Support NEFA's Work

The North East Forest Alliance is a volunteer organisation, none of us get paid. We have been working since 1989 to protect rainforest, oldgrowth forest, wilderness and threatened species in north-east NSW, Australia. Donations we receive go directly to cover costs, such as employing experts to undertake surveys for threatened species and legal challenges. Our goal is to stop the logging of public native forests. Recently we have been focusing on legal action to create change for the multitude of increasingly threatened species. It is clear the State and Commonwealth ALP Governments will not undertake needed reform unless forced to.

Use the DONATE button if you can help NEFA continue our work undertaking surveys, pursuing State and Federal governments through the courts, and achieving meaningful protection for threatened species.

TWO QUICK SUBMISSIONS URGENTLY NEEDED

Submission 1

Make the case for the North East Forest Parks (see below for info on this proposal)

Make a submission before midnight on October 12th

The North East Forest Parks won’t happen by themselves. We need people to make the case for them.

Right now, there is an important opportunity to do just that.

The NSW Government is seeking public input into its National Parks Establishment Plan, which will help guide future additions to the national park estate.

NEFA is asking people to make a submission calling on the Government to assess the proposed North East Forest Parks as a priority.

More than three decades ago, governments promised to establish a Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative (CAR) reserve system for Australia’s forests.

As the story above shows, that job was never finished.

This is an opportunity to finish it.

Australia has now committed under the Global Biodiversity Framework to conserve 30% of our land by 2030. But reaching that target should not simply be a matter of achieving a percentage on a map. We need to protect the right places the areas of greatest importance for biodiversity, threatened species, functioning ecosystems, connectivity and resilience to climate change.

The proposed North East Forest Parks provide an exceptional opportunity to do that.

They encompass 573,568 hectares of public native forests which, if protected, would help create a connected reserve system of around 2.2 million hectares — approximately 29% of north-east NSW.

What could you say in your submission?

You don’t need to write a long or complicated submission. Tell the Government why these forests matter to you and ask that the North East Forest Parks be assessed as a priority under the National Parks Establishment Plan.

You might also ask the Government to ensure future additions to the reserve system prioritise:

Representation of our ecosystems: protect at least 30% of each IBRA region and subregion and at least 30% of the original extent of each Plant Community Type, while representing the full range of biological variation within them.
Our most important remaining forests: give maximum protection to endangered, rare and high-biodiversity ecosystems, including rainforest, wetlands, wet sclerophyll forests and old-growth forests.
Threatened species: protect large areas of core and high-quality habitat, particularly for species at greatest risk of extinction, as well as habitat for endemic, narrowly distributed and migratory species.
Ecological integrity: protect areas of high species richness and diversity and landscapes capable of maintaining viable populations of native species and the ecological processes and ecosystem services upon which they depend.
Climate refugia and connectivity: protect current and future climate refugia and establish broad habitat corridors linking existing reserves and remnants, allowing wildlife to move across the landscape and respond to climate change.
Water: protect catchments that provide clean water for downstream communities, rivers, wetlands and aquatic ecosystems.
Cultural values: recognise and protect places of cultural significance, particularly those of importance to Aboriginal peoples.
Recreation and community value: protect forests with high recreational value and the potential to contribute to nature-based tourism and regional communities.

This is not simply about adding hectares to the reserve system.

It is about protecting the right hectares — the forests most important for biodiversity, threatened species, connectivity, water, climate resilience and ecological integrity.

And these are public forests. They belong to all of us.

Please make your voice heard. Ask the NSW Government to assess the North East Forest Parks as a priority for protection. Make your submission here before October 12th.

Submission 2

Have your say on the future of NSW forests

Make a submission by October 16

The rules governing native forest logging in NSW are about to undergo an important test — and you can have a say in what gets examined.

The Australian and NSW governments are developing a new Strategic Assessment of forestry across NSW. It will cover public native forests, private native forestry and plantations, and examine how forestry affects nationally protected wildlife, forests, wetlands and other environmental values with the intent to approve logging for another 20 years.

Right now, the NSW Government is asking for public comment on the draft Terms of Reference — essentially, the instructions that will determine what the Strategic Assessment investigates.

Submissions close 16 October 2026.

Why does this matter?

The Strategic Assessment will help determine the future of forestry in NSW for decades. It needs to begin with a comprehensive assessment of the environmental values of our forests and identify the places that must be protected to conserve nationally threatened species, ecological communities and other Matters of National Environmental Significance.

Before asking how logging should occur, it should first ask:

Where should logging not occur?

High-conservation-value forests, threatened ecological communities, critical habitat, important wildlife corridors and areas needed for the recovery of threatened species should be identified and protected first.

The big question is, should we go on logging our public native forests?

NEFA is requesting that people tell the NRC and governments that to improve the long-term protection and conservation of nationally threatened species and ecosystems, and honour their commitment to protect 30% of our highest biodiversity lands, they need to implement the North East Forest Alliance’s plan for the North East Forest Parks.

