Category: Biodiversity

Biodiversity

Draft Crown Land Management Regulation 2017

Future protection, management, use, transfer or sale of our publicly owned Crown Lands will be defined by the draft Regulation now on exhibition.  The Regulations underpin the Crown Land Management Act 2016 (NSW).

Comment can be made until midnight on Sunday 15 October 2017.

Documents that explain the Draft Regulation and inform submissions are:

Draft Crown Land Management Regulation 2017 – See Highlights

Key points for submissions – Crown Lands Alliance

EDO submission

Tweed Shire Council submission

NSW Government Fact Sheet

Submissions can be made:

Online

or Email to legislation@crownland.nsw.gov.au

or Post to

Draft Crown Land Management Regulation comments
Department of Industry Lands and Forestry
PO Box 2185
Dangar NSW 2309 read more

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Limpinwood logging – Private Native Forestry – Hewittville Pty. Ltd.

Logging on a property of high ecological significance at Limpinwood is causing grave concerns for locals and all people who care about native wildlife, habitat for rare and threatened species, cultural heritage, and corridor connectivity to World Heritage Areas.

Unauthorised works happened on this property in 2014.  Read the back story.

On 7 September 2017 Council resolved to call on the state government to investigate the logging activities on the property and to consider revoking the Private Native Forestry licence.  Memo to Mayor.  Council meeting minutes.

Echo article 13 September  Limpinwood logging destroying koala habitat

Echo article 14 September  EPA stops logging at Limpinwood for inspection read more

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Protecting our paddock trees

Paddock trees are big, old, majestic native trees that often stand alone like sentinels from another time. They graciously provide shelter for stock, nectar for honeybees, hollows for nesting, and places of rest and safety for weary wildlife.

Studies have shown economic and environmental benefits from keeping paddock trees and small patches of native trees in a rural landscape.

Share a story about your favourite paddock tree at http://www.yoursaytweed.com.au/PaddockTrees

This page honours the humble paddock tree and aims to assist these valuable giants outlining how they can be protected.

Council is offering assistance to landholders to keep their trees in good health and assist regeneration of future trees. Click here to find out more or phone Council on (02) 6670 2419. read more

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Draft Wildlife Protection Areas Policy

This is a great initiative by Council to protect and improve high conservation value public land by reducing threats to wildlife from the impacts of domestic cats and dogs.

Draft Wildlife Protection Areas Policy

The draft Policy is on public exhibition until 12 September 2017.  Community is invited to comment by 26 September 2017.

Submissions can be made in writing to: The General Manager, Tweed Shire Council, PO Box 816, Murwillumbah NSW 2484 or by email to tsc@tweed.nsw.gov.au.

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Sunlight and Seaweed

Sunlight and Seaweed , the most recent book by Tim Flannery is a must-read book for all who want to look straight ahead at climate change and its effect on our planet and our lives. Importantly it is a book that presents hopeful solutions in the face of these challenges. Flannery believes we cannot now avoid the 2% warming level but he goes on to show that already there is innovative technology and initiatives which, if embraced in time, can mitigate the legacy we have created.

Central to the solution is a new and much more powerful method of collecting sunlight and one that allows storage of heat despite the disappearance of the sun each night.  Access to such clean and abundant power, along with other developing technologies, can  solve many urgent problems. For example, it will allow the cleanup of the swaths of polluted and unusable soils on the planet and of the mass of toxic rubbish in the ocean as well as giving access to unlimited  use of desalinated water from the sea.  Flannery also predicts  that food production in the future will rely on extensive use of hydroponics as well  large scale seaweed farming, the latter being also a way to substantially reduce carbon in the atmosphere. Each of the initiatives presented is already in operation and the book gives accessible detail about methodology and current development stage. read more

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Kings Forest – proposed modification 

The modification request seeks approval to:

  • Implement a revised Koala Plan of Management (KPOM) which includes changes to the location and quantity of koala habitat offsets within the site;
  • Remove the requirement to plant koala food trees on a 27hectare parcel of land within the Cudgen Nature Reserve;
  • Revise the ‘commencement of works’ definition to provide consistency with the approval issued under sections 130 and 133 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Approval 2012/6328);
  • Revise the locations of the koala fencing and fauna underpasses, and amend the timing for the construction of this infrastructure;
  • Remove the requirement to provide traffic calming devices to manage potential koala movements across the site; and
  • Remove references to the KPOM dated August 2012 and insert references to the revised KPOM.
    • read more

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    Gold Coast Airport ILS

    Gold Coast Airport (GCA) ILS development facilitates provisions for increased runway operational length south. 

