The North East Forest Alliance says it's outrageous that yesterday the Forestry Corporation began logging the homes of another source koala population in the proposed Richmond River Koala Parks.

The Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has rejected Verdant Earth Technologies’ biomass power plans at Redbank Power Station on the same day the government released the country's first National Climate Risk Assessment which highlighted Australians are at risk from more frequent and severe flooding, cyclones, heatwaves, droughts and bushfires. 

The Richmond River koalas are a genetically different koala population from other populations in NSW and locals are calling for a range of actions to ensure the preservation of this important koala population and improve the health of the Richmond River.

Recent on-ground community checks in the Styx State Forest in Northern NSW reveal that the area has already been logged by Forestry Corporation of NSW prior to legally required surveys being conducted.

Koalas in their largest Richmond catchment stronghold are genetically different from those in the Great Koala National Park. NEFA are calling for the establishment of Richmond River koala reserves.

The NSW Forestry Corporation has retrospectively slashed timber yields by 28 per cent according to the NEFA calling into question the viability of NSW’s native logging forestry industry

The strategy for koala conservation is currently under review and the community is being asked for feedback on the best ways to help NSW’s endangered koalas.

New Year's day saw native forest logging cease in Western Australia and eastern Victoria, however, yesterday Federal Court judge Justice Perry dismissed the historic legal challenge to the agreement that allows logging in north-eastern NSW native forests. 

Logging access was blocked to Clouds Creek State Forest on Monday by local community members who were supported by Greens MP Sue Higginson as they sought to prevent logging road operations and protect endangered species in the forest.

Since July, legal action has stopped the Forestry Corporation logging nationally important koala habitat in Braemar and Myrtle State Forests, south of Casino. However, logging can now resume despite evidence of significant impacts on koalas.