MEDIA RELEASE
New analysis shows Berejiklian government’s
koala reserve system offers the species virtually no new protection
The Berejiklian government’s planned koala reserve contains only 2% of
high quality koala habitat and offers no significant new protection for the
species whose numbers are rapidly declining, new analysis has shown.
The North East Forest Alliance obtained and analysed maps of 24,000
hectares of mostly state forests that the government plans to use for a koala
reserve system, which is a major plank in the government’s long-delayed Koala
Strategy, unveiled on May 6.
KEY
FINDINGS
- 82% of the “new reserves” offer no new protection to koalas. That is because 82% of the “new reserves” were already protected in forest reserves.
- Only 2% (554ha) of the new reserves are high-quality koala habitat. This assessment is based on the government’s latest koala habitat modelling.
- Hunting will be permitted in 8 of the 12 areas because they will be designated Flora Reserves.
- All the reserves are in the hinterland, away from the coastal forests where the best koala habitat exists.
- Less than 2.5% of the “new” reserves match the proposed Great Koala National Park.
(See the table below for a detailed analysis of the new reserves.)
North East Forest Alliance spokesperson Dailan Pugh:
“It is
fraudulent for the NSW Government to pretend that these are new Koala Reserves.
There are many state forests known to be far more important for Koalas that
the Government has ignored.
“The selection of these areas has been a cynical political exercise with
no attempt to identify and protect the most important Koala habitat on State
Forests, with the only apparent criteria being to have no impacts on timber.”
National Parks Association Senior Ecologist Oisin Sweeney said:
“It is
clear the government has made a choice – it is timber over koalas.
“The government’s own mapping shows the importance of the Great Koala
National Park proposal, yet the government plans to implement an intensive
harvesting zone that will see koala habitat destroyed over large areas and
reduced forests to monocultures of blackbutt between Grafton and Taree.”
Quotes from the Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski:
“Koala
populations on the North Coast have collapsed by 50% in the past 20 years and
the NSW Government’s strategy will do little to redress that decline.
“If the Berejiklian government was serious about saving our koalas from
extinction it would ending native forest logging, strengthen land clearing laws
and create the Great Koala National Park.
“The government’s koala strategy fails to do any of these things and as
a result it will fail koalas.”
Summary
of analysis of the government’s new koala reserves
Reserve name
|
Region
|
Area (OEH claim)
|
Proposed designation
|
% already protected (Forest Mgt Zones)
|
High-quality koala* (ha)
|
Koala records
|
Hunting allowed
|
Mt Lindesay
|
Northeast
|
6195
|
Flora Reserve
|
36
|
244
|
49
|
No
|
Belanglo SF
|
Sth highlands
|
1818
|
Flora Reserve
|
69
|
68
|
Yes
|
|
Barrington Tops
|
Northeast
|
155
|
Flora Reserve
|
96
|
0
|
0
|
Yes
|
Corrabare
|
Northeast
|
843
|
Flora Reserve
|
98
|
0
|
1
|
Yes
|
Watagan
|
Central Coast
|
3107
|
Flora Reserve
|
99
|
0
|
3
|
Yes
|
Olney
|
Central Coast
|
Flora Reserve
|
-
|
0
|
6
|
Yes
|
|
Carrai
|
Northeast
|
2103
|
National Park
|
100
|
0
|
0
|
No
|
Comleroy
|
Northeast
|
2905
|
Flora Reserve
|
100
|
0
|
0
|
Yes
|
Mount Boss
|
Northeast
|
1383
|
SCA
|
100
|
273
|
2
|
No
|
Oakes
|
Northeast
|
593
|
National Park
|
100
|
37
|
1
|
No
|
Jellore SF
|
Sth highlands
|
1415
|
Flora Reserve
|
100
|
NA
|
3
|
Yes
|
Meryla SF
|
Sth highlands
|
4084
|
Flora Reserve
|
100
|
NA
|
0
|
Yes
|
Total
|
24601
|
82%
(19,802ha)
|
554
(2% of total)
|
133
|
No = 4
Yes = 8
|
