Australia announces nation's first national park for koalas

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NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia– Australia is taking the step to permanently protect koalas by creating the Great Koala National Park in New South Wales. 

The New South Wales government made the park announcement on Sunday in conjunction with the National Parks Association of NSW. 

"This is an incredible moment for Australia’s National Parks," said NPA NSW President Liz Jeremy. "The culmination of more than a decade of determined advocacy for the future of koalas by local communities and conservationists."

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 11: Mataeo is one of the Koalas in the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, on June 11, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. 

(Steve Christo/Corbis )

The Great Koala National Park will protect nearly 435,000 acres of forest and koala habitat in New South Wales, according to Dr. Douglas of the NPA Coffs Coast Branch. 

"NPA’s vision for the Great Koala National Park was always about more than a change of land title, it was about connecting existing reserves with vulnerable habitats to secure a forest estate of international conservation significance," Douglas said.  "A forest estate large enough to connect escarpment to coast, safeguard entire catchments and give our threatened forest fauna and flora the best possible chance of survival."

Originally proposed in a 2015 report from the National Parks Association to the government, the park won't be enough to guarantee the survival of koalas in New South Wales, Jeremy said.

But, in the decade since the proposal, officials have gotten a much better understanding of the distribution of koalas across New South Wales. 

"The next step is to identify areas outside the park that will need to be managed in ways that allow for the movement and persistence of koalas," Jeremy said. 

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 03:  Koala joey 'Fox'            (  named in honour of Jess and Noemie Fox) and his mother Scarlet are seen  at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo  on September 03, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. 

( Don Arnold/WireImage)

The NPA didn't provide a date set for the opening of the park, or detail what exactly will need to be done to complete the park. 

The organization thanked the government for their support, along with conservation organizations across the country. 

Koalas were listed as "vulnerable to extinction" under the 2016 Biodiversity Conservation Act. 

The animals are iconic around Australia and koala conservation efforts are ongoing to protect the animals from further decline.