Mr Townend was asked about a large residential development application nearby to clear more than 2000 hectares of bushland land - including koala habitat - that is still being assessed by Moreton Bay Regional Council, despite State Planning Minister Cameron Dick saying "no" in writing last month.

"There is no doubt habitat destruction is the number one problem we are going to face," Mr Townend said.

"But I think that is where the planning laws are going to have to be looked at," he said, standing beside Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch.

"And then we have the problem of population growth."

Mr Townend, the chief exectutive of the RSPCA Queensland, said the expected doubling of the state's population to 11 million within 50 years was a double-edged sword.

"That's good for the population, good for the growth of the state, but it will create problems for the wildlife, in particular the koala," he said.

Mr Townend will chair the 15-person Koala Advisory Council, which also includes:

Mr Townend has been chief executive of the RSPCA since January 2000. The Koala Advisory Committee's first meeting was due to be held on December 13.

Mr Townend said he hoped to increase the population of koalas.

“The government has shown great foresight in bringing together a diverse group of expertise that will provide it with independent advice to develop policies and initiatives that will preserve and hopefully actually increase the population of this iconic Australian species,” he said.

The formation of a new Koala Advisory Council in Queensland was one of the six major recommendations of the report by Queensland’s Koala Expert Panel in May 2018.

Mr Townend said he understood the complexity of the task.

Several high-profile issues have highlighted problems between property development and koala habitat, including animal relocations for the building of the Coomera Town Centre.

Subsequent reports highlighted the poor survival rates of koalas shifted to allow development to go ahead.

“We are only too well aware of the challenges posed by increased urbanisation as the state continues to grow,” Mr Townend said.

“I look forward to working closely with Minister Enoch and her department to achieve these goals.”

Ms Enoch said the Koala Advisory Council would guide a new conservation strategy for struggling koala populations in the state.

“These experts have a wealth of experience in animal welfare, conservation and urban planning and one of their first tasks will be to work with the Queensland government to finalise a new south-east Queensland koala conservation strategy,” she said.

Ms Enoch said Queensland’s planning framework would be adjusted.

“Since the release of the expert panel report earlier this year, the Palaszczuk government has been working closely with stakeholders to develop a strategy that delivers a multifaceted approach that combines the protection of koala habitat through the planning framework, with action to address other threats,” she said.

Queensland will hold a second round-table to discuss koala conservation strategy early in 2019.

In August 2018 a round-table was held with koala experts to discuss the policy of translocating koala populations.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk requested a report on the outcomes of that meeting as this policy was under review.

Ms Enoch said the appointment of the advisory council was the next practical step to protecting koalas, through "science-informed policies and management approaches".

“We know vegetation clearing and climate change are the main threats to Queensland’s threatened species, and the Palaszczuk government’s new vegetation management laws have helped address this.

“Our new laws, introduced earlier this year, put an end to broadscale land clearing, and in addition, our government’s $500 million flagship Land Restoration Fund will deliver clear environmental and economic co-benefits such as creating new habitat for threatened species like the koala.”

The Koala Advisory Council will deliver the new koala conservation strategy, evaluate where it is effective and review koala-monitoring programs.

Australia Zoo director Wes Mannion said protecting koalas also meant protecting the species beneath them in fauna network.

"It is not just the koalas you are saving, it is every other species underneath them that you are saving," he said.

Australia Zoo's koala nursery on Thursday had 65 koalas under care, he said.

"Over the last 10 to 12 years or so we can almost see when the new developments go in," Mr Mannion said.

"We get an increase in the numbers of koalas and other animals coming in when we get the new roads and so on."