What should the Strategic Assessment examine?

You don't need to address everything. Choose one or two of these issues that matter to you and explain why.

Protect the most important forests first. Identify and protect high-biodiversity-value forests, threatened ecological communities, critical habitat, climate refugia, important catchments and wildlife corridors before deciding where forestry can continue.
Support the North East Forest Parks. The assessment should consider NEFA's proposal to permanently protect important public native forests across north-east NSW.
Look at the whole landscape. Assess the cumulative effects of forestry together with previous logging and clearing, habitat fragmentation, fire, weeds, disease, Bell Miner Associated Dieback, and climate change — rather than considering individual logging operations in isolation.
Find out what's actually there. Existing records are not enough, particularly for private lands. They need to undertake pre-logging surveys to identify the boundaries of Threatened Ecological Communities and localities of all species requiring prescriptions.
Make sure protections actually work. Environmental prescriptions must be monitored to assess their effectiveness by undertaking post-logging surveys, and applying the findings to upgrade prescriptions to improve their effectiveness
Identify and protect corridors to link habitat. Wildlife needs viable populations, healthy habitat and connections across the landscape, particularly as species respond to climate change.

Not sure what to write?

Keep it simple. You don't need to be an expert or address every issue. Choose one or two points above, put them in your own words and say why they matter to you.

For example:

I am writing to comment on the draft Terms of Reference for the NSW Forestry Strategic Assessment.

I want the Strategic Assessment to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of the environmental values of NSW forests and identify the areas that need to be protected to conserve threatened species, important habitat, ecological connectivity and other nationally significant environmental values.

The assessment should first identify where logging should not occur, including core and high-quality habitat for threatened species, threatened ecological communities, rainforest, old-growth forest, stream buffers, important wildlife corridors and climate and fire refugia. These areas should be identified and protected before decisions are made about how forestry may occur elsewhere.

I support NEFA's North East Forest Parks plan as the most effective way of improving the long-term protection and conservation of the 132 nationally threatened species occurring on State forests, and honouring NSW and Australia’s commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework to protect or conserve 30% of our land and seas by 2030.

Better still, personalise it. Tell them about a forest, species, creek or issue you care about, or choose another point from the list above. A few sentences in your own words can make a worthwhile submission.

Want to say more?

NEFA has prepared a detailed guide for submission points for people who want to make a more comprehensive submission. It includes additional information on the reserve system, threatened species and ecological communities, wildlife corridors, waterways, climate change, monitoring, recovery plans, Private Native Forestry and plantations.

Please make a submission here or write what you think and email it to [email protected]

Don't leave it to somebody else

Public comment closes at 11.59 pm on Friday 16 October 2026.

The decisions being made now will determine what the Strategic Assessment is required to investigate.

This is our opportunity to make sure it asks the right questions.

SEE THIS SLIDESHOW OF WHY IT'S TIME TO STOP THE LOGGING

A PLAN TO END LOGGING OF PUBLIC FORESTS AND CREATE THE NORTH EAST FOREST PARKS

NEFA is preparing a plan to create the 573,568 ha North East Forest Parks, comprising all native forests on State Forests north from the Hunter River to the Queensland border, providing safe havens for 241 species threatened with extinction. We want to build on the success of the Great Koala National Park and extend it to the north and south to create a 2.2 million ha world-class reserve system over one of the world’s centres of biodiversity. We will finalise the report shortly, here is a summary.

The North East Forest Parks are comprised of 17 groups of forests, including the Richmond River Koala Parks. We are hoping people will adopt other areas for similar campaigns, and that we can work together to protect the lot. We don’t have long. We are pushing for a commitment before the March State election, and if we all join in we can achieve it. There will be more on this soon.

USING CARBON CREDITS TO SAVE FORESTS

The Federal Government has adopted the Improved Native Forest Method (INFM) that allows governments to earn carbon credits for 15 years if they end logging of public native forests and protect them for 100 years. The National Party lodged a disallowance motion for the INFM, describing it as a death knell for the native timber industry. The timber industry, along with some conservation groups, called on the Greens to support the disallowance. After a divisive, and at times nasty, debate within the environment movement, the majority of the Greens did not support the disallowance.

Now the NSW Government is going to proceed with creating the Great Koala National Park, an historic decision to protect 176,000 ha of habitat for Koalas, Greater Gliders and 100 other threatened species in one of our most important climate refugia. They are registering the park as a carbon project and hope to earn over $300 million over the first 15 years from carbon credits, enabling major environmental rehabilitation.

More significantly, the INFM creates a funded pathway to protect the other 573,568 ha of native forests on State Forests in north-east NSW (north from the Hunter River), providing an alternative to locking in logging by extending Wood Supply Agreements for another decade. Now our challenge is to convince the NSW Government to take this path to end logging and commence the needed environmental repair.

