11 March 2019
Greens plan to set the state on the road to ecological recovery
The NSW Greens have laid out a comprehensive plan to reverse the declines in species and ecosystems that has accelerated over the past eight years.
The Protect Nature Policy Initiative [1] the Greens released today proposes an historic investment to protect and enhance nature for future generations.
Key elements of the package include:
- Creation of a $1.5 billion Land and Biodiversity Fund to help end deforestation;
- Policies to phase out logging of public native forests; and
- A $2-billion investment in new national parks and rebuilding the parks service, which has been degraded by years of funding cuts.
“The NSW Greens have laid out a visionary package of conservation measures that would set the state on the road to ecological recovery,” Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski said.
“We welcome the commitment to end native forest logging and significantly expand the national parks system.
“Logging of our public native forests and deforestation through land clearing are major threats to koalas, which are on track to become extinct in most of the state by 2050 if urgent steps are not taken to protect the species’ habitat.
“We must end deforestation and protect prime koala habitat on private land and create koala national parks where the species can thrive if we want our grandchildren to see these beautiful animals in the wild.
“The Berejiklian government happily spends billions building infrastructure projects but has slashed funding for national parks acquisition and maintenance.
“Premier Berejiklian has also legalized a new wave of deforestation that is sweeping across NSW and has resulted in a tripling in the rate of clearing in some parts of the state.
“We urgently need strong environmental protections like those outlined in the Greens’ Protect Nature Policy Initiative and we call on whichever party forms government after March 23 to embrace these policies for the good of nature and communities across the state.”
[1] Protect Nature Policy Initiative
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Forests and wildlifeRivers and wetlands
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