IAVS calls for immediate halt to ongoing logging in the future Great Koala National Park (Australia)

September 8, 2023

The International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS), representing a global community of researchers and practitioners dedicated to advancing the understanding of vegetation and ecosystems, has held its 65th Annual Symposium this week at Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The participants had a chance to experience the unique plant assemblages in this region, including the greatest global diversity of eucalypt forests, temperate and subtropical rainforests. These forests provide habitat for many ancient lineages of flowering plants and songbirds as well as relict animal species, such as koala, rainforest frogs, platypus and echidnas. At the same time, during field visits, conference participants were shocked to see the recent degradation of this biodiversity hotspot by industrial logging, including areas in the proposed Great Koala National Park. The International Association for Vegetation Science praises the local authorities for the ambitious plan to establish the Great Koala National Park, but also calls on them to take immediate conservation measures to halt the destruction by ongoing industrial logging of the remaining ecologically fragile and globally significant biodiversity hotspots in New South Wales.

Press release from NSW government 12 September 2023.

Follow up from The Guardian 12 September 2023.