Stop logging and save koalas

Australia: Ban from today on 176,000 hectares to save marsupials facing extinction

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Australia halted logging in a large stretch of woodland on the country's eastern coast yesterday to create a retreat for koalas and save the local population from extinction.

The New South Wales (NSW) government imposed a ban effective from today on logging across 176,000 hectares of forest on the state's north coast for a Great Koala National Park, hitting six timber mills and about 300 workers.

Without action, it warned that koalas in Australia's most populous state could die off by 2050.

Environmentalists say koala numbers in New South Wales have suffered a dramatic decline in recent decades due to deforestation, drought and bushfires.

"Koalas are at risk of extinction in the wild in NSW – that's unthinkable. The park is about turning that around," said New South Wales premier Chris Minns.