Hundreds of hectares of koala habitat are now better protected due to enhancement projects recently completed by Seqwater at dams in Australia.
The work, undertaken within nature refuges at North Pine Dam, Leslie Harrison Dam and Mount Crosby Weir, was jointly funded by Seqwater and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.
Seqwater's Chief Executive Officer Peter Dennis said a partnership between the organisations had been formed in 2011, enabling the improvement of koala habitat on the company's land.
"Nature Refuge Conservation Agreements place a formal covenant over land to protect biological diversity. Seqwater has six nature refuges across southeast Queensland spanning almost 10,000 hectares," he said. "The agreements give landholders the means to protect the conservation values of the land and also provide protection against a future land use which may compromise the drinking water storage buffer zone, which protects our precious water reserves."
The habitat enhancement projects have resulted in 86 hectares of land planted for koalas and 170 hectares of weeds controlled in high priority koala habitat.
Dennis said the projects had been delivered by contractors along with operational staff, adding that: "Seqwater is committed to working collaboratively with partners such as the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to improve environmental outcomes across our catchments."
Improving public safety has also been a focal point for Seqwater. The company's Play It Safe public education campaign has picked up a coveted award at the Australian Marketing Institute Awards for Marketing Excellence.
Peter Dennis said the organisation was honoured to be recognised nationally for the campaign which encouraged the community to take responsibility for their safety at Seqwater's dams, lakes and parks.
"We launched the Play It Safe concept just over a year ago after conducting significant research to better understand community attitudes in relation to safety at our recreation areas," he said. "Our lakes offer a great range of activities for the community to enjoy, attracting more than 2.7M visitors in the last year. Visitor safety is our priority so it is pleasing to receive such positive feedback for the campaign, which aims to improve safety attitudes and behaviours."
The award recognised Seqwater's commitment to listening to, understanding and serving its customers, with the help of a rolling programme of customer research.
Seqwater manages more than A$10B of water supply assets, including dams and weirs, and the natural catchments of the region's major water supply sources. The company also manages recreation facilities that provide more than 50% of the green space in southeast Queensland outside of national parks.
