They are in danger, and here is some of the evidence.

The NSW government’s Chief Scientist has reported that “koala populations are under increasing pressure” with a “26% decline over the last three koala generations (15-21 years).” The government has responded with “a whole-of-government koala strategy for NSW with the objective of stabilising and then starting to increase koala numbers.”

In May the government announced a State-wide $45 million koala strategy, as recommended in the report. Only then, the Chief Scientist says, “we will know which koala populations have the potential for long term viability.” This is not a greenie government, Steve, I think we’ve got a problem. 

Koala fur was in fashion 100 years ago. In the 40 years to 1927, when it was banned, over 8 million Koala skins were sold in Europe and North America. There were once a lot more koalas than today. It is estimated NSW now has about 36,000 koalas.

The local member, Melinda Pavey, recently announced a new koala reserve on Kindee Creek. It is made up of 1,382 h or 8% of Mt Boss State Forest; but the overall plan is to intensively log all the rest of hardwood in this forest. Koalas eat new growth on gum trees. Hard to see, they are often at the very tops of tall trees. Unfortunately, tall vigorously growing eucalypts are what both koalas and the timber industry need, so careful management is going to be essential.

About twenty years ago the Federal government negotiated Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) that we all hoped would settle the fears of both the conservationists and the timber industry. The timber wars were over. But there were several shortfalls, especially when the rights to timber were given to big construction companies and our hopes were dashed for an ongoing medium-scale milling industry based locally with secure jobs and an output of quality timber for houses and furniture. International economics determined that imported timbers flooded our market and big corporations were the only winners.

The RFAs are currently due for review and it appears that they will be rolled over almost unchanged; this would be comforting had fire and climate uncertainty not reduced the size of the forest asset and had big changes in forestry practices (IFOAs) not occurred in the last couple of years.

We now face a future with forest harvesting on an industrial scale, but with few local jobs. No longer are our forests to be managed sustainably to preserve long-term supplies for the timber industry, species diversity and to protect old trees that provide both shelter for wildlife and re-seed the forest to keep it in a healthy balance.

The Department of Primary Industry (DPI) projects intensive harvesting of all local State Forests in the coming years, but this is not called clear-felling because the areas are immediately replanted with tube-stock of fast-growing Blackbutt. This monoculture degrades the diversity in these large areas. To see what this looks like take a drive through Kendall to Upsall’s Creek. It is a shocker!

Dr Adrian Guthrie, Pappinbarra

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