The government (do nothing) response to the Koala Habitat Inquiry
TSC Towards Zero Waste Strategy – Have Your Say
Tweed Shire Council Towards Zero Waste Strategy is on exhibition until Wednesday 28 April. The Towards Zero Waste Strategy that aims to guide Council on future actions and targets towards zero waste practices. To view the details, and to have your say about it please visit www.yoursaytweed.com.au/zerowaste at the TSC website.
The Wollumbin Caldera
The Wollumbin Caldera is one of the three top biodiversity hotspots in Australia. It covers an area of approximately 1500 sq km and supports around 1250 types of plants. The Caldera includes a high diversity of ecosystem types because it is in an area where temperate and sub-tropical bio-geographic areas, both terrestrial and marine, converge.…
End the subsidies that destroy our forests
NCC: “… we are subsidising the destruction of our remaining native forests. Over the past seven years, we have propped up the uneconomic native forests logging industry to the tune of $79 million.” Taxpayer handouts to destroy the ecology. “End subsidised and unprofitable logging of our public state forests.” Read the full report here. The NCC…
Australian Native Forests Are To Replace Coal As Furnace Fuel For Electricity
Australian Native Forests are to be industrially fed into electricity power station furnaces overseas – to replace coal – to boil water to turn turbines to make electricity to be used momentarily then it is gone. ‘Somehow’, The European Union have legally declared that burning Native Forests as coal-replacement furnace fuel for electricity generation plants is…
CEC Movie Club: Rob Kooyman – Gondwana, Northern NSW
Rob Kooyman, forest ecologist of note, traces the history of the ancient forests of Gondwana, until now, bringing the focus to the forests here, the forests of Northern NSW. The new 29 min film by Frontier Films (David Bradbury). Proudly presented here in association with the The Caldera Environment Centre. About Rob Kooyman … protected…
UN Secretary General: “Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal.”
“Biodiversity is collapsing. Ecosystems are disappearing before our eyes. Human activities are at the root of our descent toward chaos.” The UN Secretary General listed the human-inflicted wounds on the natural world: the spread of deserts; wetlands lost; forests cut down; oceans overfished and choked with plastic; dying coral reefs; air pollution, … “Next year…
Caldera Environment Centre Shop Open
The NSW Govt. Inquiry Report: ‘Koala Populations and Habitat in New South Wales’
The need to stop logging in public native forests did not receive majority support from committee members and is therefore not a recommendation in the report. The government is required to respond to the recommendations of the report within six months. A highlighted copy of the report is attached below, and is available also on…
**Newsflash** – HELP PREVENT THE RETURN of the ‘Kill Koala Bill’
Have your say in this quick online submissionbefore the deadline this Friday February 5th! The Nature Conservation Council of NSW is calling for help to prevent the return of the governments “Kill Koala Bill” which is currently being reviewed by a parliamentary committee. We need to keep the government under pressure over koalas so they ditch…
CEC Movie Club: Forest Defenders – The Fight to Protect Tasmania’s Native Forests
Forest Defenders: The Fight to Protect Tasmania’s Native Forests, takes you straight to where ordinary people are stepping up to protect some of the most incredible forests in the world from the archaic practice of native forest logging. Made entirely by those involved in the fight, this film has a simple aim: To inspire you…
North-East NSW Native Forests will fuel the Redbank Ex-Coal-Fired Power Station, making it one of world’s ten biggest biomass power plants.