If you want information about INFM our earlier post is here. Also see here for earlier posts on the Great Koala National Park.

FUTURE OF FORESTS AT THE CROSSROADS

The loggers are asking for their Wood Supply Agreements (WSAs), which are due to expire in 2028, to be extended indefinitely (or for at least 10 years). They want to lock in logging to forestall any attempts to protect more forests. They argue that conservationists are getting the Great Koala National Park so they want guarantees to be able to log the rest. The choice for the NSW Government is either to protect pubic native forests or lock in their logging. So please take time to lobby the politicians (see below) and spread the message. Here is a poster you can print out in colour or black and white and spread around.

PROGRESS ON CLEARING WOODLANDS FOR ELECTRICITY

For the past 6 years, NEFA, and other groups, have been battling proposals by Verdant Earth to restart a closed coal power plant at Redbank (near Singleton) by burning 850,000 tonnes of wood per annum. This would emit 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 per annum at the plant, and much more in obtaining and processing the timber, yet they claim there are no CO2 emissions at the plant because it is "renewable" energy. Originally they wanted to obtain the timber from logging operations in native forests, though then swapped to getting most of their timber from landclearing near Cobar in central NSW. We were relieved when on 15 September 2025, the Independent Planning Commission announced they had refused Verdant Earth's latest proposal because it would require a major increase in landclearing. Though Verdant Earth are now appealing the decision. NEFA presented as an objector at the conciliation conference on 20 February 2026 and again on 17 July in the Land and Environment Court, Sydney. EDO are representing NCC in supporting the Independent Planning Commission in fighting the appeal (see NEFA Submission to the IPC on Redbank Power Station).

PROTECTING NORTH EAST NSW FOR 30by30

In recognition of the world’s rapidly worsening biodiversity crisis, Commonwealth and State Governments have committed to the Global Biodiversity Framework target to protect 30% of Australia by 2030. In accordance with the National Roadmap for achieving 30by30 the governments have released maps showing priority areas for protection, identifying State Forests in north-east NSW as amongst the highest priorities in Australia for areas with exceptional biodiversity and ecosystem values and relatively low levels of protection. In addition to the Great Koala National Park, there are 580,000 ha of native State Forests in north-east NSW identified as priorities for protection, which would increase overall reservation of north-east NSW to 29.1%. Because it is public land, protecting State Forests in north-east NSW is an achievable outcome if there is the political will. It is up to the community to request their local politicians act. See Stopping logging of north-east NSW for 30by30.

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As the next step, NEFA have started a campaign for 56,200 hectares of public native forests in the southern Richmond River valley and on Richmond Range (south of the Bruxner Highway) to be created as the Richmond River Koala Parks. This is largest stronghold of koalas in the Richmond catchment, a genetically different population from that found in the Great Koala National Park (see below). Protecting these forests will also help over 130 other threatened species and improve the health of the Richmond River.

For a summary of the proposal see Richmond River Koala Parks

To join the campaign contact [email protected]

For further information visit the website

NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO CONVINCE THE NSW GOVERNMENT TO

STOP LOGGING PUBLIC NATIVE FORESTS

Now that there is a funded pathway to protect all public native forests there is no excuse not to protect them. It is important that we take the opportunity to make representations to the Premier and key ministers, and it is also worth lobbying your local member. If your local member is from the ALP please ask to meet them.

So please take the time to add your voice to ours. A quick email will do.

See: Why logging of public native forests needs to stop. Also see our briefing note on Wood Supply Agreements.

Also see: NE FA Submission to the Independent Forestry Panel and Stopping logging of north-east NSW for 30by30

If you want to make your views known:

Contact Premier Chris Minns through his website: www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/premier-of-nsw/contact-premier

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe: [email protected]

Forestry Minister Tara Moriarty: [email protected]

Briefing Note: Save Koalas' Homes Briefing Note: Save Gliders' Homes

For detailed information of the travesty of Kola conservation in NSW see: NEFA's submission to NSW Koala Strategy

A victim of the 2019/20 wildfires, they are now logging the homes of the survivors

We have a hard fight ahead of us to stop logging of public native forests, though we now have hope that with your help we can get there.

Here are some resources you can use:

We have edited the fantastic, and sadly still relevant Endangered Species Roadshow film - On the Brink, with cameos from world-renowned scientists David Attenborough, David Suzuki and David Bellamy and voice overs by Jack Thompson and Olivia Newton-John. You can watch it here.

Award-winning filmmaker David Bradbury has made this moving film, Gondwana, Going, Going...Gone? Featuring clips and interviews from some of the recent forest actions from across our region. You can watch it here.

Politicians and industry often make extraordinary claims about the significance and impact of logging. We have prepared responses to Frequently Asked Questions you can read here.

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