Ella Magee-Carr and Andrew Wong, Wilderness Australia
Proposed native forest logging could devastate Glenbog State Forest, one of the last true strongholds of the endangered Southern Greater Glider on the NSW South Coast.
Read More “Protecting Glenbog State Forest Against Logging Threats”
A report produced by NPA and Wilderness Australia The Plan to Keep Logging the Great Koala National Park has exposed the depth of destructive logging taking place across several forests within the proposed GKNP right now, including Sheas Nob, Ingalba, and Orara East.
Previous analysis by the North East Forest Alliance has shown that since the Minns Government was elected, 7,185 hectares have already been logged within the GKNP assessment area. Additionally, 1,924 hectares are currently being logged, with another 3,469 hectares scheduled for the next six months. If delays continue,12,578 hectares could be destroyed, threatening the survival of one of the most important koala populations in NSW.
NPA CEO Gary Dunnett stated, “The Great Koala National Park proposal was designed around two basic principles: to protect as much as possible of the core Koala habitats and populations of the region; and to focus exclusively on existing National Parks and State Forests.
‘The reason for concentrating on public lands is that determining their future is the responsibility of the Premier of the day.
‘This report paints a stark picture of what this means for Premier Minns’ reputation- the longer he delays declaring the new park, the more koalas will be needlessly lost” concluded Mr Dunnett.
ENDS
Media Contact: NPA CEO Gary Dunnett (02) 9299 0000
Kate Carroll, Conservation Projects Office, NPA NSW
NPA is a member of Forest Alliance NSW (FAN), a newly formed collective of non-government organisations and community groups working to protect native forests and support a plantation-based timber industry in NSW. Other members of the alliance include Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Wilderness Australia, Bob Brown Foundation, North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) and South East Regional Conservation Alliance (SERCA). Forest Alliance NSW is raising awareness through the media and alliance networks to expose the truths about the biodiversity and economic impacts of logging and the lack of integrity in Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW) operations. The work of the Alliance is supported by citizen science and other research.
Gary Dunnett, CEO and Kate Carroll, Conservation Projects Officer
Some of NPA’s deepest roots lie in the forests that cloak the landscapes between the Great Dividing Range and the rugged southern coasts. These are contested regions whose economy relies upon nature-based tourism, while allowing the very worst of industrial clear-felling and woodchipping.
NPA has been calling for a shift from exploitation to protection of the southeast forests for decades. The long history of the forest campaigns is documented in David Gallan’s wonderful 2016 documentary ‘Understorey’.
Those campaigns had significant successes, including the creation of parks such as Southeast Forest National Park. The parks that were established as part of the original Eden and Southern Forest Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) negotiations were a great beginning, but are not enough to truly secure the biodiversity values of the forests.
Read More “Thinking big, the next phase in campaigning for our Southern Forests”
The National Parks Association NSW (NPA) has obtained video of a likely displaced koala barely 40m from the edge of a clearfelled logging coupe in Pine Creek State Forest within the proposed Great Koala National Park (GKNP).
“The coupe contained a mapped Koala Hub that was home to at least one koala and likely more. This Koala Hub was treated as plantation by Forestry Corporation but in reality it was a regenerating Flooded Gum and mixed species forest of very high value to koalas,” stated NPA President, Dr Grahame Douglas.
The National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) welcomed the NSW Environment Minister’s announcement to halt timber harvesting operations within koala hubs of the Great Koala National Park.
‘We’re very relieved that the NSW Government has finally agreed to suspend logging in 106 mapped Koala Hubs, which are some of the most significant areas of koala habitat within the Great Koala National Park and NSW’ said Dr Grahame Douglas, NPA president.
‘NPA’s next priority is expanding that protection to the remainder of the proposed Great Koala National Park, especially the habitats and connecting corridors that are so essential to the long-term survival of koalas.’
NPA also welcomed the release of Minister Sharpe’s announcement of consultation and assessment processes to ensure the Great Koala National Park aligns with the highest standards of environmental protection.
‘NPA presented the original Great Koala National Park proposal to the former NSW Government in 2016. We’ll participate throughout the consultation and assessment process to help to bring this long overdue park into reality’ concluded NPA CEO Gary Dunnett.
ENDS
Media Contact:
NPA CEO, Gary Dunnett. NPA President, Dr Grahame Douglas 02 9299 0000
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