Latest news with #PennySharpe
ABC News
20 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Land acquired for Georges River Koala National Park to protect south-west Sydney colony
The New South Wales government has acquired land to deliver a long-awaited national park to protect the state's only chlamydia-free koala colony in south-west Sydney. NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe announced on Wednesday that nearly 1,000 hectares of public land had been acquired between Long Point in Campbelltown and Appin in the Wollondilly Shire to establish the new Georges River Koala National Park, or Warranmadhaa. The $48.2 million national park will form a protected wildlife corridor between the two regions. In 2018, the Australia Labor Party initially promised a 4,000-hectare koala park along the Georges River if it won the election. However, a 2023 election promise from the Minns Labor government said it would create a 1,800-hectare protected corridor for koalas in the region, one of Sydney's fastest-growing housing areas. The national park forms part of the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan which aims to protect wildlife and habitat impacted by the planned delivery of more than 73,000 homes across four growth areas in Sydney's south and west. Ms Sharpe said the park will be expanded to cover 1,800 hectares in time, and is one of several strategies included in the government's conservation plans for the colony. "It's also about the construction of infrastructure, whether it's underpasses and fencing, and looking for opportunities to do other connections," she said. Saul Deane from the Total Environment Centre, a not-for-profit conservation group, said the park has been highly anticipated but should have been delivered much sooner. He said housing developments have already fragmented the endangered species' habitat. "This needed to come first before development even started to occur in this area," he said. "Fragmentation that is occurring across this area is already creating koala kills across roads and places we haven't seen before. "Unfortunately, we keep seeing koala protections dragged into the background." Koalas are endangered in multiple states and territories with habitat fragmentation considered a key threat to the iconic species. A 2023 report by the Sydney Basin Koala Network and the Total Environment Centre using research conducted by Biolink's ecological consultants revealed an overall decrease in long-standing koala breeding populations between 2021 and 2023. It also revealed the geographical extent of the koala population in Sydney declined by 35,857 hectares during that time. "While this national park is huge for George's River it doesn't address koala conservation on the Nepean River and the need to secure the connection between the two," Mr Deane said. Member for Campbelltown, Deputy Premier Greg Warren, has been a long-time advocate of a national park for koalas in the area and said he welcomed it as a strong step towards conservation. "It's an exciting time and an exciting step, but we know we can't take our foot off the accelerator when it comes to prioritising environmental conservation and habitat conservation," Mr Warren said. "I want to see as much national park as we possibly can."
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Will a new national park protect Sydney's chlamydia-free koalas?
A promised national park along the Georges River has been created to protect koalas in south-west Sydney, as the state pushes ahead with the construction of 73,000 homes on the Cumberland Plain where a healthy koala population is located. The park, Warranmadhaa or Georges River Koala National Park, will safeguard an important north-south koala corridor between Campbelltown and the Southern Highlands, but environmentalists warn that crucial east-west habitat connectivity between the Georges and Nepean rivers is lacking. Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said in a statement on Wednesday that the government had committed $48.2 million to establish and manage the park, which she said was 'one of the most important in the state for koala conservation'. The plans for the park were announced in 2023 as part of the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan to allow urban development in the region. Planning Minister Paul Scully said in a statement on Wednesday: 'This is a strategic approach which aims to balance urban development with the protection of important biodiversity including threatened plants and animals.' The park covers 962 hectares, from Long Point to Appin, and the government plans to grow the park with land transfers to protect up to 1830 hectares of habitat, which the government said was a priority but would take time. Stephanie Carrick, manager of the Sydney Basin Koala Network, welcomed the government gazetting the existing state-owned parkland as national park, but pointed out that half was still in private ownership. 'The thing that we're concerned about is a lot of the properties in the footprint that haven't been gazetted are actually trading on the open market, so we're not sure when they'll ever be part of the national park,' she said.
The Age
a day ago
- General
- The Age
Will a new national park protect Sydney's chlamydia-free koalas?