    Attached is the final design of the ILS development footprint on the NSW Crown Reserve for Public Recreation/Conservation with construction to commence shortly. The additional element in the footprint on the Reserve immediately adjacent to the GCA’s southern boundary that has never appeared before and perfectly aligns to the runway speaks volumes.

    The final design now confirms there is an additional approx.150m development footprint on the Reserve than required for the ILS. All documentation through the entire ILS process including approval is that the localiser antenna is to be located 300m from runway 14 end. Runway 14 is 2,342m with a Runway End Safety Area (RESA) and runway strip of approx. 150m beyond runway 14 end. The additional development footprint (clearing/earthworks) on the Reserve allows for the increase in the operational length of the runway as detailed in GCA documents, “the southernmost part of the runway itself functions as a defacto RESA, thus reducing the runway’s operational length for takeoffs to the south. The implementation of the RESA on land to the south will improve that operational length”. The additional clearing on the Reserve under the guise of the ILS also facilitates the proposed relocation of the runway 32 landing threshold approx. 300m south re the new Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) that will be required. read more

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    National Tree Day Sun 30 July

    Tweed Shire Council is hosting the National Tree Day planting this year at Pat Smith Park, Dulguigan.

    The site is located on Dungay Creek at the confluence of the Rous River, one the major tributaries of the Tweed River. We are aiming to restore riparian habitat and beautify the park.

    Time: 9:00am to 1:00pm

    Directions: If travelling from Murwillumbah along Tomewin Road, turn into Dulguigan Road before Dungay – Pat Smith Park is located on the right immediately after crossing Dungay Creek.

    Suitable for Children: Yes     Accessible for disabled: Yes

    Notes about the day for Volunteers:
    Please bring some morning tea to share. Coffee and tea provided. Parking is available in the park.

    The following will be provided: Gloves, Tools and equipment for planting, Watering cans / buckets, Drinking water, Snacks read more

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    EDO workshop – environmental law and policy relating to koalas

    Sunday 2 July 2017, 2-4pm.  Friends of the Koala Inc. will host a free EDO NSW workshop in Lismore explaining key environmental laws and policies that impact koalas.

    The workshop will cover development assessment processes under NSW planning law, and the new biodiversity and land clearing laws. Participants will also receive guidance on how to participate in a range of decision-making processes, as well as how to monitor and enforce compliance with legal protections for koalas.

    WHERE: Room Z181A, Southern Cross University, Rifle Range Road, East Lismore
    RSVP: 02 9262 6989  or www.edonsw.org.au/koala_2017

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    Cultivating Murder Saturday 3 June Regent Cinema Mbah

    On the 29th July 2014 Glen Turner a compliance officer with the Office of Environment and Heritage was shot four times by a farmer and died on the side of an isolated public road in NSW, 40 kms from Moree.

    Cultivating Murder tells the story of what happened and follows the murder trial to discover why it happened. It is an unusual murder case. The mystery is not “Who did it?” but “Why did he do it”? The accused is a wealthy New South Wales farmer. The circumstances of the shooting are shocking and perplexing. Glen Turner’s family friends and colleagues want to see the full weight of the law applied.

    As the murder trial gets underway, the government have released the draft for new environment laws that will undo a quarter of century of conservation and protection and unleash a new wave of broad-scale clearing of land, (it is already underway) and destruction to fragile eco systems. It has implications for all land use in Australian. read more

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    Boomerang Bags Sewing Bee Sunday 28 May

    With 8 million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans annually, affecting our food chain, killing off ecosystems, marine mammals, fish and seabirds, as well as clogging up our landfill, Let’s Waste Less believes we can’t ‘waste’ time waiting for the NSW government to act. We want Murwillumbah to get on the plastic bag ‘ban’ wagon.

    As part of our ‘breaking bag habits’ campaign we are introducing the Boomerang Bags ‘borrow and bring back’ model to Murwillumbah. These free bags provide a safe and sustainable alternative to plastic bags and are made by  the community using reusable, environmentally friendly recycled materials.

    Together we can sew our way into a more sustainable solution with Boomerang Bags, which are: read more

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    How does Aboriginal culture relate to bush regeneration? Tues 23 May

    This free workshop is suitable for those who do bush regeneration either professionally or as a volunteer.

    How does Aboriginal culture relate to bush regeneration? Good question! It’s not just about what to look out for but what protocols need to be followed.

