Dramatic footage shows logging inside proposed koala park

Dramatic new footage has emerged showing state government loggers felling koala-feed trees inside the boundaries of the Great Koala National Park, which the NSW government has vowed to create to protect the species.

Koalas are considered vulnerable to extinction in NSW due to habitat destruction.

The footage, which shows heavy logging equipment felling tall eucalyptus trees at Sheas Nob State Forest inland from Coffs Harbour, was secured by environmentalists who fear the proposed park on the state’s Mid North Coast will be severely damaged before it is declared.

“If the government wants to create a big national park, with real conservation integrity, that preserves the best remaining habitat for koalas, then they have to stop logging it,” said former NSW environment minister Bob Debus, chair of Wilderness Australia, which is lobbying for the park.

“To authorise thousands of hectares more logging and then declare them as conservation reserve defies common sense.

“It has reached the point where I feel the government would be wise to act to put a stop to the ongoing destruction of its promised park.”

According to analysis by Wilderness Australia and the National Parks Association of NSW, the Forestry Corporation of NSW’s publicly available harvest plans show 1924 hectares of logging is ongoing within the Great Koala National Park assessment area, while another 3469 hectares of forest is scheduled for logging within the next six months.

This planned total of an additional 5393 hectares significantly increases the loss of
koala habitat within the park’s assessment area since the Minns government was elected,
potentially rising from 7185 hectares in late 2024 to as much as 12,578 hectares within the
next six months, the equivalent of more than 6700 Sydney Cricket Grounds.

Yarriabini National Park is part of the proposed Great Koala National Park. Credit: Janie Barrett

The government could not confirm the figures, but a spokesperson for the Forestry Corporation, the government’s logging arm, said in a statement that state forests were designated to be managed for multiple uses including timber production in line with strict environmental regulations, and that the government had ordered logging be halted in 106 so-called “koala hubs” within the proposed park boundaries, effectively halting operations in 12,000 hectares of the proposed 175,000-hectare national park.

“Forestry Corporation has an obligation to continue supplying critical timber resources to communities who rely on timber for infrastructure including power poles, wharf piles, bridge decking and other essential products,” the statement said.

A government spokesperson said the park remained a key commitment and that it would be delivered soon, alongside “a sustainable timber industry that aligns with the government’s key environmental priorities.

“We have always been clear that we need a comprehensive assessment process which takes into account environmental, economic, social, ecological and cultural issues. The assessment process is at an advanced stage but is ongoing.”

Darren Grover of WWF-Australia said the video would be shocking to many people, particularly because the operations were being run at a loss.

“I’m sure taxpayers are not happy that a state government business has run up losses like this in the process of degrading forests and endangering wildlife,” he said.

Get to the heart of what’s happening with climate change and the environment. Sign up for our fortnightly Environment newsletter.