Significant koala populations at risk Opinion Property/Sports/Opinion - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - December 8, 2024 DEAR News Of The Area, THE 176,000 hectare Great Koala National Park that was first committed to by the current Environment Minister, Penny Sharpe, and former Leader of the Opposition, Luke Foley, in 2014/15, is home to at least one fifth of the koala population of NSW. Within it there are currently 13 active native forest logging operations being conducted by Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW). These are in forests that the Minns Government promised to protect as a key environmental election commitment. By comparison, across the entire remainder of the public forest estate of north-east NSW, north of Sydney, there are only 11 other active operations. Every minute of every working day, since being elected, the Minns Government has logged a house-block sized area of forest. From Wednesday 20 November to Monday 25 November eighteen truckloads of prime koala habitat logs were removed from Little Newry State Forest. Logging is scheduled to continue until January 2025. These logs were hauled through a mapped Koala Hub and this Koala Hub has been partially isolated by industrial logging of the native forests on one side and the Pacific Highway on the other. In less than a week of logging, FCNSW have caused significant harm to the highly biodiverse coastal native forests at Little Newry that are known to be a key koala stronghold and to support the only known significant koala population on the coastline between Urunga and Nambucca Heads. Little Newry Forest is highly significant to Gumbaynggirr people as it adjoins Ninguu Mirral. Concerned locals are attending daily vigils to remind the state government that it must urgently call a halt to the logging of Little Newry and all remaining koala habitat forests. Regards, De MARKO, Forest Ecology Alliance, Nambucca Heads.
It has been suggested that I own the largest privately owned , koala inhabited, rainforested 263 hecatre, property, adjoining the Dorrigo National Park. During our 16 year ownership, I have seen 1 koala, yet during the mating season we can hear them and recently, NPWS placed koala recording devices throughout our rainforest and recorded koalas at every recording station. A couple of things from my personal thoughts about the GKNP. Firstly koalas don’t like us, we are viewed as predators, which we used to be. The study into the GKNP justified the investment, through a tourist based income stream. This is rubbish and is actually, not being considerate of koalas, at all. Wandering around in koala inhabited forest will result in them leaving, we threaten them. If you want to see koalas go to a sanctuary where the koalas are confined and are comfortable being around humans. Secondly, koalas love new shoots from new trees, in fact a 4m – 5m young, koala food tree, is a favourite amongst koalas. So, some removal and replenishment of existing koala food trees, is beneficial to koalas. I should add, that I have no intent nor interest in having anyone, log my rainforest, using methods employed currently by the native forests timber industry, as I believe more research, leading into a greater understanding of how to create a balance between forestry and koalas is needed. The experiences of Kangaroo Island, relative to koalas and those outcomes, proves how little we really know about how best to manage the koala population, Australia wide. I will always remember the photo of a Coffs Harbour Councillor, holding his grandson, with the headline ” I want my grandson to grow up being able to go imto the bush and see koalas.” To me, the comment proved that there is very little understanding of koalas, by those who contribute to the decisions that are made – on behalf of koalas. Reply
