{"id":926425,"date":"2026-10-13T08:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/926425\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T08:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:36:16","slug":"great-koala-national-park-legislation-introduced-crate-park-that-would-balance-animal-and-environment-protection-with-recreational-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/926425\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Koala National Park: Legislation introduced crate park that would balance animal and environment protection with recreational activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Nick<\/p>\n

October 13, 2026 \u2014 3:49pm<\/p>\n

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Activities ranging from trailbike riding to fishing, four-wheel driving to kayaking will be allowed in sections of the Great Koala National Park<\/a>, legislation providing for the park\u2019s creation introduced to state parliament on Tuesday reveals.<\/p>\n

\"SunSun rises over the future Great Koala National Park from Point Lookout in the New England National Park, NSW.Janie Barrett<\/p>\n

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, and 13 per cent to be set aside as regional parkland where more intensive recreational activities will be allowed.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom bushwalking and canoeing to mountain bike riding and camping, we\u2019ve listened to how people want to enjoy the park and we\u2019re making sure that while we save koalas, the Great Koala National Park can also be a world-class area for recreation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

NSW 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Related Video<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The legislation will be debated in parliament next week and, if passed, the park could be created by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Minister<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cVisitor 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key focus of nature reserves is preservation of outstanding natural values of specific plant and animal communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nature Conservation Council forest campaigner Clancy Barnard described the creation of the park as a victory after 10 years of advocacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat started as an idea more than a decade ago, inspired by China\u2019s panda reserves, has grown into one of the largest new national parks in NSW.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a tremendous achievement for the thousands of people who have campaigned, advocated and worked tirelessly to make this park a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get to the heart of what\u2019s happening with climate change and the environment. Our fortnightly Environment newsletter brings you the news, the issues and the solutions. Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Close\"NickNick O’Malley<\/a> is National Environment and Climate Editor for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He is also a senior writer and a former US correspondent.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"October 13, 2026 \u2014 3:49pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":926426,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[64,63,128,338],"class_list":["post-926425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/926425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=926425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/926425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/926426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=926425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=926425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=926425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}