Image: NSW Government has announced half-measure protections for state forests and koala habitats. Photo: The Great Koala National Park/Facebook.
By ABHA HAVAL
The NSW government has announced a halt to timber logging operations around key koala habitat hubs within the proposed Great Koala National Park (GKNP) on the state’s north coast.
While the Minns government’s promise to establish a GKNP is a significant development after six months of forest conflicts with agitated communities, the new announcement does not go far enough in protecting koalas or forests, environmental activists have argued.
The plans to create the park has been delayed until 2025. It stipulates that only 42 percent of the koala sighting locations within the area of the park will be protected from logging operations.
Meanwhile, only 5 percent of the GKNP footprint will be “informally protected” by the government, leaving some of the most significant koala habitat forests vulnerable to logging operations.
State forest conflicts have escalated in recent months following the NSW government’s endorsement of the continuation of logging in areas of the future GKNP – areas left untouched for more than three decades.
Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson told City Hub that the announcement made by the government “unfortunately included only a voluntary commitment from the Forestry Corporation to avoid logging koala hubs inside the area proposed to become the national park.”
“The announcement made by Labor is welcome because the commitment not to destroy koala habitat is a good one, but it is also a bare minimum commitment that has come almost 6 months after they were elected on a platform that included protecting koala habitat and creating the GKNP on the state’s mid-north coast.”
NSW Government’s announcement delays promised National Park
Analysis by Nature Conservation Council (NCC) released in June this year found 17.7 percent of forest areas constituting towards the National Park proposal was targeted for logging over the next 12 months – a 300 percent increase from the previous two years.
Critical findings suggest that logging was planned in areas identified as most important hubs of koala habitats in the state forests including Wild Cattle Creek, Clouds Creek, Pine Creek, and Boambee State forests.
A spokesperson from the Office of Minister Penny Sharpe told City Hub that the creation of the GKNP was a key election commitment.
He said, “since being elected in March 2023, the Minns Labor government has begun the process of establishing the park.”
“The immediate halt to timber harvesting operations in the 106 koala hubs within the area being assessed is an important step in this process.”
The Greens are calling out the government’s announcement as a “gift to the timber industry at the cost of continuing the koala extinction logging” as the promised park gets delayed.
Higginson said, “national Parks are significant assets of ecological value because of the integrity that these areas have, and for their contribution to biodiversity and overall environmental health.”
“This will do nothing to protect Oakes Sate Forest or the Kalang Headwaters, areas that are categorised as highest priority conservation areas within the boundaries of the National Park that have koalas living in them.”
“It is very concerning that just 5 percent of this proposed new National Park will be protected, and that 58 percent of the endangered koala habitat will still be available for logging operations.”
“Logging is likely to continue throughout the area of the GKNP through to 2025 due to long reporting timeline that the government has set for itself.”
“The government needs to do the work now, to begin the transition of the public native forest industry before its too late for koalas, and too late for the other precious forest dependent species.”
Environmental organisation welcomes the new announcement
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW, state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation welcomes the announcement by Ministers Sharpe and Moriarty granting protections from logging.
NCC acting CEO Dr. Brad Smith said, “this is a historic step forward by the Minns Government. From today, 8400 hectares of the most important koala habitat in the world will be protected from logging.”
“This decision is a win for the people of NSW, who rallied, protested and demanded better – in some cases tying themselves to the giant trees that will now remain standing.”
“Protecting the most precious 5 percent of the Great Koala National Park area gives these koala populations a fighting chance.”
“Of course, we’re also concerned about the remaining 95 percent of the proposed park area, and we look forward to working through that assessment to ensure its also protected from logging as soon as possible.”
