Kevin Zibell has also made a plea for planners to take the koala population fully into account when making their decisions.

Mr Zibell, who lives on Geelong Road, told The Courier he was concerned there was not enough awareness of the existing koalas living in the south-easterly suburb of Ballarat.

He believes there is a widespread assumption that the number of resident koalas there is in decline, and wants to challenge that - as well as make sure the council's koala management plan is taken seriously for their protection.

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A spate of koala sightings - including the one pictured - prompted him to raise his concerns.

Mr Zibell also said a recent planning application in the area showed an outdated understanding of the wildlife in the area - and he remains worried that a planning approval could be ushered through without taking native wildlife properly into consideration.

The Courier understands there have been several objections for a development at 2001 Geelong Road from local community groups.

That application relied on a koala study dating from more than a decade ago, which suggested the population was in decline - a finding that Mr Zibell queries. He said the original study took place during the millennial drought when the koala population was particularly stressed. The recent sightings, he believes, are proof that the population remains very much active in the area.

On a visit last month, The Courier photographed wild koalas there, including a joey that needed to be taken in by a wildlife rescue organisation Wildlife Victoria.

"My main motivator is not the block across the road, it's to make sure the koala plan is active," Mr Zibell said.

He said he was not against the development of the land, but that he wanted to ensure the council's koala management plan was an active consideration - and not just paid lip service.

"I wanted to counter the notion there are no koalas and they can just be ignored," he said.

A previous application for the development of the land was made in 2010, but no works ever took place.

Councillor Jim Rinaldi, one of three representatives of the south ward which takes in Mount Helen, described the suburb as a "sensitive" place for local wildlife.

"I have seen koalas myself in the area," he said. "We have to protect them, to give them an area to move through."

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He said he had concerns about how many planning decisions were coming through council - and said he would prefer more to be called in so councillors could be involved in the process for controversial decisions.

The council's koala management plan was one of the first developed by any local government authority, but had largely fallen off the radar in recent years.

However, there has been a strong push from community organisations, including most prominently the Friends of Canadian Corridor, to reactivate the plan. This includes setting up a committee including a councillor.

Meanwhile a new "living corridors action plan" designed to reinforce wildlife corridors and allow animals to move between habitats is also being considered by council.

Those behind the plan hope it will help maintain and improve biodiversity. The importance of conserving habitat links was cited as a priority in the Ballarat East Local Area Plan adopted last year.

According to the CEO update for the next ordinary council meeting, community consultation on the project will take place later this year.

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