[6] In January 2021, the Department of Conservation expressed concerns about the scale of illegal dumping of rubbish in the Coromandel Forest Park, including in waterways.

[7] Drone photography taken in June 2021 indicated possums were causing "top down" collapse in the Papakai block of the forest, while pest control was protecting native rātā trees in other parts of the park.

[10] It found gold and silver in the area in February 2019,[11] and formally applied for a mining permit in May 2019.

[12] An anti-mining group, Coromandel Watchdog, claims the area should be protected from gold mining because the bush has high ecological value, priority ecosystems, threatened species and the headwater of a major catchment.

[13] Former MP Catherine Delahunty has been involved in protests against mining Coromandel Forest Park.