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Stokes and Liberals cave to Nationals pressure on koalas

The deal struck between the Liberals and the Nationals to minimise koala protections in rural areas will push the species to the brink.

“Excising farming and forestry zones from the koala SEPP is a catastrophic setback for the species,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.

“These are where most of the koalas live and where most koala habitat destruction is happening right now.

“If you remove protections from these areas, you have basically given up on the species and signed its death warrant.”

Recent research shows that logging and land-clearing on forestry and agricultural land accounts for 90% of all koala habitat destruction. [1] 

The new deal between the Liberals and the Nationals puts rural and forestry lands out of reach of the koala SEPP.  

“Planning Minister Rob Stokes’ policy of appeasement has given Nationals Leader John Barilaro everything he wanted,” Mr Gambian said.

“Big agribusiness and property developers will be popping champagne corks tonight.

“This policy makes a mockery of the government's claim it plans to double koala numbers by 2050. This policy will only serve to speed up koala extinction. 

“This is a backroom deal, where once again koalas are the big losers. 

“But the people of NSW will not cop the loss of koalas and destruction of koala habitat. We will fight this measure all the way to polling day if need be.”

References

[1] Logging 62%, land clearing 28%, Development 10% - WWF. WWF-Australia (2020), Another 37 million Australian animals could be lost next decade if the government fails to properly enforce national environment laws.

 


NSW Government must bring Forests NSW to heel

The NSW Government must order NSW Forestry Corporation to abide by post-fire logging rules established by the Environment Protection Authority, then put the corporation under direct government control to ensure forests are managed for the public good.

The Guardian has reported Forestry Corporation will resume logging in bushfire-affected forests despite warnings from the environmental regulator.  [1]

The dispute between the state-owned forestry agency and the EPA has escalated after Forestry Corporation indicated it would not operate under rules set to protect forests on the state’s south coast after the 2019-20 summer fires.

“NSW Forestry Corporation is a rogue organisation that continues to flout environmental laws and trash our public forests,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.

“Forestry Corp keeps being pinged for environmental breeches and refuses to accept the rules the EPA has put in place to protect wildlife, forests, soils and water resources.

“Enough is enough. It’s time the government yanked the corporation’s chain and brought it to heel.

“The NSW Government must take back control of the state’s public forests to ensure they are managed for the benefit of all citizens, not just a handful of large resource companies.

“Giving our forests to a state-owned corporation to manage is a failed experiment that has cost taxpayers millions and degraded a priceless community asset.”

Last year the Environment Protection Authority investigated Forestry Corporation for serious breaches of environmental laws and issued stop-work orders. Instances include:

  • Felling protected giant trees in Wild Cattle Creek SF (ABCEPA release).

  • Damaging four giant 'hollow-bearing trees' and six marked small tallowwood koala feed trees in Wild Cattle Creek SF (North East Forest Alliance Audit).

  • Felling dozens of protected hollow-bearing trees in South Brooman SF (Beagle WeeklyEPA release).

  • Felling protected hollow-bearing trees in Mogo SF (Beagle Weekly).

  • Choosing the most heavily burnt forests to meet retention requirements of wildlife habitat clumps in Myrtle SF (against the protocol which states that priority must be to establish wildlife habitat clumps in unburned areas, North East Forests Alliance Audit).

It was revealed last month that the corporation’s revenue is set to decline $100 million or 25 per cent from next financial year and there would be losses of about $15 million a year from 2022 to 2024. [2]

 

REFERENCES 

[1] Logging to resume in bushfire-affected forests on NSW south coast despite environmental warning, The Guardian, 18-2-21

[2] Forestry Corp facing massive revenue drop after record bushfire season, SMH, 22-1-2021 


NSW Government must take back control of public forests

The NSW Government must take back control of the state’s public forests to ensure they are managed for the benefit of all citizens, not just a handful of large resource companies.

“NSW Forestry Corporation has become a rogue organisation that disregards the law and has trashed thousands of hectares of public forests,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.

