SCIENTISTS, conservationists and wildlife carers converged on Coffs Harbour on Saturday, 29 October to highlight the extinction risk facing koalas in NSW and policy solutions to protect koalas and their habitat. ‘The Vanishing – NSW Koala Conference’ was dedicated to discussion around the extinction risk facing NSW koalas and the urgent need for all candidates and parties to bring strong koala protection policies to the NSW election in March next year.

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All 180 scientists, conservationists, wildlife carers and concerned citizens in attendance agreed the urgent need to create the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) and save koalas and other endangered wildlife on the Coffs Coast from extinction.

With the state government controlling land use policy, including forestry, national parks, development and native vegetation on private land, the NSW state election in March 2023 will be a decisive moment for koala conservation.

Penny Sharpe MLC, Labor Shadow Environment Minister, addressed the conference.

“In the past twelve years, the Liberal and National Government in NSW have systematically dismantled many environmental protections.

“If elected, a Labor Government will act as quickly as possible to protect koala habitat.

“Labor will prioritise the completion of the National Parks Establishment Plan.

“First cab off the rank of formalising that plan will be the creation of a Great Koala National Park,” she said.

Cate Faehrmann, Greens MLC and Chair of a Parliamentary Inquiry into koalas and their habitat, announced that The Greens would bring a bill to parliament before the end of the year that would require “an immediate halt to logging in all koala habitat in native state forests and transfer to the conservation estate”.

“There can be no more clearing core koala habitat.

“No more dodgy offsets.

“No more logging our precious native forests.

“We need to protect koala habitat.

“Pure and simple,” said Ms Faehrmann.

Speaking at the conference, renowned koala scientist Dr Steve Phillips, who has studied koalas across the state for over 40 years, painted a vivid picture of the devastating decline he has witnessed during his lifetime.

“Our fluffy national icon is on a slippery slope to extinction,” said Dr Phillips.

Percolating on the discussions and proposed actions after the conference, Dr Grahame Douglas, President of the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) told News Of The Area, “The conference findings were extremely important, including the science, economics, recreational and tourism potential as well as community expectations for the cessation of the clearance of koala habitat including the logging of native forests in the Coffs Harbour, Nambucca Valley, Kempsey and Bellingen LGAs.”

The NPA has officially called on the NSW Government to declare the Great Koala National Park, including 175,000 ha of existing koala habitat in native State Forests.

“At this rate koalas will be extinct in the wild in NSW by 2050 and sooner in the Coffs Harbour region and the Government does not have an effective plan for koala conservation,” Mr Douglas said.

“Our native forests should not be used for wood chips, pallets, tomato stakes, telegraph poles or power generation but rather the protection of our native fauna and flora, especially an area as important as the Great Koala National Park.

“The GKNP proposal does not include plantation timbers and NPA fully supports indigenous aspirations to care for country and for employment within the Great Koala National Park.”

NSW Environment Minister James Griffin sent a video message to the conference, highlighting the Government’s $190 million investment through the NSW Koala Strategy.

The Koala Conference Organising Committee, including Catherine Cusack, WWF, The Nature Conservation Council, the NSW National Parks Association and North East Forest Alliance, will this week send a statement to all MPs outlining a suite of policy asks, including an immediate stop to logging in koala habitat, a plan to create the Great Koala National Park and stronger rules and more funding to protect koala habitat on private land.

The sold-out event was held in Coffs Harbour to recognise the critical importance of koala habitat in the region and the opportunity to create the Great Koala National Park, which would bring koala habitat in state forests around Coffs, which are currently being logged, into the conservation estate.

By Andrea FERRARI