Member for Oxley Michael Kemp is espousing results from a NSW Government-commissioned study claiming that there is no evidence selective timber harvesting harms koala populations in NSW’s North Coast forests.
Released in September, the Natural Resources Commission study was led by scientists from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Mr Kemp said it found no significant change in koala density three years after harvesting. This is consistent with results recorded immediately after harvesting in 2020.
“Penny Sharpe and Chris Minns have got it wrong. They’ve not only shut down an industry that has sustainably managed our forests for generations, but they have also refused to listen to the highest quality scientific evidence we have available,” Mr Kemp said
“Politics has been prioritised as they forge ahead with plans to shut down the forests – all to appease a handful of city-based activists for an election promise.”
“Governments commission the experts, spend taxpayer money on a study, they get the evidence, and now the Minns Labor Government is pretending it doesn’t exist because it didn’t fit their political agenda.”
Mr Kemp said the Natural Resources Commission report analysed six study sites, three in State Forests and three in National Parks, using acoustic monitoring to estimate koala density based on bellowing activity.
Some of the study’s key findings include significant declines in koala density in National Parks sites were attributed largely to fire, not harvesting and there was no significant change in koala density three years after selective harvesting in State Forests.
“It is well known that koalas prefer multi-stage canopies, which reduces susceptibility to catastrophic fire by managing the understory of growth, providing fresh shoots, and a variety of habitats,” Mr Kemp said.
“How can locking up 176,000 hectares of productive forest, which will undoubtedly increase the fire risk, possibly protect koala numbers? The Government’s own study shows koalas are not just surviving, but they are thriving in managed forests.”
“We have high-quality environmental evidence that the Minns Labor Government is ignoring for votes. Managed forests have better-maintained road networks and regulated selective clearing practices, which result in a healthier canopy foliage that koalas love.”
“Hundreds of hardworking families’ livelihoods have been destroyed because this Government cares more about election promises and city votes, than protecting the koala and our environment.”