Petition to stop logging in Pine Creek tabled in State Parliament Coffs Coast Coffs Coast - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - September 27, 2024 The Friends of Pine Creek want logging stopped to protect koalas. Photo: Department of Environment and Heritage. A PETITION initiated by local conservation group Friends of Pine Creek has been tabled in parliament. Presented to the Upper House on 18 September by Greens MLC Sue Higginson, it calls for the end of logging in primary koala habitat in Pine Creek State Forest. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The petition started in January and rapidly acquired over 24,000 signatures from supporters locally and globally. It calls for the State Government to support “The Forest Bridge” proposal, which seeks to conserve a wildlife corridor linking Bongil Bongil and Bindarri national parks. Both were recently labelled Assets of Intergenerational Significance for the conservation of koalas and have been afforded special protection under state government legislation. “We are now in the crazy situation of watching this internationally significant, publicly-owned forest, which is home to hundreds of wild koalas, being systematically clear-felled by Forestry Corp,” said Ms Ann Coyle, one of the Friends of Pine Creek. She cites research by academics Andrew Smith and John Pile which found that “continuation and expansion of high intensity logging across parts of Pine Creek State Forest available for wood production has the potential to eliminate koalas from logged areas, destroy corridor links between remnant koala habitat in Bongil Bongil National Park and nearby upland conservation areas, and reduce the quality and integrity of koala habitat in the surrounding region including the proposed Great Koala National Park”. Ms Coyle said habitat destruction is the number one reason koalas are hurtling towards extinction. “The State Government is wilfully allowing intensive logging to be accelerated in numerous publicly owned forests all around Coffs Harbour, which are occupied by breeding populations of koalas,” she said. “Instead of announcing the Great Koala National Park, the state government seems hell bent on delivering to us the ‘Great Koala Funeral Park’.” Friends of Pine Creek say they are staunchly unaligned politically. They initially asked Labor to table the petition but after numerous attempts, the government declined. The petition, “Save Pine Creek Koala Habitat From Clear-Fell Logging”, can be found at change.org. By Andrew VIVIAN
