NEFA have started a campaign for 56,200 hectares of public native forests in the southern Richmond River valley and on Richmond Range (south of the Bruxner Highway) to be created as the Richmond River Koala Reserves. This is largest stronghold of koalas in the Richmond catchment, a genetically different population from that found in the Great Koala National Park (see below). Protecting these forests will also help over 130 other threatened species and improve the health of the Richmond River.
It is proposed that 56,200 ha of State Forests in the southern catchment of the Richmond River valley and along the southern Richmond Range be created as the Richmond River Koala Parks. These parks will:
- protect the largest area of Koala habitat in the Richmond catchment and habitat of 130 other threatened species,
- help restore the health of the Richmond River by increasing stream flows in dry times and reducing flooding and sediment runoff in wet times, and
- create a regionally important wildlife corridor along the Richmond Range from Bundjalung National Park to the Border Ranges National Park.
These parks encompass 40,000 ha (5.7%) of the Richmond River Catchment, including 37,800 ha (21%) of the Bungawalbin Creek sub-catchment. The proposed parks extend from the floodplain up into the headwaters on the Richmond Range. Forests are an important part of the water cycle, recycling rainfall back into the atmosphere (cooling the land in the process), storing water and releasing surplus water into streams. As the forests recover from past logging the maturing forests will moderate streamflows, increasing baseflows in dry periods and reducing peak flows and flooding in rainfall events.
Protecting these forests will help restore the health of the Richmond River, because:
- Logging creates massive soil disturbance, compacts soils and channels runoff, which increases overland flows, increases erosion, and transports sediments into streams in rainfall events
- When logging there is no protection for drainage lines until they develop well defined beds and banks, below which only token 5m stream buffers are required in catchments under 20ha – this is grossly inadequate protection for the headwater streams that represent 76% of streams on State Forests (experts recommend 30m buffers).
- As forests mature and soils recover they will retain more water in rainfall events and reduce the intensity and frequency of floods
- Regrowth from logging can use 2-3 times the water of old forest, reducing stream flows in dry periods – as forests mature they will store more water and increase stream flows in dry periods.
- By opening the canopy, changing forest structure and increasing water use, logging dries the forests and increases the risk and intensity of wildfires.
Old forests use less water, and store more water, providing baseflows to streams in dry periods. Logging disturbs and compacts soils, increasing runoff of water and sediments into streams in rainfall events, amplifying flooding. Regrowth uses more water, reducing stream flows in dry periods.
NEFA: https://www.nefa.org.au