From NEFA [North East Forest Alliance]: Hunter Energy is currently seeking expressions of interest for timber from across north-east NSW to fuel their ex-coal Redbank Power Station, with plans to restart the facility in mid 2021 fed by native forests to make it one of world’s ten biggest biomass power plants. Estimates are that just…
NEFA Weekly Forest News: Forest Media 6
From NEFA [North East Forest Alliance]: We did well with our Kill the Bill demonstrations, with good stories on Prime and NBN, though the National Party’s standard response is that we are ignorant and misguided. Bangalow Koalas also organised a successful event with 50 kids from the Byron Community Primary School. The hypocrisy of Gladys…
Environment groups rally across NSW to urge parliament to maintain forest protections
From NEFA [North East Forest Alliance]: The NSW Government’s Upper House will debate legislation next week that would “remove most of the hard won gains made over the past 25 years”. Far from arresting the decline in Koala numbers, changes to the LLS Act will see Koalas extinct in NSW before 2050. NEFA and other…
Urgent: The Senate Vote will be the final nail in the coffin for our Native Forests and Koalas.
Gutting of Koala SEPP, Changes To The NSW Local Land Services (LLS) Act, Update From NEFA
Thunberg and Attenborough were at the Regent!
“The story of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is told through compelling, never-before-seen footage in this intimate documentary from Swedish director Nathan Grossman. Starting with her one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament, Grossman follows Greta — a shy student with Asperger’s — in her rise to prominence and her galvanizing global…
Cutting Down Native Forests on Private Land Draft Codes of Practice
The Draft Private Native Forestry Code of Practice have been open for public submissions. We have read the Draft Codes of Practice, and highlighted the bits of the document for you to read quickly, to focus and save time. It is ‘A permission-booklet for ecologically significant native forests destruction on privately held land.’ For further…
CEC Movie Club: Planet of the Humans
Report: Fire and the Environment 2019–20 Summary (nsw.gov)
The UN 2020 Fossil Fuel Production Gap Report
The world is ‘doubling down’ on fossil fuels despite the climate crisis. “Between 2020 and 2030, global coal, oil, and gas production would have to decline annually by 11%, 4%, and 3%, respectively, to be consistent with a 1.5°C pathway. But governments’ plans and projections indicate an average 2% annual increase for each fuel. “Continued…
Big Scrub Landcare online event focused on the bushfires in and around Nightcap National Park and their impact on our Gondwana and lowland subtropical rainforests in north east NSW:
‘Saving our Rainforests from Fire’ – Expert panel discussion: Big Scrub Landcare invited the community to listen to experts who were involved in fighting the fires and assessing their impacts on the Nightcap discuss these critically important issues in two online panel discussions, facilitated by Kerry O’Brien and Mick O’Regan. This free online event…
NEFA are proposing that 6,988ha of public land south-west of Casino in north-east NSW be created as the Sandy Creek Koala Park
The genesis of this proposal was the finding of exceptional densities of Koalas at a number of localities and widespread Koala usage. The Koalas appeared to be increasing as the forests recovered from past logging, with good future prospects if the forest was allowed to age and provide increasing resources over time. This proposal is…
Caldera Environment Centre Brochure
Day of Action to Save our Koalas
On a Day of Action to Save our Koalas, August 16th, individuals and community groups across NSW organised small ‘pop-up protests’ and virtual actions to attempt to cause nsw.gov to act now to implement the recomendations of the NSW Govt. Inquiry Report: ‘Koala Populations and Habitat in New South Wales’. Tweed representatives took the day of…
Local National Parks Have Been Directed To Implement Tourism
National Parks, directed by nsw.gov, for economic reasons, are to increase national park use tourism, especially here in the Caldera. Eg is a 4 day 45km walking trail starting at Mt Jerusalem to Minyon Falls. Marketed to the early adopters. The DA for the day 1 part of the track (‘Unicorn Falls’) closed for comments…
NEFA Correspondence
Draft State Strategic Plan for Crown Land
Government has prioritised the commercialisation of Crown Lands and misses both The Ecological Importance of Crown Lands and the need to move towards First Nations stewardship and co-management. Crown Land is our land, it belongs to the people of NSW and should be managed in the way we believe is appropriate. We have highlighted the interesting bits for…
850 NEW COAL SEAM GAS WELLS AT NARRABRI – OR NOT.
Again, NO Byrrill Creek Dam
Dear Friends of the Environment. The NSW Natural Resources Commission (NRC) is undertaking a Review, including submissions from the public, of the existing Tweed Water Sharing Plan (WSP) which expires next year. Currently there is a Clause 48 (1) that prohibits the building of a dam at Byrrill Creek. 10 years ago Save Byrrill Creek…
TREE Magazine, the Tweed River Environmental Echo, New Issue Soon!
