29 October, 2015
Looming crown lands reform threatens our natural areas
The NSW Government’s Crown land management reform package announced today risks putting important remnant vegetation and biodiversity at risk, according to the Nature Conservation Council of NSW. [1]
Minister for Lands and Water Niall Blair today announced the government would adopt many of the changes flagged in last year’s Crown Lands White Paper, including:
- Scrapping the Crown Lands Act 1989 and related laws, and replacing it with new legislation
- Selling potentially thousands of hectares of Western Lands grazing leases
- Transferring thousands of hectares from state to local council ownership
- Watering down strict biodiversity conservation objectives that Crown lands are currently managed under
“These are substantial changes that could result in large parcels of land being handed to other agencies or privatized,” NCC CEO Kate Smolski said.
“The Crown Lands Act has strong environmental protection provisions, and we have no confidence that the government will maintain those same high standards in the new Act. [See extract below]
“Transferring Crown lands to local council means those lands will be managed under the Local Government Act, which has weaker environmental provisions."
Ms Smolski said Crown lands contained some of the last remnants of native vegetation in NSW, especially in the heavily cleared central and western parts of the state.
“These undisturbed parcels provide important habitat corridors that are vital for the long-term survival of many species and should be managed in a way that ensures their environmental values are maintained or improved.
“With 989 plants and animals on the threatened species list in NSW, and land clearing identified as a clear threat, it is critical that the important ecological values that these parcels contain are protected.”
The government’s report today recognises that many submissions to the White Paper were deeply concerned that government’s proposals had failed to recognize the environmental significance of Crown land, but these comments appear to have had little effect on the government’s position.
“New minister Niall Blair has said there will be genuine community consultation, but it appears concerns raised to date have not been addressed,” Ms Smolski said.
[1] http://www.lpma.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/206680/response-to-crown-lands-legislation-white-paper.pdf
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Planning and DevelopmentRivers and wetlandsForests and wildlife
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