Kate Carroll, Conservation Projects Officer
The proposed Great Southern Forests National Park is a bold step toward safeguarding one of southeastern Australia’s most ecologically valuable landscapes. In the wake of the Black Summer bushfires and mounting development pressures along the coast, the continuation of industrial logging in these forests is increasingly untenable. The proposal spans tall wet forests, rainforests, and woodlands across the south coast and hinterlands, aiming to protect their rich biodiversity and critical habitats. By connecting and consolidating existing protected areas, the park would strengthen ecological resilience and provide a vital refuge for forest-dependent species as climate change accelerates.
Work on the park proposal began last year and is now in full swing, with the project team aiming to deliver a preliminary report by mid-year. Since the last edition of Nature NSW, the proposal boundary has been refined [Figure 1]. It covers State Forests—including flora reserves—stretching from the Victorian border through to the Southern Highlands and Illawarra, and all interconnected with existing National Parks and NPWS-acquired lands.
This expanded boundary would see around 365,000 hectares of State Forest added to the National Park estate, bringing the total proposed park area to over 1 million hectares. The park would serve as a critical ecological link between existing protected areas and the more productive lands currently designated as State Forest, filling key gaps in the conservation network.
The project has involved detailed desktop investigations, including GIS analysis and a review of scientific literature. Some of our findings include significant under-representation of ecosystems—particularly in the South East Corner Bioregion—such as wet and dry sclerophyll forests, rainforest, and grassy woodland communities. Our proposal would substantially increase the level of protection of these ecosystems. Key biodiversity corridors and wildlife refuges that will be critical under a changing climate are within our proposal area [Figure 2]. Many of these areas also remained unburnt during the Black Summer fires, making their protection even more urgent.
More than a dozen threatened flora species have critical habitat within the proposal area or have high levels of endemism. A high diversity and volume of fauna species, including iconic and keystone threatened arboreal and ground-dwelling fauna are found across the proposal area. The ecological value of this landscape cannot be overstated.
Field work is continuing to supplement desktop investigations, and planning is underway for drone surveys to record arboreal fauna, targeting Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and Southern Greater Gliders (Petauroides volans). Footage from these surveys will contribute to campaign material and the project website (in development), which will present key biodiversity data, highlight the ecological significance of the area, and address frequently asked questions.
As the project progresses, the focus remains on building a strong evidence base and engaging meaningfully with more NPA members, local communities, First Nations elders, forest campaigners and a myriad of other stakeholders to support the long-term protection of the southern forests.