The New South Wales Government has announced it will introduce legislation in late 2026 to formally establish the Great Koala National Park, a 476,000-hectare reserve near Coffs Harbour designed to protect the state’s endangered koala population.
The proposed park will connect 176,000 hectares of state forest with existing national parks and reserves. This large-scale conservation effort aims to protect an estimated 12,000 koalas, as well as 66 other threatened animal species such as greater gliders and glossy black cockatoos. Drone surveys conducted between April and July 2024 confirmed these population estimates, which the government says are crucial to preventing the extinction of koalas in the state by 2050.
The project holds deep cultural significance for the Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti peoples. An Aboriginal Advisory Panel is working alongside the National Parks and Wildlife Service to shape the future of the land through joint management arrangements that prioritise traditional knowledge and community employment.
The state government has committed a total of $140 million to the project, with officials estimating an indirect economic boost of over $160 million from tourism over the next two decades. To manage the new reserve, the state plans to hire more than 100 new staff members to handle fire management, ecological restoration, and the control of feral animals and weeds.
Currently, a temporary moratorium on timber harvesting remains in place across the 176,000 hectares of state forest, an action that affects approximately 300 jobs at six regional timber mills. The final establishment of the park is contingent on federal approval of a carbon project under the Improved Native Forest Management Method, which is currently undergoing government assessment. Recent refinements to the park’s boundaries have drawn concerns from some conservation groups, who argue that important habitats in areas such as Pine Creek, Orara West, and Tuckers Nob State Forests may be excluded from the final plan.
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