Conservation groups have welcomed NSW Labor's election promise to create a koala national park in Sydney's south-west.
Public land between Glenfield and Appin will be used for the new Georges River Koala National Park, which Labor says will save local colonies which, unlike other populations in the Sydney basin, are chlamydia-free and thriving.
“Koalas are living right here with us. And the population here is one of the healthiest populations in New South Wales," opposition spokeswoman for the environment Penny Sharpe said in her announcement on Saturday.
"We have to do everything we can to save them."
Koalas in the state are on track to be extinct by 2050, according to a parliamentary committee report, with new figures showing populations have declined by almost a quarter in the past 20 years.
Director of the Total Environment Centre Jeff Angel called the plan a "good move".
"What the ALP policy does is save the koalas in that important area of bushland faster and better," he said.
"And that's important because the government's policy to date has been to wait for several decades before we have a full-scale proper national park."
Mr Angel said the rapid pace of urban development in the Campbelltown area meant immediate action was critical.
"We need to have conservation put in place first, otherwise the longer we wait, the more demands there will be from developers to clear land to make private profit.
"We might need housing in Sydney but we don't need to destroy koala habitat in the process."
Labor's policy will also include the creation of a koala care centre, support for volunteers and establishing protective infrastructure.
It is in addition to previous commitments which include the creation of a Great Koala National Park on the mid-north coast to the tune of $80 million and preserving a number of wildlife corridors.
"South-west Sydney residents are passionate about making sure their children and grandchildren can still see local koalas thriving in the wild," Ms Sharpe said.
"A Georges River National Park will make sure that happens."
The Perrottet government last year released its Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP), with protection finalised by the year 2056 for the protection of more than 11,500 hectares of conservation land.
Minister for Planning Anthony Roberts has said the plan represents a clear vision for Western Sydney with 26 commitments and 131 actions.
"This is one of the largest strategic conservation plans to be undertaken in Australia, setting the standard for streamlining development processes in growth areas, without sacrificing essential conservation considerations," he said.
"The CPCP will provide all the necessary state biodiversity approvals up-front for more than 11,000 hectares of land.
"Having those approvals in place from the get-go for landholders will result in more homes being built faster."
