The Berejiklian government will buy pockets of private land in the Southern Highlands, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie, and far north-east NSW under plans to preserve key koala habitats.
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NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton spruiked the move as part of the government's $45 million koala strategy - "the biggest commitment by any state" to protect the "iconic" animals.
“Essentially, if you own good-quality, occupied koala habitat that meets the criteria, the NSW government is a willing buyer,” she said.
The government said in May that it intended to spend $20 million from the NSW Environmental Trust to buy koala habitat for national parks through its private land purchase program.
Ms Upton said the government was seeking expressions of interest from landholders across the four regions to boost "the number of koala habitat corridors and linkages across the landscape".
"More than 24,000 hectares of unproductive state forest is being set aside for koalas, but we also want to expand this by buying up suitable land across the state," Ms Upton said.
The opening of expressions of interest for the program follows criticism levelled at the government for setting aside land for koala habitat that offered no added protection for the animals.
Ms Upton said the four regions identified would be the government's "particular focus" initially, but expressions of interest from landholders in other suitable locations would also be assessed.
Some of the areas the government will consider are near or adjoining existing state conservation areas, national parks and nature reserves.
North East Forest Alliance spokesman Dailan Pugh said sections of private land adjacent to national parks and reserves in those areas were important but didn't necessarily contain koala habitats.
"They're all important areas, it depends on the areas they select within that and how they choose them.
"I support the inclusion of private lands in the reserve system. But they should be starting on public land."
His views were echoed by Labor environment spokeswoman Penny Sharpe, who said: "The koala crisis in NSW is urgent".
She said the purchase of private land was "a small step but not nearly enough to save koalas from extinction in NSW".
“The government has sat on its hands and allowed land-clearing laws to decimate koala habitat, while failing to add core koala habitat from public land into the National Parks Estate.”
Ms Upton said properties must have a present koala habitat, evidence of use by koalas and a good connection to surrounding native vegetation, to be considered for purchase.
The site must also be suitable for inclusion in the national parks system and the habitat's reservation must improve management of threats to koala populations.
The government first allocated $10 million to buy private land for koala reserves in 2016.
It has since bought just two properties in Goulburn and Tweed Valley, totalling 445 hectares.
Labor has vowed to create a koala national park near Campbelltown, to protect the area's disease-free koala colony from major residential development, if elected in next year's state poll.
