Environmental offsets and restoration program
Brisbane City Council is currently undertaking planting and restoration works across Brisbane, and has already established several environmental offset sites.
In line with Brisbane. Clean, Green, Sustainable 2017-2031, the Offsets and Restoration Program plays a vital role in helping Council achieve its goal of 40% natural habitat cover on mainland Brisbane by 2031. The selection of sites and carefully planned restoration activities, also help to ensure that Brisbane’s natural habitat cover is connected and healthy. Council is continually looking for new potential offset sites across the city, where land and habitat can be restored.
The offset restoration works balances the impacts on habitat as our city develops and are undertaken in accordance with requirements of the Queensland Environment Offsets Act (2014) (QEOA). The works may include:
- planting native species that are consistent with the existing regional ecosystem
- mulching for erosion control, soil moisture retention and weed suppression
- placing coarse woody debris (including logs, old tree stumps and large branches) to provide immediate habitat and refuge for fauna. Coarse woody debris used within restoration sites is sourced from storm clean-ups or development sites, that would have otherwise been chipped or mulched
- installing natural and/or artificial hollows, perches and nesting sites in existing trees, or on habitat poles, to provide a safe place for local wildlife
- weed management and existing native vegetation maintenance.
Watch the video
Learn more about environmental offset restoration in this video. You can also view this video on Council's YouTube account.
Video transcript
Video transcript
This is a transcript of the environmental offset restoration video on Council's YouTube account.
This drone video for Brisbane environmental offsets outlines the positive work of Brisbane City Council and the Environmental Offsets Program, while showing areas that have had trees planted to assist with local wildlife.
Upbeat instrumental music begins and plays throughout, as the video opens with Council workers putting together tree guards and placing them around newly planted trees. The text explains that Brisbane City Council is restoring Brisbane’s bushland.
Drone footage flies over a large clearing in the middle of dense bushland where Council has commenced planting trees. A number of newly planted trees can be seen at the top of the clearing, while the rest of the clearing has more mature plants that have been planted and grown, with logs deposited at intervals around the clearing for native animal homes. The text explains that environmental offsets balance impacts on habitat as our city develops.
The video shows a close up of a Sickle-leaved Wattle, slowly waving in gentle sunlight. The camera moves from the tip of the branch, along to the left. The text states native species are planted and sites maintained for five years.
The drone then flies down closer to the clearing seen previously in the video, showing a closer view of the mature plants and the new saplings in the bright sunlight. The text at the bottom of the screen says that logs provide homes for insects and reptiles.
The video then shows a number Squirrel Gliders in a nesting box, curled up together with gum tree leaves lining the bottom of the box. The text reads nesting boxes house native birds and wildlife.
The last section of the video shows a text box over drone footage, which is rising over the tops of trees on the edge of bushland. The text box reads ‘Keeping Brisbane clean, green and sustainable’ with an internet search icon to search for ‘Brisbane environmental offsets’. The I Heart BNE logo is in the bottom left corner and the Brisbane City Council logo with tagline 'Dedicated to a better Brisbane' is in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Environmental offset and restoration sites locations
| Suburb | Location | Site details (significant fauna supported by the restoration, corridor links, size of the restoration area) | Start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anstead | Anstead Bushlands - 456 Hawkesbury Road |
Brown goshawk, eastern chestnut mouse and squirrel glider Links to Brisbane River and Anstead Bushland Reserve 8.5ha |
June 2016 |
| Bracken Ridge | 544 Telegraph Road |
Sugar glider and squirrel glider 0.75ha |
April 2018 |
| Brighton | Goodenia Reserve - 93 Massie Street |
Greater glider, squirrel glider and brown goshawk 8ha |
May 2017 |
| Brighton | Dianella Reserve (North East Wetlands) - 86 Speight Street |
Sugar glider, squirrel glider and black-breasted button quail Links to North East Wetland Reserve 0.69ha |
May 2018 |
| Burbank | Brisbane Koala Bushlands - 107 Alperton Road |
Koala and squirrel glider Increase the area of the Brisbane Koala Bushlands 7ha |
March 2018 |
| Burbank | Brisbane Koala Bushlands - 144 Alperton Road |
