New South Wales has just passed a law that turns hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest into one of the state's largest reserves — the Great Koala National Park. After a decade-long campaign, more than 176 thousand hectares of state forests were added to the existing reserves, and the total area of protected territory on the Mid North Coast exceeded 475 thousand hectares.
These forests are estimated to be home to about 12 thousand koalas and 36 thousand greater gliders. Logging of native forests here is being stopped entirely. Premier Chris Minns called the park a step that should turn the situation around: in the state, koalas are already endangered in the wild.
The park does not simply shield animals from the saw — it links scattered patches into a single network. Such connectivity allows populations to move, seek out new food resources and adapt to climate change. Without it, koalas and other species risk ending up in isolated "islands" where their chances of survival plummet.
Indigenous peoples — the Gumbaynggirr and the Dunghutti — also took part in creating the park. Aboriginal rangers will be involved in its management, and part of the land will receive a status that takes cultural heritage into account. At the same time, opportunities for tourism are preserved: camping, kayaking, cycling and even some active recreation in designated zones.
This project shows that large-scale conservation works when it combines scientific data, political will and respect for local communities. Instead of piecemeal measures — a whole landscape where nature and people can coexist as equals.
Protecting such territories gives a chance not only to koalas but also to dozens of other endangered species, and at the same time creates new jobs in tourism and park management.