“We can now see that giving management of our forests to a state-owned corporation is a failed experiment that has cost taxpayers millions and degraded a priceless community asset.

“In the past 12 months, the Corporation has repeatedly broken environmental laws to meet unsustainable wood supply contracts it should never have signed.

“Today it is revealed the corporation’s revenue is set to decline $100 million or 25 per cent from next financial year and there would be losses of about $15 million a year from 2022 to 2024. [1]

“NSW taxpayers are effectively subsidising the loss of habitat and species in the name of retaining the hardwood timber industry that does not have an economically viable plan for its future. 

“Hardwood timber supply management in public forests should be a direct role for government to ensure that genuine timber supply needs are balanced with the needs of ecosystems and communities.”

Last year the Environment Protection Authority investigated Forestry Corporation for serious breaches of environmental laws and issued stop-work orders. Instances include:

  • Felling protected giant trees in Wild Cattle Creek SF (ABC, EPA release).
  • Damaging four giant 'hollow-bearing trees' and six marked small tallowwood koala feed trees in Wild Cattle Creek SF (North East Forest Alliance Audit).
  • Felling dozens of protected hollow-bearing trees in South Brooman SF (Beagle Weekly, EPA release).
  • Felling protected hollow-bearing trees in Mogo SF (Beagle Weekly).
  • Choosing the most heavily burnt forests to meet retention requirements of wildlife habitat clumps in Myrtle SF (against the protocol which states that priority must be to establish wildlife habitat clumps in unburned areas, North East Forests Alliance Audit).

REFERENCES 

[1] Forestry Corp facing massive revenue drop after record bushfire season, SMH, 22-1-2021 


Government’s response to the koala crisis falls short

The NSW Government’s response [1] to the 42 recommendations of the NSW Parliament’s koala inquiry [2] is woefully inadequate, according to the Nature Conservation Council of NSW. 

“The government’s response is alarmingly relaxed about the looming extinction of an iconic native species,” Nature Conservation Council Acting Chief Executive Jacqui Mumford said.

“There is nothing new in the government’s response, which just rehashes policies that have already patently failed to deliver the protection our koalas need.

“Basically the government response says ‘relax, we’ve got it covered – no need to do more’.

“But koalas are more at risk now than they were late last year because the National Party has torn down the koala SEPP and the obliteration of koala habitat continues.

“Any response that does not stop the destruction of koala habitat for agriculture, logging and urban development falls catastrophically short of what’s required.

“Several studies have warned that koalas will be extinct by 2050 without urgent action - we have a duty to ensure that does not happen.”

An adequate response would include:

  • Implementing a strong, effective koala planning policy 
  • Committing to the creation of the Great Koala National Park proposal
  • Ending native forest logging
  • Ending the clearing of koala habitat for agriculture, urban development 

REFERENCES

[1] Government response.  

[2] Report of the Legislative Council committee on Koala populations and habitat in New South Wales.


Wide consultation is key to koala conservation

The Nature Conservation Council urges the NSW Government to consult widely when drafting its new koala planning policy. 

It has been reported that Environment Minister Matt Kean and Deputy Premier Nationals Leader John Barilaro are working on a new deal to protect koalas that includes paying farmers to conserve koala habitat. [1] 

“We welcome anything and everything that is going enhance protections for koalas,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said. 

“Unfortunately, last time a few players drafted the policy on the back of the envelope without consulting widely and that led to problems.   

“All stakeholders need confidence in a new koala policy, so it is essential that they are all invited to the table: farmers, scientists, local government, conservationists. 

“We are ready to work with everyone, especially the farmers, to find a way forward that is based on the very best science to ensure koalas have a future. 

“To ensure a just and durable outcome, the solution must be tailored for different circumstances. 

“All landscapes are different, region by region, so we need plans that make sense for each region. 

“By adopting a science-based, regional approach with wide consultation we can take the politics out of this issue and get the outcome we all desire – a doubling of koala numbers.” 

