Overview

• Released boundaries would add 176,000 hectares of state forest to link with existing reserves for a 476,000-hectare conservation network.
• A logging moratorium inside the proposed area took effect Monday, affecting six timber mills and an estimated 200–300 jobs.
• Workers and businesses will receive JobKeeper-style payments, with $60 million in new NPWS funding on top of $80 million previously and $6 million for regional tourism.
• Government-commissioned drone surveys identified nearly 12,000 koalas and about 36,000 greater gliders in the forests slated for protection.
• Final gazettal depends on federal registration of a carbon-credit project, and Forestry Corporation retains access to designated plantations.