A promised national park along the Georges River has been created to protect koalas in south-west Sydney, as the state pushes ahead with the construction of 73,000 homes on the Cumberland Plain where a healthy koala population is located. The park, Warranmadhaa or Georges River Koala National Park, will safeguard an important north-south koala corridor between Campbelltown and the Southern Highlands, but environmentalists warn that crucial east-west habitat connectivity between the Georges and Nepean rivers is lacking. Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said in a statement on Wednesday that the government had committed $48.2 million to establish and manage the park, which she said was 'one of the most important in the state for koala conservation'. The plans for the park were announced in 2023 as part of the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan to allow urban development in the region. Planning Minister Paul Scully said in a statement on Wednesday: 'This is a strategic approach which aims to balance urban development with the protection of important biodiversity including threatened plants and animals.' The park covers 962 hectares, from Long Point to Appin, and the government plans to grow the park with land transfers to protect up to 1830 hectares of habitat, which the government said was a priority but would take time. Stephanie Carrick, manager of the Sydney Basin Koala Network, welcomed the government gazetting the existing state-owned parkland as national park, but pointed out that half was still in private ownership. 'The thing that we're concerned about is a lot of the properties in the footprint that haven't been gazetted are actually trading on the open market, so we're not sure when they'll ever be part of the national park,' she said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
New $48 million national park announced to save iconic Aussie animals
A new $48-million national park will be created less than an hour from Australia's biggest city. The Warranmadhaa National Park was announced on Wednesday by the NSW government, with its primary function to try and protect an important population of koalas that is threatened with extinction. Located in Sydney's southwest, the newly gazetted park will cover 962 hectares of land along the Georges River between Long Point and Appin. It's relatively small compared to the nearby Royal National Park, which is over 15,000 hectares, but it will play a vital role in connecting increasingly fragmented habitat between Campbelltown and the Southern Highlands. NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said she expected the park would almost double in size and become an important place where visitors can see them in the wild. Attempts are being made to acquire new land that would see it eventually grow to 1,830 hectares. 'This new national park is one of the most important in the state for koala conservation, protecting almost 1,000 hectares of vital koala habitat in southwest Sydney and delivering on our promise to safeguard this iconic species,' she said. '$48.2 million has been committed to establish and manage this park, ensuring long-term protection for southwest Sydney's koalas.' Koalas face serious threats in NSW According to a NSW parliamentary inquiry, koalas are on track to be extinct in the wild across the state in just 25 years. And the 2024 NSW biodiversity outlook report warned more than 50 per cent of threatened species in the state would be wiped out in a century. Around 60,000 koalas were impacted by the 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires and populations in NSW, ACT and Queensland are now listed as endangered. The Minns Labor Government had committed to several measures to try and prevent their extinction in the wild. One key koala protection measure was creating the Warranmadhaa National Park under the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan, which is designed to protect key areas of habitat while creating 73,000 new homes in Sydney's southwest. Koalas in the region are considered important because they are the only known population without chlamydia, a disease that causes infertility, blindness and death. The government has also committed to creating a Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast, which could be up to 315,000 hectares. When this park will be announced remains a tightly guarded secret. What does Warranmadhaa mean? The name Warranmadhaa was chosen after consultation with the Traditional Custodians, the Tharawal Local Aboriginal Land Council and the local Aboriginal community. It is an Indigenous word for the landscape in the southern areas of the reserve. Incredible discovery at market after common fish purchase Wild photo shows hidden danger in mud Amazing footage shows native 1kg predator killing rats NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service will now begin consultation with the community about access and use. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘Do it immediately': Ray Hadley lashes out at shark net madness
Premier Chris Minns must act now to stop the removal of shark nets from Sydney beaches ahead of the summer season, starting September 1. Three councils, Waverley, Northern Beaches and Central Coast, have been given the option to trial one beach each without a shark net. The Greens are being blamed, but Central Coast Mayor Lawrie McKinna says he was not involved in the decision: 'That decision was taken by the administrator. We don't want to remove shark nets from our beaches'. He said people travelled to the area specifically because of the safety of its beaches. So who is playing Russian roulette with swimmers and surfers? According to McKinna, it's the Minns Labor government - and particularly the left faction led by Upper House MP Penny Sharpe. Chris Minns, with a stroke of the pen, you can stop this. You can say: 'No, the nets are staying'. If there is a shark attack on one of these beaches next summer after the nets are removed, the blame will fall squarely on your shoulders. Pick up the pen. Do it. You must act immediately.