References 

[1] https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/cash-for-koalas-nsw-government-considers-paying-farmers-to-preserve-habitat-20201221-p56pc1.html 

  

MEDIA CONTACT: James Tremain | 0419 272 254 


25m clearing code must protect koalas and other threatened species

The code to operationalise the government’s new 25m land clearing law must protect threatened species habitat and be based on science and expert opinion, not political spin.

“The 25m clearing law the government pushed through parliament last month was a reckless piece of legislation that does nothing to protect against bushfires but does pose a significant risk for endangered species,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.

“Neither the NSW Bushfire Inquiry nor the Royal Commission recommend land clearing on property boundaries as a valid response to the Black Summer fires, but politicians in the government thought they knew better.

“Now we are stuck with a bad law that could do tremendous harm to the environment.

“The codes are our last chance to get the balance right. The codes will guide how the law is implemented and can be drafted to ensure threatened species and their habitat are protected.”

It is believed the government may introduce its Rural Boundary Clearing Code before the end of the year.

The Nature Conservation Council has written to key ministers detailing minimum environmental standards the code must meet. The code must:

  • Exclude areas of koala and other threatened species habitat.
  • Exclude bushland of outstanding environmental value.*
  • Apply only to mapped bushfire-prone lands the Rural Fire Service has identified as a serious risk.
  • Exclude areas of Aboriginal and other cultural heritage.*
  • Include a monitoring framework to measure impacts. 

“The code will mean the difference between survival and extinction for koalas and other threatened species in some parts of the state, so it is vital that the government gets this right,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.

* See the Bush Fire Environmental Assessment Code.

REFERENCES

[1] Government split over bushfire land clearing rules, SMH, 11/12/20

 

 

 

 


Battle to save the Pilliga is not over yet

Conservation groups have vowed to continue the campaign to stop the Narrabri gas project despoiling the largest temperate forest in NSW.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley yesterday approved the project that will convert the Pilliga into an industrial gas field.

Nature Conservation Chief Executive Chris Gambian said: “This is a terrible project at a terrible time. It will cause carbon emissions in a world that urgently needs to decarbonise. 

“It will also wreck the rare and precious Pilliga forest and the farms around it. 

“The Federal Government’s approval is short sighted and opportunistic at a time when we desperately need thoughtful leadership.”

Santos proposes to sink 850 coal-seam gas wells in the Pilliga forest and surrounding farmland despite significant environmental risks and more than 20,000 public submissions in opposition to the project.

“The Pilliga is the largest temperate forest we have left in the state and is home to many threatened plants and animals,” Mr Gambian said.

“Turning this priceless wilderness into an industrial gas field will poison groundwater, carve up the forest with roads and pipelines, endanger koalas and other threatened species, and increase the risk of wildfires.

“It will also release millions of tonnes of potent climate pollution during mining and when the gas is finally burned.

“More than 23,000 people have already made submissions opposing this project. It has virtually no public support and we will not rest until it is stopped.

“It is hard to think of a more iconic environmental battle in our times than the campaign to protect the Pilliga.”

 

MEDIA CONTACT: James Tremain | 0419 272 254


Nationals use bushfire response to further weaken land-clearing controls

The NSW Government has used its response to the Black Summer bushfires to sneak through new land-clearing laws that will destroy thousands of hectares of forest and woodland. 

The Bushfires Legislation Amendment Bill that passed the Legislative Council last night with the support of the ALP will allow landholders to clear 25m-wide strips of bush all around their property without independent environmental assessment or approval. 

“The 25m land-clearing rule won’t reduce bushfire risk in extreme conditions but it will trash thousands of hectares of prime wildlife habitat,”  Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.

“This is going to cause a completely unnecessary man-made disaster for wildlife and bushland — it’s about as useful as handing out free water pistols in the face of mega fires.

