Tensions are escalating in state forests near Bellingen, where a protesters’ camp is locked in a standoff with a heavy police presence
Tensions are escalating in state forests near Bellingen, where a protesters’ camp is locked in a standoff with a heavy police presence
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The New South Wales government has been accused of stalling on a promise to create a national park to protect koalas as tension mounts over logging in the state’s northern forests.
Hundreds rallied in nearby Coffs Harbour on Friday to demand the state government cease logging in areas intended to form part of the promised national park.
The government made one single promise – it was going to create the great koala national park – and now it’s gutting it,” said Mark Graham, a longtime forests advocate from the region.
Speaking to Guardian Australia, Higginson drew a parallel between what was occurring on the mid-north coast and the dispute between the government and the NSW Teachers Federation over wages, describing both as a “breach of trust”.
“Anyone interested to see how Australia treats the endangered koala need look no further than Newry state forest,” the chief executive of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Jacqui Mumford, said.
Concerns are also held for other areas, including nearby Oakes state forest where logging is due to commence soon and which is a stronghold for threatened species.
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