Most of rural NSW is exempt from this SEPP, but the state government has said core rural zones would fall under new codes that protect koala habitat under the Local Land Services Act , expected to be developed over the next month. Mr Hetherington said if the codes for rural areas are similar to those for native forestry, there would be little oversight. Our concern is that s how private native forestry has been managed over time, he said. So what you re relying on is the landholder to make the call themselves, where everybody else who wants to do a development has to engage an ecologist ⦠to come and make a professional assessment.