994.”

The Purga property has a koala population and there have been sightings of echidnas, bandicoots, sugar gliders, possums, dunnarts, kingfishers, kites, eagles, wrens and owls.

“Under the covenant arrangements, council provides the landowner with support to rehabilitate the land in line with its ecological values through measures such as tree planting, weed management and holistic property management through a property management plan,” Cr Harding said.

“The property is in a strategically important location for the conservation of koala population as being adjacent to federally recognised Areas of Regional Koala Significance, as well as other like-minded landholders who are undertaking conservation works in this area.”

Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson Cr Jim Madden said the Voluntary Conservation Covenant is funded through the Ipswich Enviroplan Levy.

“The Landholder Conservation Partnerships Program empowers landholders to achieve their conservation goals, and supports the ongoing improvement of these areas, from revegetation to weed and pest control, for a greener future,” Cr Madden said.

“With funds raised through council’s Enviroplan Levy, we have acquired close to 7,000 hectares of land for environmental purposes across Ipswich over almost 30 years, with efforts continuing to purchase more land.

“These land acquisitions coupled with the Voluntary Conservation Partnership program means we have the mechanisms to ensure ecologically important land is preserved from loss and mismanagement.”

The covenant covers 9.16 hectares of the rural property, meaning the landholders are able to use some of the land for their own purposes.

Biodiversity Conservation Agreements and Corridor Conservation Agreements previously signed with landholders under the Landholder Conservation program cover approximately 6,900 hectares of land across the Ipswich City Council area.