Outdoor recreation taken into the fold as the new koala park draws closer

Activities ranging from trail bike riding to fishing, four-wheel driving to kayaking will be allowed in sections of the Great Koala National Park, legislation providing for the park’s creation introduced to state parliament on Tuesday reveals.

According to the legislation the park will be created with various levels of protection, with the majority of state forest and crown land to be converted to a national park receiving high-level protection for environmental and cultural values, but with 13 per cent to be set aside as regional parkland where recreational activities will be allowed.

Other areas will be set aside as nature reserves, established to protect significant plants, animals, geological features and ecosystems. Two sections will be recognised as Aboriginal areas to protect cultural heritage and support Aboriginal cultural use and public understanding of cultural values.

The creation of the Great Koala National Park was a Labor election promise, and is designed to protect and link key koala habitat zones on the North Coast of NSW.

“The Great Koala National Park is one of the most important things we can do to save koalas in NSW. It is also about creating an area that people can explore and enjoy for generations,” said NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe.

“From bushwalking and canoeing to mountain bike riding and camping, we’ve listened to how people want to enjoy the park and we’re making sure that while we save koalas, the Great Koala National Park can also be a world-class area for recreation.”

The park has been fiercely opposed by the logging industry, which says it will restrict access to timber causing a loss of jobs for saw millers and timber workers across the region.

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the government was introducing financial support for forestry workers and creating a pathway for eligible Forestry Corporation workers in the area to keep using their skills in the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The creation of the park will add more than 178,000 hectares of state forest and other Crown land to the national park estate on the NSW Mid North Coast, protecting habitat for an estimated 12,000 koalas, 36,000 gliders and more than 100 threatened species.

Combined with existing national parks and reserves, it will be one of the largest parks in NSW, creating a protected area spanning more than 475,000 hectares.

The legislation will be debated in parliament next week and, if passed, the park could be created by the end of the year.

Glenn Storrie, National Parks and Wildlife Service Great Koala National Park principal project officer said the proposed reserve categories for the Great Koala National Park came after consultations involving a wide range of interest groups and the local community.

“The park will continue to provide for the recreational activities enjoyed by local communities and visitors, while helping deliver a long-term vision for conservation, recreation and regional growth,” he said.

“Visitor use, community needs and conservation priorities have all been carefully considered to ensure the reserve categories are fit for purpose now and into the future.”

He said the regional parks were located closer to urban areas with a high level of existing use, while national parks were designed with a focus on environmental protection.

“The key focus of nature reserves is preservation of outstanding natural values of specific plant and animal communities.”

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