Koala, squirrel glider and great barred frog Increase the area of the Brisbane Koala Bushlands 2.2ha |
March 2018 |
| Burbank | Alperton Road Park (Brisbane Koala Bushlands) - 148-150 Alperton Road |
Koala and squirrel glider Increase the area of the Brisbane Koala Bushlands 16.8ha |
November 2018 |
| Burbank | Leacroft Road Park - 106 Alperton Road |
Koala, greater glider, sugar glider, squirrel glider, common dunnart, common planigale, yellow-footed antechinus, red-necked wallaby, great barred frog, osprey and powerful owl Increase the area of the Brisbane Koala Bushlands 43ha |
April 2020 |
| Burbank | Leacroft Road Park - 291 Alperton Road |
Koala, greater glider, sugar glider, squirrel glider, common dunnart, common planigale, yellow-footed antechinus, red-necked wallaby, great barred frog, osprey and powerful owl Increase the area of the Brisbane Koala Bushlands |
October 2019 |
| Burbank | Prout Road Park - 1306 Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road | Sugar glider, greater glider, squirrel glider, koala, yellow-footed antechinus, common dunnart, tusked frog, great brown broodfrog, osprey and powerful owl Links to Belmont Hills and Tingalpa Creek 2.9ha |
August 2019 |
| Burbank | Prout Road Park - 115 Prout Road |
Sugar glider, greater glider, squirrel glider, koala, yellow-footed antechinus, common dunnart, tusked frog, great brown broodfrog, osprey and powerful owl Links to Belmont Hills and Tingalpa 7.73ha |
March 2020 |
| Burbank | Prout Road Park - 369 and 429 Prout Road | Sugar glider, greater glider, koala, yellow-footed antechinus, common dunnart, tusked frog, great brown broodfrog, osprey and powerful owl Increases the area of Prout Road Park and links to Belmont Hills and Tingalpa 3.9ha |
April 2020 |
| Chermside | Packer Place Park - 17 Brentwick Street |
Red-necked wallaby, swamp wallaby, black kite, brown goshawk and Australia hobby Links to 7th Brigade Park and Marchant Park to the east of Chermside Hills Reserves to the west via Downfall Creek |
April 2020 |
| Drewvale | Drewvale Bushlands -3156-3194 Beaudesert Road |
Greater glider, powerful owl and squirrel glider 1.9ha |
April 2017 |
| Doolandella | Armisfield Street Park - 24 Fred Pham Crescent |
Squirrel glider, feather tailed glider and wedge-tailed eagle 2.1ha |
April 2018 |
| Doolandella | Blunder Creek Reserve - 1202 Blunder Road |
Squirrel glider, feather tailed glider and wedge-tailed eagle 4.9ha |
February 2019 |
| Karawatha | Karawatha Forest - 183-205 Garfield Road |
Powerful owl, green-thighed frog, wallum froglet and koala Increase the area of Karawatha Forest 7.96ha |
June 2016 |
| Kholo | 664 Lake Manchester Road |
Feather tailed glider, koala, pale-vented bush-hen, powerful owl, white-bellied sea-eagle and wedge-tailed eagle 9.61ha |
February 2017 |
| Larapinta | Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve - 100 Logistics Place |
Powerful owl, greater glider, grey headed flying fox and swamp wallaby 15.7 ha |
May 2018 |
| McDowall | Old Northern Road Park - 309-315 Old Northern Road |
Koala, squirrel glider and swamp wallaby 1.24ha |
April 2018 |
| McDowall | Savalas Street Park - 52 Savalas Street |
Squirrel glider, swamp wallaby, koala and tusked frog Links to the Cabbage Tree Creek corridor 0.9ha |
November 2018 |
| Mount Gravatt East | Lambertia Close Park - 335 Pine Mountain Road |
Koala and squirrel glider 1ha |
February 2019 |
| Mount Gravatt East | Carrara Street Park - 68 Carrara Street and 8 Nurran Street |
Koala 0.4ha |
September 2019 |
| Moggill | John Sprent Reserve - 129 Ellerby Road |
Koala, powerful owl and greater glider 0.638ha |
April 2018 |
| Parkinson | Parkinson Bushland - 183 Johnson Road |
Koala, squirrel glider, sugar glider and spotted tail quolls 0.57ha |
April 2018 |
| Ransome | Mookin-Bah Reserve - 464A Chelsea Road |
Spotted grass frog, great brown brood frog, sugar glider, squirrel glider, brown goshawk and koala 3.6ha |
May 2019 |
| Stretton | Karawatha Forest Park West - 330 Kameruka Street | Powerful owl, green-thighed frog, wallum froglet and koala
Increase the area of Karawatha Forest 4.5ha |
November 2018 |
| Upper Kedron | Ross Road Park - 85-91 Ross Road |
Great barred frog, common planigale, sugar glider, pale vented bush-hen and osprey Links to D'Aguilar National Park 17.5ha |
March 2020 |
| Wakerley | Mookin-Bah Reserve - 28-116 Greencamp Road |
Spotted grass frog, great brown brood frog, sugar glider, squirrel glider, brown goshawk and koala 5.7ha |
November 2016 |
Nest boxes
Council has installed many nest boxes at the environmental offset sites across Brisbane. Nest boxes are installed to supplement the existing tree hollows on environment offset sites. Nest boxes assist wildlife by providing suitable nesting and roosting places which are required by many of Brisbane’s fauna species.
The provision of nest boxes is one way Council is providing wildlife habitat in line with Brisbane. Clean, Green, Sustainable 2017-2031.