Government must help Koalas suffering severe dehydration from Busbys Flat fire

MEDIA RELEASE - 1 November 2019

NEFA is again requesting that the NSW Government provide urgent assistance for surviving Koalas affected by the Busby's Flat fire in light of its findings that many of the survivors are suffering severe dehydration and unlikely to survive without help.

It is now over 3 weeks since the Busby's Flat fire burnt out an extensive Koala population on the Richmond River lowlands identified of regional significance, yet the NSW Government refuses to provide Koalas with urgently needed assistance, NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said. 

Koala killed by the Rappville fire in Carwong State Forest October 2019

Koala Inquiry call for Koala Rescue Welcomed

MEDIA RELEASE - 20 October 2019

The North East Forest Alliance has welcomed the urgent request by the Legislative Council’s Koala Inquiry to the NSW Premier to allow Koala carers into Braemer, Carwong and Royal Camp State Forests to rescue koalas that have survived the fires.

Though the scale of the problem, and the Government's refusal to do anything to rescue Koalas for the past 12 days. demands Government assistance, according to NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

Extent of Busby's Creek Fire 19 October, with Koala records

This koala was spotted just 10 metres from a rally we held at Braemar -
in the middle of the area threatened by logging.

The North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) travelled out to Braemar State Forest in July 2019 to survey and protect koala habitat under logging rules that meant areas significant koala use would need to be protected. What we discovered blew us away with an exceptional population of an estimated 60+ koalas at risk of logging. Scat searches indicate there are over 100ha of Koala High Use areas – unprecedented in State Forests.

What we found was so compelling that we returned multiple times and completed four different audits of koala evidence in the area.

When we submitted this data to Forestry Corporation of NSW they simply announced they would be logging Braemar State Forest under the new logging rules meaning no koala habitat will be protected. We have estimated that homes of over 60 koalas will be decimated if this logging were to go ahead - unthinkable while local koala populations have halved in just 20 years. (source)

With logging due to commence, we are turning to the community to come together in support of Braemar's koalas.

We can stop this devastation, but we need your help.

Take the pledge below to stand up for Braemar's koalas.

A hundred people rallied on Sunday 15th September to protect Braemar - Photo David Lowe

Right to Farm bill a covert means of criminalising forest protests

MEDIA RELEASE - 25 September 2019

The North East Forest Alliance has slammed the Right to Farm Bill 2019 now before the NSW parliament as a covert attack on the rights to peacefully protest or even audit forestry operations on public lands.

Following NEFA's finding last  Sunday of an exceptional Koala population in Braemar State Forest, south of Casino, NEFA is calling on the Premier to intervene to ensure that the required thorough searches for Koalas are undertaken and all Koala High Use Areas protected.

Koala scats were found under 42 trees in a 3ha area of Braemar State Forest marked up for logging, 81 Koala scats were found under this single tree where none had been found by the Forestry Corporation.