Sydney Has a New National Park to Protect Koalas

 

NSW is home to a new national park, created to protect Sydney’s largest koala population in the city’s south-west.

Warranmadhaa (Georges River Koala National Park) has just become NSW’s newest national park, covering an area of 962 hectares between Long Point and Appin, with plans to expand. The park will protect Sydney’s largest koala population, and one of the only colonies in the state that’s chlamydia-free. Work is currently underway to grow the park further with more land transfers planned to protect up to a total of 1,830 hectares of habitat.

The park was formed as part of the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan, designed to protect wildlife during the delivery of more housing in one of Sydney’s highest growth areas. It’ll protect the most important corridor in the area, facilitating the safe movement of koalas between Campbelltown and the Southern Highlands.

The name of the park, Warranmadhaa, was chosen in consultation with Traditional Custodians, the Tharawal Local Aboriginal Land Council, and the local Aboriginal community, referring to the geography in the southern areas of the reserve.

‘This new national park is one of the most important in the state for koala conservation, protecting almost 1,000 hectares of vital koala habitat in south-west Sydney and delivering on our promise to safeguard this iconic species’, said Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe.

The news comes after a recent report that logging has been taking place on land earmarked for inclusion in the Great Koala National Park in Sheas Nob State Forest, inland from Coffs Harbour.

Koalas are currently listed as endangered in several states and territories, including NSW, and habitat destruction is the greatest threat to the species.

Feature photo by Nick Higgins on Flickr | Licence