Flying-fox Strategy

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Adopted December 2023 | Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028 

A flying fox hanging upside down in amongst green leaves

The Results

The Strategy and the Roost Management Plans for Canungra Creek Lions Park and Beaudesert Lions Centennial Park, were adopted at an Ordinary Meeting of Council in December 2023. These documents provide a policy position that aims to reduce negative interaction between flying-foxes and Scenic Rim residents whilst acknowledging their status as protected species. They also provide precise guidance for Council in responding to community concerns over flying-foxes and include the addition of support mechanisms for affected residents.

Thank you once again for your feedback. By participating in this process, you have helped to develop Council's response to flying-foxes in our region.

Project Overview

The Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028 and two Roost Management Plans, support community co-existence with flying-foxes, which play an important role in our ecosystem by dispersing seeds and pollinating flowering plants that are vital to the health of our native forests.

Council recognises that the Scenic Rim boasts a unique natural environment and is committed to working to preserve and enhance it in partnership with the community. The Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy was developed in 2015 in response to the 'as-of-right provision' under the Nature Conservational Act 1992.

Since the release of the first Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy in 2015, scientific advances have produced more innovative ways of managing the complex situation between affected residents and colonies of flying-foxes.

A region-wide survey, carried out in 2022 as part of the development of a revised Flying-Fox Management Strategy, aimed to achieve this through better understanding human/flying-fox interaction and identify potential approaches to assist affected property owners, accompanied by face-to-face site inspections with community in early 2023.

In response to community feedback, Council developed a 'revised' Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028, supported by the Beaudesert and Canungra Roost Management Plans. These documents were adopted by Council at the Ordinary Meeting on 4 July 2023, for an interim period. Funding of $20,000 from the Queensland Government Grants Program, contributed to the development of the two roost management plans.

Following the announcement of community consultation on the three documents in August 2023, 16 community submissions were received by email and through the Let's Talk Scenic Rim online community engagement platform. These submissions helped to inform the strategy document.

The community consultation focused on:

Determining respondents' level of awareness of Council's 'as-of-right' responsibility for the management of flying-foxes and the level of intervention approach in the Scenic Rim region,

  • Asking for feedback on how Council categorised the level of conflict of a flying-fox roost, and Council's Roost Response Framework to determine the course of management actions when responding to new congregations and roost changes and,
  • Asking feedback on the Roost Management Plans for Beaudesert Lions Bicentennial Park and Canungra Creek Lions Park Flying-Fox Roosts to minimise impacts experienced by the community to achieve coexistence with flying-foxes.


The Long-Term Roost Management Plan Development Project was developed with the support of the Queensland Government in association with Scenic Rim Regional Council.



The Results

The Strategy and the Roost Management Plans for Canungra Creek Lions Park and Beaudesert Lions Centennial Park, were adopted at an Ordinary Meeting of Council in December 2023. These documents provide a policy position that aims to reduce negative interaction between flying-foxes and Scenic Rim residents whilst acknowledging their status as protected species. They also provide precise guidance for Council in responding to community concerns over flying-foxes and include the addition of support mechanisms for affected residents.

Thank you once again for your feedback. By participating in this process, you have helped to develop Council's response to flying-foxes in our region.

Project Overview

The Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028 and two Roost Management Plans, support community co-existence with flying-foxes, which play an important role in our ecosystem by dispersing seeds and pollinating flowering plants that are vital to the health of our native forests.

Council recognises that the Scenic Rim boasts a unique natural environment and is committed to working to preserve and enhance it in partnership with the community. The Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy was developed in 2015 in response to the 'as-of-right provision' under the Nature Conservational Act 1992.

Since the release of the first Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy in 2015, scientific advances have produced more innovative ways of managing the complex situation between affected residents and colonies of flying-foxes.

A region-wide survey, carried out in 2022 as part of the development of a revised Flying-Fox Management Strategy, aimed to achieve this through better understanding human/flying-fox interaction and identify potential approaches to assist affected property owners, accompanied by face-to-face site inspections with community in early 2023.

In response to community feedback, Council developed a 'revised' Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028, supported by the Beaudesert and Canungra Roost Management Plans. These documents were adopted by Council at the Ordinary Meeting on 4 July 2023, for an interim period. Funding of $20,000 from the Queensland Government Grants Program, contributed to the development of the two roost management plans.