    Come along to a free workshop to find out why Aboriginal Cultural Landscapes are not only important to Aboriginal people but also the wider community and what role the bush regenerator can play.

    When: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Tuesday 23 May 2017

    Where: South Golden Beach Community Hall at the beach end of Helen Street

    The workshop will be run by Shane Ivey of Madhima Gulgan Community Association with support from NPWS.

    Afternoon tea will be provided. read more

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    The fungi photography of Steve Axford

    Nimbin Bush Theatre – Sunday 21st May – 11am  

    Entry by donation – Hosted by Nimbin Bushwalkers Club

    For this special event Steve Axford gives a presentation on his time lapse photography of fungi and mushrooms sourced from our local rainbow region rainforests and used in the acclaimed David Attenborough BBC documentary film – Planet Earth 2.

    Axford, from Lismore, is known around the world for his unique interest in nature and in particular, Fungi. Living in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, he considers his photography as an avenue into the natural world. His work has taken him around the world from Moscow to China and he has been published in global publications such as NatGeo and New Scientist. More recently he has developed a keen interest in Fungi time-lapse. read more

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    Keep speaking out against Adani

    A message from GetUp..

    Since we last spoke, we’ve had two huge wins against Adani. The momentum is palpable.

    First, after almost 8,000 of you chipped in to run a huge marginal seats campaign, another Coalition MP has publicly defied Turnbull over the $1 billion dollar Adani loan. 

    The campaign is now in full swing, with newspaper ads, billboards and rallies saturating key marginal electorates. If we can get more MPs to speak out, this could become a full backbench revolt.

    Then, on Friday, Westpac refused to finance Adani!

    That leaves Adani with no financial backers. Not one. Australian banks won’t touch it. International banks won’t touch it. Adani’s mine is so politically toxic that 17 banks across the world have refused to fund it. The only person left who thinks it’s a good idea is Malcolm Turnbull. read more

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    New report into biodiversity offsetting

    A message from the Nature Conservation Council of NSW

    Dear Members,

    As you may have seen in the news, at the Nature Conservation Council we’ve just released a new report into biodiversity offsetting schemes in NSW. The report, titled ‘Paradise Lost: The weakening and widening of NSW Biodiversity offsetting schemes, 2005-2016’ is a thorough analysis of existing offsetting schemes and an assessment of how they do (and usually don’t) meet best practice standards, putting nature at risk.

    We got a powerful story in the Sydney Morning Herald as you may have seen, and on NBN TV news.

    The report makes a list of useful recommendations and a range of case studies from across NSW. We hope that it will be of use to you in your campaigns and work to protect nature. read more

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    Sky Scout – Drones Against Deforestation

    A Wilderness Society crowdfunding campaign.  https://pozible.com/project/sky-scout

    Australia is in the grips of a deforestation crisis.  In Qld alone, an area the size of the MCG is cleared every three minutes. Not so long ago, we had stronger state laws against devastating mass deforestation. But those laws recently came undone.  Deforestation typically takes place in remote locations and in secret. If Australians could see the extent of it, they wouldn’t stand for it.

    Mass deforestation isn’t limited to the developing world.  It doesn’t only happen in the Amazon. In fact, Australia has one of the most severe deforestation fronts on the planet.

    • Queensland clears nearly 300,000Ha of native bush every year.
    • Recent law changes in NSW have put a further 8,000,000Ha at risk.
    • Land clearing is a leading driver of biodiversity loss in Australia.
    • Cleared trees are wasted, left to rot or burned – a considerable source of carbon emissions.
    • Deforestation weakens our landscape’s resilience to climate change.

    Our solution: Sky Scout – Drones Against Deforestation. read more

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    Have your say – Draft Coastal Management SEPP and Coastal Maps

    There is still time to have you say on protections for our sensitive coastal environments – the submission deadline has been extended until Friday 20 January 2017.

    The NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DOPE) is undertaking public consultation on a Draft Coastal Management State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) and Draft Coastal Mapping. The Coastal Management SEPP and maps will underpin the new Coastal Management Act 2016 that was passed earlier this year (but is yet to commence operation).

    The new Coastal Management SEPP will replace existing SEPP 14 – Coastal Wetlands, SEPP 26 – Littoral Rainforests and SEPP 71 – Coastal Protection.

    The new coastal management laws divide the coastal zone into four new coastal management areas, and it is important that mapping of these new areas is correct and that sensitive areas are protected from the impacts of urban expansion, biodiversity loss and climate change. read more

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    Baird’s ‘koala extermination program’ condemned

    Echonetdaily 21 November 2016

    ‘Stand up for koalas or they won’t survive in the wild’ is the warning call from the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA).

