AUSTRALIA – The New South Wales (NSW) environmental watchdog has begun five prosecutions against state-owned Forestry Corp for allegedly felling trees in protected areas in northern NSW, drawing praise from conservationists. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) commenced the action in the Land and Environment Court for the timber group’s actions in core koala habitat in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest, near Coffs Harbour in 2018. The EPA lately issued separate stop work action issued in Forestry Corp for similar offences in July this year. North East Forest Alliance spokesman Dailan Pughn said the prosecutions and the stop-work order were the first such actions in northern NSW, and appear to signal a more aggressive stance by the watchdog. “There’s a new team in charge at the EPA and it seems they have finally got some backbone,” Mr Pugh said, adding Forestry Corp doesn’t pay attention to anything short of prosecutions.