The New South Wales government implemented a ban effective from Monday covering 176,000 hectares of forest on the state’s north coast for the creation of a Great Koala National Park.
State authorities warned that without immediate intervention, koalas in Australia’s most populous state could become extinct by 2050.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns stated that koalas face extinction in the wild within the state, calling the situation unthinkable.
Officials have also promised free access to training programs along with financial, health, and legal services for impacted communities.
The earlier plan faced criticism for not providing immediate tree protection measures.
The protected area will also safeguard over 100 other threatened species according to government officials.
An additional sixty million Australian dollars has been allocated for park creation, supplementing the eighty million dollars announced in 2023.
WWF-Australia chief executive Dermot O’Gorman noted that koala numbers in New South Wales decreased by more than half between 2000 and 2020 due to environmental pressures.
These tall eucalypt forests function as climate refuges for koalas, providing essential habitat protection against warming temperatures.
Unions argue that the koala reserve exceeds the size recommended by government experts and will severely impact local communities.
The union supports koala protection but opposes what it considers unnecessary destruction of an entire industry and supporting communities.
Australia’s national koala monitoring program estimates between 95,000 and 238,000 koalas inhabit eastern states including Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory.
Another 129,000 to 286,000 koalas are estimated to live in Victoria and South Australia according to official population figures. – AFP
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