Following the announcement of community consultation on the three documents in August 2023, 16 community submissions were received by email and through the Let's Talk Scenic Rim online community engagement platform. These submissions helped to inform the strategy document.

The community consultation focused on:

Determining respondents' level of awareness of Council's 'as-of-right' responsibility for the management of flying-foxes and the level of intervention approach in the Scenic Rim region,

  • Asking for feedback on how Council categorised the level of conflict of a flying-fox roost, and Council's Roost Response Framework to determine the course of management actions when responding to new congregations and roost changes and,
  • Asking feedback on the Roost Management Plans for Beaudesert Lions Bicentennial Park and Canungra Creek Lions Park Flying-Fox Roosts to minimise impacts experienced by the community to achieve coexistence with flying-foxes.


The Long-Term Roost Management Plan Development Project was developed with the support of the Queensland Government in association with Scenic Rim Regional Council.



  • CLOSED: Contributions to this consultation are now closed for evaluation and review.

    Draft Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy Survey

    18 responses

    CLOSED: Contributions to this consultation are now closed for evaluation and review

    Council recognises that Scenic Rim boasts a unique natural environment and is committed to proactively working to preserve and enhance it in partnership with the community.   

    In response to community feedback, Council has developed a 'revised' Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy, supported by the recently adopted Beaudesert and Canungra Roost Management Plans for an interim period.  

    Scenic Rim Regional Council has developed a Draft Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028 as a framework to support communities living with flying-foxes while ensuring the conservation of the species and the important services they provide.  

    Community consultation allows the wider community an opportunity to review the draft strategy and provide feedback on how they would prioritise the actions Council has proposed to approach the management strategies.

    The Strategy introduces a contemporary management approach that seeks to reduce the level of human-animal conflict while managing and improving conservation outcomes for flying-foxes. 

    The purpose of this strategy is to provide direction in the delivery of Councils Statement of Management Intent (refer to section 4) for the management of flying-foxes within the Scenic Rim and articulate the approach that Scenic Rim Regional Council will take towards the management of flying-fox roosts in Scenic Rim region.

    The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

    When you commence the survey, there will be questions about yourself (will not identify you).  This lets Council capture important demographic data from the Scenic Rim region.

    The questions in the survey focus on:

    • Determining your level of awareness of Council's 'as-of-right' responsibility for the management of flying-foxes and the level of intervention approach in the Scenic Rim region, 
    • Feedback on how Council has categorised the level of conflict of a flying-fox roost, and Council's Roost Response Framework to determine the course of management actions when responding to new congregations and roost changes and,
    • Providing your overall feedback on the adopted Roost Management Plans for Beaudesert Lions Bicentennial Park and Canungra Creek Lions Park Flying-Fox Roosts to minimise impacts experienced by the community to achieve coexistence with flying-foxes.

    In conjunction with the Draft Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028 consultation, the Beaudesert and Canungra Roost Management Plans are open for community feedback.

    The Roost Management Plans have been designed to address the specific challenges faced at each roost site through short and long-term actions to support landowners and minimise negative interaction between humans and flying-foxes while raising awareness of the species importance and encouraging their conservation.

    Survey submissions will be accepted by Council between 16 August to 12 September 2023.

    To access a copy of the full list of documents, visit the 'key documents' section on the project page.  Alternatively, you can visit one of Council's Administration or Customer Contact Centres and ask to view the document. 

    Please email the completed feedback form to mail@scenicrim.qld.gov.au, post your form to PO Box 25, Beaudesert QLD 4285 or drop it off at one of Council's Administration or Customer Contact Centres.   Please mark your submission to attention 'Biodiversity Team'.

    Once all feedback has been considered, the Draft Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028 will be presented to Council for adoption later this year.  

    We appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback on the Draft Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028.  By participating, you are helping to strengthen Council's Management Intent in updating actions and developing a stronger position for response on public and private lands.  

    Take the survey now!

    The Long-Term Roost Management Plan Development Project was developed with the support of the Queensland Government in association with Scenic Rim Regional Council.

    Adopted December 2023 | Scenic Rim Flying-Fox Management Strategy 2023-2028 
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