The NSW Government has announced the protection of all 176,000 hectares of native forest within the Great Koala National Park, a landmark move for koalas, greater gliders, and other endangered wildlife.
This decision gives koalas a real chance to thrive and opens new economic opportunities for communities through eco-tourism and conservation, but has drawn angry responses from the timber industry.
The Great Koala National Park is a large and biodiverse landscape the government hopes will become a centrepiece of koala conservation in New South Wales as well as a must-see destination, attracting visitors and contributing to the local economy. Pending the outcomes of the work being undertaken by the NSW Government over the next 12 months, the park would see existing reserves combined with the 176,000 hectares to create a vast network of protected areas encompassing over 475,000 hectares from Kempsey to Grafton and inland to Ebor.
The final creation of the park is dependent on the successful registration of a carbon project under the Improved Native Forest Management (INFM) Method, which is currently moving through the federal government assessment processes.
See more detail here.
