| Great Koala National Park | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Coast of New South Wales, Australia |
| Area | 476,000 ha (1,840 sq mi) [1] |
| Created | 2026 |
| Owner | NSW Government |
| Website | Creating the Great Koala National Park – information and updates |
The Great Koala National Park is a proposed national park in New South Wales, Australia which aims to create a sanctuary for koalas as they are an endangered native species. On its proposed boundaries, the national park will be located on the North Coast of New South Wales passing through towns including Kempsey, Nambucca Heads, Coffs Harbour, Woolgoolga and Sawtell. This park will protect 176,000 hectares of state forests and merge existing reserves. The park will be inhabited by koalas and many other threatened species including greater gliders, glossy black cockatoos and many rare plants including species of spider orchid. [2]
The boundaries are due to be formalised in the government gazette in 2026. The government is creating this national park in order to fulfil an election commitment made in 2023.
The original ideas leading to this proposal were formulated in 2010. Ecologists were alarmed by declining koala populations so they commissioned a survey. Former national parks officer Ashley Love has been credited by the government and conservation groups with developing early iterations of the proposal. When Luke Foley was shadow environment minister in 2014, he came across this proposal and was intrigued by it so he developed this policy when he subsequently became Labor leader in 2015. Foley was inspired by the giant panda reserves in China. [3]
In January 2015, Foley announced a plan to create a Great Koala National Park and hold a koala summit during that year's state election campaign. [4] [5] They were not elected to government so the plan did not commence.
The plan was proposed again in 2019 during that year's state election campaign by the Labor Party under then leader Michael Daley, this plan did not progress as the party were not elected to government. [6]
The current iteration of the Great Koala National Park was proposed again by the New South Wales Labor Party during the 2023 state election campaign in addition to a koala summit that would formulate a strategy to revitalise the species. [7] The Labor Party was elected to government with Chris Minns as premier and Penny Sharpe as environment minister so planning for the new national park commenced. [8]
The decision to enact this proposal was accelerated due to Essential Energy phasing out the use of wood in its power pole infrastructure. [2]
Planning for the new national park was funded in the 2023 state budget with the state government investing a further $66 million to kick-start the project. [9] Logging in the proposed area has ceased from 8 September following the government's announcement of the park's proposed boundaries. [9] The state government is also considering leveraging the powers of the federal government to utilise their carbon credits scheme for this project. [9] Legislation will be required for the formalisation of its boundaries. [9]
In addition to koalas, the areas slated for protection includes ancient Gondwana Rainforests, eucalyptus trees, greater gliders and glossy black cockatoos. [3]
It is estimated that about 12,000 koalas and 36,000 greater gliders will be protected when this area comes under conservation measures. [3] Aboriginal rangers will be employed throughout the national park to protect cultural heritage. [3]
Criticism was levied at the government as they had committed to the idea yet continued to allow logging in the area that would be used for the national park between the time of the Labor Party's election to government and the announcement of the proposed boundaries. [10] [11] [12] A conservation group estimates that about 10,000 hectares of forest had been cut down during the time between the government was elected and announcement of the proposed boundaries. [3]
Former secretary of the federal department of the treasury and current chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation Ken Henry stated that he thinks the timber industry is unsustainable, praising the jobs that this reserve creates and saying the plan to construct this plan is "credible". [13]
Victoria Jack of the Wilderness Society said that "conservation wins don't get much bigger than this". [2]
The timber industry has vehemently criticised the proposal while environmental groups have praised the idea. [14]
Minns has cited koalas nearing extinction as a reason to invest in this project. [9] The government expects this new park will generate an extra $163 million for the state's economy through tourism revenue. [9]
Some opposition MPs had reservations but supported the idea in principle, while National Party leader Dugald Saunders outright rejected the proposal for its effects on the logging industry. [14]
The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) has been entirely opposed to the proposal in all its iterations. [3]
Labor would also create a national park for koalas in south-western Sydney and have committed to the Great Koala National Park on the North Coast, if elected.