New South Wales creates vast koala refuge after 13 years of campaigning. The Great Koala National Park will protect almost 5,000 km² along Australia’s east coast by linking existing reserves with state forests and creating corridors through a landscape fragmented by logging, roads and development. Conservationists say the park should safeguard around 20% of NSW’s wild koalas, plus 66 other threatened animals and 37 threatened plant species.