Wildlife discovery a dilemma for council
IN the Gold Coast hinterland, there has been a stunning wildlife discovery. A lone golden swamp wallaby, found only on offshore islands, has somehow found a home west of Nerang.
This exclusive photograph poses a question for the city council.
How is the council going to plan to house Australia’s fastest-growing population, fuelled by interstate arrivals fleeing COVID-lockdown Victoria and NSW, and protect these rare creatures on our residential doorstep?
Friends of Nerang National Park founder Jessica Lovegrove-Walsh told your columnist: “A rare resident has been spotted in Nerang National Park. A golden swamp wallaby, nicknamed ‘Mani’, is a golden morph of the usual brown-black swamp wallaby.
“Golden morphs are only found on North and South Stradbroke islands, with scattered populations on the Gold Coast mainland and northern NSW. Park users were especially delighted by the sighting in the area where bush regeneration events are under way for our newly established volunteer group.”
Jessica photographed ‘Mani’ watching her deep in the forest, and colleague Cassandra Brown took another photo much closer. Photographers down under have also captured pictures of some threatened southern greater gliders.
Rangers have not seen a morph in the forest for years – ‘Mani’ is thought to be alone.
“The golden morphs belong to the normal swamp wallaby population, they are just a different colour,” Jessica said.
“It is likely the colour difference is due to a recessive gene that exists within the normal population, so a golden morph could emerge when two ‘normal-coloured’ wallabies who have offspring if both adults are carrying the recessive allele themselves.
“It could be possible that more golden morphs are out there in Nerang National Park that we don’t know about. And it is possible more could be born in the future.”
The location of ‘Mani’ – Mibiny language for wallaby – is being kept secret. The forest is almost 20km from the nearest island home for the species.
Other environmental developments are also being kept quiet. Councillors have met behind closed doors to discuss the city’s so-called vegetation targets.
Council officers, in a report previously made confidential, have identified that 49.58 per cent or 64,123ha of preclearing vegetation remained in the city.
This compares to 50.59 per cent or 65,439ha in 2005. The city is about 1837ha short of its desired target of 51 per cent.
A list in the council report on “local significant species” identifies 160 fauna and 572 flora.
Council officers know native vegetation cover will reduce more. Developers have made contact with them about a review on wetlands and waterways buffers.
Residential property developers have emailed councillors about the need for more land given the calls they were fielding from interstate investors and buyers.
The Coast will have 660,890 residents by the end of this year, and is destined to reach 1,076,192 by 2041. What the city lacks is enough infrastructure, and greenfield sites are almost “exhausted”.
Mani and the rest of us love being residents, but where are we all going to fit?