A Guymbaynggirr Elder has been left “heartbroken” by a decision to trade forests within the proposed Great Koala National Park (GKNP) for carbon credits.
Aunty Alison Buchanan said the government’s plan to protect trees and koalas by trading carbon “goes fundamentally against” Guymbaynggirr traditions and values, while the state government says it is fundamental to the Park’s future.
The background: To fund the development and management of the GKNP, companies will be able to purchase carbon credits from the park to balance out their pollution.
The concept was introduced in late 2025, despite the Labor government promising - with no public mention of carbon trading - to create the park for more than a decade.
The carbon trading scheme - known as the Improved Native Forest Management (IFMN) method - is seen as a long-term solution to reduce the amount of native forest logging across NSW.
Not this way: Buchanan has opposed logging of Mid North Coast forests for many years, and is an ardent supporter of the GKNP.
However, she wants the forests protected “unconditionally, and without compromise”.
“The state government has a direct duty to halt logging, safeguard all forests, and trees on Gumbaynggirr country … simply because it is the right thing to do,” she told the Mid North Coaster.
“Country is sacred, and its protection must be absolute, not tied to corporate or industrial interests, regardless of which sector buys the credits.”
Buchanan warns the INFM creates a “dangerous precedent where conservation is treated as a financial transaction rather than a moral and ecological imperative”.
Indigenous perspective: First Nations voices have played a key role in the development of the GKNP, with the development of an “Aboriginal Advisory Panel" in late 2023.
According to a spokesperson for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), the panel aimed to “ensure the perspective, cultural knowledge and aspirations of the Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti peoples were represented throughout the GKNP assessment process”.
The panel - selected by the state government and NPWS - includes a range of Aboriginal organisations, land councils, and community representatives including Elders.
No invite: A well-respected local Elder, Buchanan claims she was never invited to attend panel meetings.
She believes the panel prioritised the organisations who will likely work within the park once it is created, such as land councils and native title groups.
The state government has stated it intends to work closely with local Aboriginal organisations to manage the GKNP into the future.
How will organisations benefit?: Fifteen percent of new jobs within the GKNP will be set aside for Aboriginal workers, while a formal partnership will be created between government and Aboriginal organisations to guide management of the park.
Aboriginal-run organisations are also expected to offer recreational opportunities and nature-based visitor experiences within the park.
When was carbon introduced?: The plan to utilise the INFM was officially announced in September 2025, however the NPWS said the panel has been involved in developing it since December 2023.
Support for method: Some members of the Aboriginal Advisory Panel signed a letter in support of the INFM method, which was shared with senators who would later vote on its approval.
One Elder and panel attendee - who wishes to remain anonymous - said she felt pressured to sign the letter at short notice, despite not fully understanding the method or its implications.
Not the focus: Cathy Thomas was invited to join panel meetings in her former role as CEO of the Dorrigo Plateau Aboriginal Land Council.
She “vaguely remembers” carbon credits being mentioned, but said the topic wasn’t central to panel discussions.
“At the time we were more interested in dealing with what they were finding out about vegetation, about what the populations of the gliders and the koalas were,” Thomas told the Mid North Coaster.
“The financial side of it … wasn't really discussed except at a very peripheral level.
“And so I think the Elders are quite correct in saying that they've not really been involved in that decision making.”
Why the support: However, Thomas said she understands why Indigenous organisations are supportive of the INFM method.
“In the future most of our national parks are looking at being managed by the Indigenous community because of their connection to Country,” she said.
“If forest management is to be handed over, [forests] need to be funded in a way that makes them sustainable and that doesn't put the onus back on to Indigenous communities to do something with nothing."
Not talking: The Mid North Coaster spoke to a number of Elders and panel members who wished to remain anonymous.
A manager at one Aboriginal corporation said panel members have been instructed not to talk to the media on the issue.
This claim was put to the NPWS and the office of environment minister Penny Sharpe, however no response to the question was received prior to publication.
What’s next: The state government says the creation of the park is dependent on the INFM method being used to fund it. Without it, the park looks unlikely to proceed.
The state government has so far committed $140 million to establish it. Environment minister Penny Sharpe said in July that any carbon credit revenue from the park would “help to fund ongoing land management” of it.
How much revenue the credits make will depend on the price set for them.
Long-term plan: Logging will be banned within the GKNP footprint, protecting an estimated 12,000 koalas and around 100 other threatened species.
Supporters of the INFM method believe it provides a pathway towards phasing out native forest logging entirely across the country, and the development of additional large-scale national parks for conservation.
Image credit: Brian Mahony.