A Truly Great Opportunity: Great Koala National Park
With the New South Wales Government poised to make a critical decision on the establishment of the Great Koala National Park (GKNP), conservationists and economists alike are urging Premier Chris Minns to seize this transformative opportunity.
The North East Forest Alliance (NEFA), through spokesperson Dailan Pugh, is calling for the immediate cessation of logging activities and the formal establishment of the park to protect vital habitats, ensure biodiversity, and unlock significant economic benefits.
Protecting a Rich Biodiversity
The proposed GKNP covers an area of 176,000 hectares of state forests, which, combined with 135,000 hectares of existing national parks, would encompass habitats for 20% of the state’s koalas. Surveys indicate that over 12,000 koalas inhabit the area, thriving particularly in the productive coastal forests and the Dorrigo Plateau.
It is not just koalas that stand to benefit. The region hosts 108 species currently threatened with extinction, including the nationally endangered Southern Greater Glider, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Hastings River Mouse, and Rufous Scrub Bird.
The park would protect 36,000 hectares of threatened ecological communities, 38,000 hectares of rainforests—a portion of which is part of the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia—and 23,000 hectares of old-growth forests.
These areas serve as crucial climate refuges, where biodiversity has the best chance to survive the impacts of climate change.
As Pugh explains, “To save these species from extinction, we must stop logging their homes and begin restoring them.”
Timber industry targeting the Great Koala National Park
The NSW Forestry Corporation is logging within the proposed Great Koala National Park at a rate over three times higher than elsewhere in Northern NSW, according to analysis by the Forest Alliance NSW.
Forestry Corporation’s own maps, dated 25 June 2024, show that of the 20 active logging operations along the North Coast, stretching from the Hunter to the Queensland border, more than half are located within the footprint of the proposed park. This is despite the park area accounting for only one-fifth of the region’s State Forests.
While the Minns Government pledged to establish the Great Koala National Park during the 2023 State Election, the process to finalize its boundaries has been slow and protracted. In the meantime, much of the area remains vulnerable to intensive logging by the State-owned Forestry Corporation.
Logging: An Unsustainable Practice
The economic argument for continuing logging in these state forests is increasingly untenable. According to NEFA, the Forestry Corporation of NSW lost $3.4 million logging just 1,500 hectares of the proposed park in 2022/23, followed by 2,200 hectares logged last year at an undisclosed cost.
Logging public native forests has become an economic drain, with the practice costing taxpayers $15 million in 2022/23, despite substantial government subsidies. Forestry Corporation’s own data indicates that logging the GKNP resulted in a loss of $2,220 per hectare.
Instead of degrading forests for a loss, Pugh highlights the alternative: “If we stop logging, then increasing tourism, carbon credits, and water yields will be of significant economic benefit to NSW taxpayers and local communities.”
Economic Opportunities: Tourism, Carbon, and Water
The potential economic benefits of the GKNP are vast. A 2021 study by the University of Newcastle projected that creating the park and halting logging would generate $1.18 billion in increased economic output over 15 years, create 9,135 jobs, and add $531 million in value to the economy through boosted tourism.
Additionally, the Blueprint Institute’s 2023 report identified that stopping logging in northeast NSW could generate carbon credits with a net present value of $174 million by 2040. With carbon credit values on the rise, the GKNP represents a sustainable and lucrative alternative to logging.
Furthermore, mature forests use less water than regrowth forests, increasing water yields in the region. This is particularly significant given that the GKNP encompasses 25% of the water supply catchments for towns and villages in Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, and Nambucca local government areas. Stopping logging could double water yields, providing a direct economic and ecological benefit to these communities.
A Promise Long Overdue
The GKNP was first proposed by the National Parks Association in 2015, with then-NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley promising its creation if elected. While assessments of the environmental and economic value of the park have been completed under the current Labor government, logging has continued unabated since the party’s 2023 election win.
NEFA is now urging Premier Minns to honor this long-standing promise. The evidence overwhelmingly supports the transition of the full 176,000 hectares of state forests into the national park system. NEFA also calls for compensation packages for affected forestry workers to ensure a just transition.
A Truly Great National Park
The GKNP would not only secure a safe haven for koalas and hundreds of other species but also stand as a landmark of ecological preservation and sustainable development.
Pugh sums up the sentiment: “The evidence is overwhelming that this will be one of our great national parks, and its protection will be of immense economic benefit to the people of NSW.”
The choice before the Minns government is clear. By acting now, they can ensure the GKNP becomes a legacy of conservation and economic foresight, setting a precedent for balancing environmental stewardship with community prosperity.
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To ensure journalistic balance under Australian Press Council guidelines, Forestry Corporation is happy to provide a statement on some of the unsubstantiated claims made in the article.
Absolutely Matt, I’ve sent you an email yesterday after you posted, and look forward to your reply.
FYI, Matt Deans is a media officer for Forestry Corporation NSW.