North East Forest Alliance Media Release
January 13, 2020
The North East Forest Alliance totally
rejects industry
claims that logging is good for koalas, while calling for an
immediate logging
and clearing moratorium on all 'highly
suitable koala habitat' as identified by the Government.
Logging has removed many of the large trees
preferred by
Koalas for feeding as well as vital fire refuges out of the
reach of ground fires,
in the process reducing Koala populations and making forests
drier and more
flammable, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.
"Logging has had a profound impact on Koalas
and their
chances of surviving our apocalyptic future.
"North-east NSW Koala populations have
declined over 50%
in the past 20 years, and last year 30% of 'highly
suitable koala habitat' was burnt, including many known
core populations.
Thousands of Koalas were killed.
"The Banyabba population is one of the worst
affected
with 84% of 'highly
suitable koala
habitat' burnt in the Busbys Flat and Myall Creek fires.
This covers
lowland forests from the Richmond Range through to Iluka on the
coast, and from
Lawrence on the Clarence River north to Mongogarie, south of
Casino.
"NEFA's monitoring of Koalas on State Forests
south of
Casino has found 90% of Koalas have been lost from the
fireground, so over
three-quarters of the Banyabba Koala population is likely to
have been lost.
This population was already in decline before the fires.
"Koalas face a precarious future,
particularly if we
continue to log their feed and fire refuge trees. The Koalas
need the same
trees the loggers want.
"If we want to give Koalas a chance to
recover from the
devastating impacts of the bushfires, the Government must act
urgently to stop
logging and clearing of all 'highly
suitable koala habitat'.
"Given the immense loss of wildlife in the
bushfires it
is time to stop degrading their habitat and start restoring it.
Business as
usual is no longer an option if we want to save our wildlife"
Mr. Pugh
said.