“If applied across the state, the 25m land-clearing rule could obliterate thousands of hectares of wildlife habitat and kill millions of native animals.

“This measure was not recommended by the Independent Bushfire Inquiry for a very good reason. 

“Experts say it won’t reduce bushfire risk in extreme conditions but it will cause unbelievable environmental harm.

“This is part of the National Party’s radical land-clearing agenda — it is not supported by science or expert opinion.”

 


Nationals try to hoodwink Liberals on koala peace plan

Liberal MPs are starting to see through the Nationals’ deception about the changes to koala protections in NSW.

At least one upper house Liberal has threatened to vote against the National’s Local Land Services Amendment Bill after realising it would prevent any more core koala habitat on private land being protected from logging and land clearing. [1]

Two-thirds of koala habitat is on private land, not in national parks, [2] and only 7 per cent of relevant council areas have koala plans of management in place. [3]

“The bill the Nationals are trying to sneak through the parliament would freeze koala protections on rural land at today’s disastrously low levels,” Nature Conservation Council Campaigns Director Brad Smith said.

“This bill is a death warrant for all koalas that don’t live in protected forests. It was quietly rushed through the lower house and is now being considered by the upper house. 

“If the bill passes, it will make the government’s stated aim of doubling koala numbers by 2050 impossible. [4]

“Even before the bushfires, koala’s were on track to become extinct in the wild by 2050 without urgent action. Then the fires wiped out about 30 per cent of the population in some areas. 

“The species needs our urgent help, and the government’s Koala SEPP represented a small but positive step in that direction.

“But the National Party bill will basically stop the Koala SEPP ever applying to rural land if it doesn’t already do so.

“The LLS Amendment Bill is a disaster for koalas — much worse than Liberal MPs have been led to believe by their Coalition partners — and should not become law.”

The Bill has already passed the lower house and is due to be debated in the upper house within days.

“We call on all Liberal MPs in the upper house to block this bill,” Dr Smith said. 

“The bill is a cheap trick that is not in keeping with the peace deal struck between the Coalition parties last month.”

REFERENCES 

[1] Channel 7 News, Tuesday, November 10, 2020 

[2] Koala populations and habitat in New South Wales, NSW Upper House Inquiry, 2020. Page 16.

[3] Koala Habitat Protection SEPP - NSW Government

[4]  Matt Kean aims to double koala population by 2050, SMH, 26-6-2020 

 


Thousands of hectares of wildlife habitat threatened by government’s 25m clearing proposal

The NSW Government is pushing through changes to the Rural Fires Act that will lead to a 50m strip of bushland destruction around thousands of properties across the state.

WWF-Australia has estimated the changes put thousands of hectares of wildlife habitat at risk, including 12,000 hectares of high-quality koala habitat in just four local government areas they examined. [1] 

“These changes are not necessary, they won’t reduce bushfire risk but they will trash thousands of hectares of prime wildlife habitat,” Nature Conservation Council Campaigns Director Brad Smith said.

“The government wants to let landholders clear 25m strips of bushland on their side of the fence without independent environmental assessment of the impacts. 

“That potentially amounts to a 50m strip of bushland destruction around thousands of properties across NSW and the loss of thousands of hectares of vital wildlife habitat, including koala forests.

“This measure is driven by ideology and it is not supported by science or expert opinion.

“These measures were not recommended by the Independent Bushfire Inquiry for a very good reason — they won’t reduce bushfire risk in extreme conditions but they will cause untold environmental damage.

“This is more about unfettered land clearing than bushfire risk management and should be removed from the bill.”

Dr Smith said the Nature Conservation Council supports all the recommendations of the bushfire inquiry and applauds the government for committing to implementing them, but the 25m clearing change was not one of them.

The changes to the Rural Fires Act are included in Bushfires Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 introduced to parliament by Emergency Services Minister David Elliott this week. 

References

[1] Bush and koalas found to be threatened by 'gratuitous' NSW land-clearing plan, The Guardian, 26 October 2020.