NSW Koalas are now officially endangered

The Great Koala National Park plan

The Great Koala National Park is the first step towards securing a viable future for Koalas in the wild.

Large and well-managed protected areas remain the single most effective tool to protect biodiversity around the world, and Australia is no different. The Great Koala National Park, which is designed as the key component of a larger strategic koala reserve network for the north coast, is the best chance for koalas to have a secure future in NSW. The new National Park will encompass 315,000 ha of public land in the Coffs Harbour region. This biodiversity hotspot includes two nationally recognised koala meta-populations, estimated to contain almost 20% (about 4,500) of NSW’s remaining wild koalas. The Great Koala National Park is comprised of 175,000 ha of state forests added to 140,000 ha of existing protected areas. Because it’s all public land, it’s a cost-effective reserve option.

Importantly, this koala population is one of the more stable in NSW. This is most likely due to Bongil Bongil National Park acting as a source area of animals which has – so far – offset losses of koalas from land clearing and logging. Because the population has not yet dramatically declined like many others in NSW, the Great Koala National Park has an outstanding chance of making a real difference to koalas. But we must act now while there’s still a chance!

Scientists tell us that as the climate changes koala feed trees and populations will move east as inland NSW becomes too hot. So protecting habitat on the eastern seaboard is a vital strategy to help koalas cope with climate change. The Great Koala National Park would both protect coastal forests on the east coast and restore a link between coastal forests and the escarpment to allow koalas to move in response to extreme weather events and climate change.

Links

• The Great Koala National Park
• Support the Great Koala National Park
• Habitat loss and the decline of koalas
• The Great Koala National Park plan
• Benefits to other threatened species
• Benefits to the community
• More Information and Resources

EDIT:

How to help?

Follow the instructions outlined below
source: https://www.koalapark.org.au/support-write

Write a short personal email to Premier Chris Minns using this contact form — and ask him to stop the logging!

Tell him that current logging is destroying koala habitat in the GKNP and ask him to stop the logging NOW.

It can be as short as one sentence but use your own words and ask for a response.

Key points to consider:

• Habitat loss is the key threat to koala survival.
• The NSW Government is refusing to stop intensively logging critical koala habitat in the Great Koala National Park while planning is underway.
• Koalas will become extinct in NSW by 2050 if habitat loss continues.
• Forest Corp is logging in the proposed GKNP faster than ever before and appears to be targeting critical koala habitat.
• Forest Corp is a NSW Government owned company.
• Forest Corp's 12 mth logging plan (from March '23) targets 30,297ha (14%) of native forest within the GKNP. This area includes 518 koala records.
• Public native forest logging in NSW makes an annual $10-20 million LOSS and is propped up by NSW taxpayers each year.
• The NSW public plantation sector is strong and profitable and can meet timber needs.
• The GKNP will create 9,800 regional jobs generating $330m in wages and $273m in capital and operating expenditure, plus generate $412m in tourism spending.

How to help, for those outside of Australia?

The NSW State Premier is responsible for many issues with international relevance. You don't have to be Australian or have excellent English skills to write.

To put things into perspective, The NSW visitor economy supports more than 107,115 businesses and over 296,000 jobs. It is the state’s fifth-largest employment group, accounting for approximately seven per cent of total jobs. In 2018/19, the visitor economy contributed $38 billion (6 per cent) to NSW Gross State Product (GSP).

In 2020, Australia had a total of 68 zoos and wildlife parks exhibiting just under 900 koalas. While a photograph of a koala is considered a must-have souvenir for many international tourists.

Keep this in mind when writing to Chris Minns, you may wish to communicate how important the survival of Koalas are to your decision-making for potential travel to Australia and NSW in the future. With focus on any of the following key points;

• The GKNP will create 9,800 regional jobs generating $330m in wages and $273m in capital and operating expenditure, plus generate $412m in tourism spending.
• A 2014 study suggested koala tourism could now be worth as much as A$3.2 billion to the Australian economy and account for up to 30,000 jobs.

https://www.destinationnsw.com.au/about-us/visitor-economy-strategy-2030

Here's the contact form again >> https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/premier-of-nsw/contact-premier