Proposed Koala National Park In Australia To Be Twice The Size Of UK's Lake District

Australia plans to build a koala national park twice the size of the UK’s Lake District.

If successful, Great Koala National Park would theoretically safeguard around 12,000 koalas and 36,000 Greater Gliders, both key species recognized as endangered by the Australian government. The park would also serve as habitat for more than 100 other threatened species in the region.

The proposed Great Koala National Park would combine existing protected areas with nearly 700 square miles of state forest for a total of 1,824 square miles. For context, the Lake District, a much-celebrated national park and the largest of its kind in England, is 912 square miles.

New South Wales (NSW) government officially announced the proposal earlier this year, though it likely won’t finalize the project until at least 2026. The idea itself dates back to at least 2015. The government has pledged Aus $60 million to establish the park, along with $6 million in community and small business support for the region and a “comprehensive” worker support package. It also announced an “immediate temporary moratorium on timber harvesting” within the proposed boundary.

NSF forests ‘among the world’s top biodiversity hotspots’

“The Great Koala National Park has been a dream for more than a decade. It will ensure koalas survive into the future so our grandchildren will still be able to see them in the wild,” said Penny Sharpe, the NSW Minister for the Environment. “These amazing old-growth forests are among the world’s top biodiversity hotspots – home to more than 100 threatened species, including greater gliders, the powerful owl, and yellow-bellied gliders.”

In August, the month before the government made its announcement about the park, Australia’s Environment Protection Authority laid nearly 30 charges against the NSW-owned Forestry Corporation for failing to protect threatened species and breaking biodiversity laws. Environmental groups continue to call for it to be disbanded.

‘Unthinkable’ that koalas are facing extinction in NSW

Photo shows a koala bear in a large gum tree on Kangaroo Island in Australia — Adobe Stock Deforestation and habitat destruction mean that Australia’s koalas are under threat

Kangaroos may be Australia’s official national animal, but the iconic koala bear is also very much associated with the country and its sprawling and diverse ecosystems.

Koalas look like bears, but they are actually large marsupials, making them cousins to possums, wombats, and NSW’s endangered great gliders. Koalas get most of their water from moisture-rich eucalyptus leaves, and have an excellent sense of smell. They live and eat in the treetops, and can sleep or rest for up to 20 hours per day.

According to WWF Australia, koalas are vulnerable due to traffic strikes, dog attacks, diseases, wildfires, and deforestation. There was a notable 40 percent jump in Australian land clearing between 2022 and 2023, and logging reportedly continued within the proposed boundaries of the Great Koala National Park until recently. Since European colonization, humans have destroyed more than half of NSW’s forests and woodlands, and this year saw record-breaking levels of clearing of koala habitat.

“Koalas are at risk of extinction in the wild in NSW – that’s unthinkable. The Great Koala National Park is about turning that around,” said Chris Minns, the Premier of NSW. “We’ve listened carefully and we’re making sure workers, businesses, and communities are supported every step of the way.”