A diverse range of stakeholders, including non-government organisations, government agencies, private landholders, local councils, Aboriginal representatives, academics, researchers and policy makers were on the guest list.

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The new members of the Independent Koala Expert Panel were also in attendance.

They heard several keynote speeches from experts and practitioners dedicated to saving koalas and then had the opportunity to provide advice to help review and refocus the current NSW Koala Strategy to ensure the future of koalas in the wild.

Minister for Climate Change and the Environment Penny Sharpe also asked all attendees, as well as any individuals, communities or organisations not in attendance, to make a submission to the State Government’s recent Koala Strategy Discussion Paper.

The paper seeks community input into the review of the NSW Koala Strategy.

“It is a rare opportunity to have this diversity of expertise and experience in one room, and I want to listen and draw on this knowledge for positive change,” Ms Sharpe said.

“Nothing is off the table in the discussions and I welcome everyone’s input.”

Ms Sharpe said the Koala Summit is a key part of the process to review and refocus the NSW Koala Strategy.

“We need to take a good, hard look at the strategy, to take it apart and remake it to ensure it will save koalas in the wild,” she said.

However, according to Dailan Pugh from the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA), “The dismay and frustration of koala advocates with the ALP’s refusal to redress the draconian policies of the National Party was palpable.”

“This Government has been in power for a year and yet logging and clearing of koala habitat continues unabated, while there has been no attempt to rectify the dysfunctional changes to the State Environment Planning Policies introduced in response to the National Party declaring war on koalas in 2020.

“The biggest concern is that the summit just represents another excuse to delay taking action to provide koalas with the habitat protection they urgently need if we want to save them from extinction in the wild by 2050.”

Mr Pugh said the National Parks Association and World Wildlife Fund put forward a motion calling for a moratorium on logging in the proposed Great Koala National Park, and the North East Forest Alliance put forward a motion to stop logging of occupied koala habitat on State forests.

He said both motions achieved overwhelming support by a show of hands.

Another local Summit attendee was Grahame Douglas, the Coffs Coast Branch President of the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA), which submitted the proposal for the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) to the previous government.

“The NPA believes there should be a greater focus on the assessment of public lands, and, in particular Forestry Corporation operations in State forests,” Mr Douglas said.

“We welcomed the opportunity to participate and are grateful for the Minister’s invitation.”

Mr Douglas said he came away from the Summit with the clear impression that Ms Sharpe was listening to issues associated with koala conservation, however believes an emphasis on reviewing public lands is essential for NSW.

“We also believe that Minister Sharpe recognised the importance of the GKNP to the Mid North Coast.”

Jacqui Mumford, CEO of the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC), also attended the Summit, welcoming the opportunity to discuss the protection of koala habitat.

“This is a very different approach than the former government, who were unwilling to even talk to the environmental movement about this issue,” Ms Mumford said.

“We know that native forest logging and habitat clearing on freehold land are two major threats to koalas.

“I recommended at the summit that the best way to protect koalas is to stop native forest logging and reign in habitat clearing across NSW.”

The Koala Strategy Discussion Paper is available online at https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au.

By Andrew VIVIAN