    ‘The NSW Government is carrying out a koala extermination program. It really can’t be seen as anything else. It is gutting protections for koalas in all the relevant legislation’ said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.

    Mr Pugh was speaking out after the state government’s contentious Biodiversity Conservation bill passed parliament last week.

    ‘On Thursday Premier Baird opened up an estimated 2.2 million hectares of identified koala habitat on private land for clearing under his new ‘equity codes’. Although there is clearly no ‘equity’ for koalas. read more

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    Laws passed – Baird condemns wildlife to bulldozers

    Premier Baird just gutted the land-clearing laws that have been saving the lives of thousands of native animals like koalas, pygmy possums and squirrel gliders every year.

    After several fiery hours of debate, it took just a few minutes for the final vote to seal the fate for our endangered wildlife. It’s a decision that will weigh heavily in the hearts of everyone who values our incredible wildlife, bushland and sustainable farming.

    Chip in to help us hold Mike Baird to account for the destruction his laws will cause.

    Your efforts haven’t been in vain. I know the laws would have been so much worse if you hadn’t taken a stand. I know that because together we have:

    1. Put Premier Baird on notice that his attacks on the things we value will be catapulted into the media spotlight and will damage his government’s reputation;
    2. Impacted the laws by securing important improvements such as excluding some areas like high conservation value grasslands, and critically endangered ecological communities; and ensuring that the Office of Environment and Heritage will be responsible for enforcing the law – not the Department of Primary Industries;
    3. Encouraged the Labor Party to commit to scrapping Mike Baird’s disastrous laws when they are next in government and replace them with strong protections for bushland and wildlife; and
    4. Supported thousands of people like you to stand up for what we believe in, growing the number of wildlife defenders who will continue to be a voice for nature.

    – The plan –

    With Mike Baird’s new laws due to take effect from July, our work is far from over. Over the coming months we will be: read more

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    NSW Crown Land corruption to be referred to ICAC – I just signed this petition — will you?

    sign the petition

    To: Premier Mike Baird & Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian

    1. Bring about the immediate referral to the Independent Commission Against Corruption of the serious and systemic mismanagement of Crown land in NSW, including the cases of King Edward Park (Newcastle), Talus (Willoughby), Yasmar (Haberfield), Stuart Park (Wollongong) and Paddington Bowling Club.

    2. Defer the commencement date of the Crown Land Management Act 2016 until after ICAC has investigated and reported on the matters.

    Why is this important?

    The Crown Land Management Bill – rushed through Parliament by the NSW Government on 9 November – was the Government’s response to years of allegations of systemic mismanagement and cronyism in its Crown Land Department (“Crown Lands”) and by local councils.

    Those allegations (by various community groups) were effectively accepted as accurate and substantiated, first, by Mark Paterson as head of Crown Lands on 22 June 2015 and, second, by the NSW Auditor General on presenting her scathing report to Parliament on 8 September 2016. read more

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    Liberal politician breaks ranks over land clearing

    This morning the unimaginable has happened. A Liberal politician has broken ranks with his own party to raise serious concerns about Premier Baird’s new land clearing laws.

    Bruce Notley-Smith, Member of Parliament for Coogee said:

    “I am very concerned that these reforms could lead to further irreversible land degradation and endangerment of native wildlife habitat.”

    Bruce is right and we need more MPs to stand up for nature. Will you take a minute to thank Bruce Notley-Smith for taking a stand by emailing him on coogee@parliament.nsw.gov.au or leaving a message on his facebook page here.

    Premier Baird’s plans to scrap our land clearing laws are disastrous for wildlife and they’re beginning to unravel. read more

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    National Parks Association of NSW – Iconic status won’t be enough to save koalas unless Baird changes tack

    What does it mean to be an icon in NSW? Not much apparently. Unless the Baird government has a complete rethink of its environment policy the iconic koala faces a bleak future says the National Parks Association of NSW.

    Koalas are one of just six of the 1000-odd threatened species put on an ‘iconic’ pedestal in the NSW government’s Saving our Species (SOS) programme. According to the government, “iconic species are important socially, culturally and economically, and the community expects them to be effectively managed and protected”. 1

    Yet between opening up land clearing and the ever-increasing intensity of native forest logging, the Baird government’s current environment policies couldn’t be designed to be less effective in managing and protecting koalas—as an article in The Guardian reported today. 2 read more

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