TSC Towards Zero Waste Strategy Proposed, TSC Asks Your Feedback
Council has prepared a draft Towards Zero Waste policy and is seeking feedback on or before Tuesday 21 July 2020. The CEC would like to encourage public endorsement and adoption by Council. The towards zero waste concept means designing and managing products to reduce the volume of waste and materials, to conserve and recover all materials where…
THE NOBBYS CREEK WATER EXTRACTION D.A. HAS BEEN FORMALLY REJECTED BY COUNCIL – HURRAH
From Nimbin EC: “There’s a bit of reading here, but it is well worth it ……………………………………… You will recall that Council had deemed the Nobbys Creek water extraction expansion application would be refused, so Appleby lodged an appeal in the Land and Environment Court. As part of the court process, Council was required to formally…
NCC, AFCA to ARENA Bioenergy Roadmap: “Exclude forest derived biomass … FDB is not a credible or desirable energy source or route out of fossil fuel dependence.”
The Nature Conservation Council and the Australian Forest and Climate Alliance have made the following joint submission to the ARENA Bioenergy Roadmap: “Exclude forest derived biomass.” FDB is not a credible or desirable energy source or route out of fossil fuel dependence. We call on ARENA to contribute to responsible action on the climate crisis by…
TSC: Dear Community Member, …
I write to advise you that the Tweed Local Environmental Plan 2014 Amendment No. 28 – to remove the enabling ‘Clause 7.15 Water Bottling Facilities’ – has been legally made, effective Friday 29 May 2020. The outcome of this amendment is that water bottling facilities are now a prohibited land use in the RU2 Rural Landscape…
TSC 18.6.20 Meeting Agenda
Agenda for the Council Meeting – 18 June 2020 on Thursday, 18 June 2020 3:00 PM. The Meeting will be held remotely via Lifestream. Click here to View the Meeting Agenda. Especially noteworthy: 17 REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT 1. Climate Change Emergency Report Report Note: A revised Climate Change Management Policy is attached to…
CSG Alert: Reject gas giant Santos’s 850-well coal seam gas field in the Pilliga forests wilderness
The NSW Government has recommended approval of an 850-well coal seam gas field in the Pilliga forest wilderness and farmland near Narrabri. The Pilliga is the largest temperate forest we have left in the state. Turning it into an industrial gas field will poison groundwater, carve up the forest with roads and pipelines, endanger koalas…
Art Auction – “Artists for Climate Online”
Zoom in, to raise funds for the Climate Council! It’s an online auction of art items contributed by fabulous artists from Tweed and Byron Shires. All proceeds will go to The Climate Council. Barry Firth is raising funds for the Climate Council, after joining “Tassie Trek 2020”, a week-long trip through the Tarkine Wilderness, that…
To: Department of Planning Industry & Environment. Re: Koala Habitat Protection SEPP
The new koala protection guidelines rely heavily on the “Koala Development Application Map”. However, land clearing for “logging operations” on private lands” are exempt from these guidelines, as these operations do not normally require DA approval. For logging on private lands Koala protection is supposed to be based on local “Comprehensive Koala Plans of…
Ancient trees cut down
The government’s own logging corporation has been caught red-handed cutting down giant trees that were earmarked for protection in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest near Coffs Harbour. This outrageous destruction shows NSW Forestry Corporation can’t be trusted to obey already weak forest protection laws. It’s clear we need to end native forest logging. This is…
Feeding Forests Into Furnaces To Boil Water To Turn A Turbine To Make Electricity To Use Momentarily And Then It Is Gone
Stop the pollution of the air, it is horrible, stop it. And stop burning “biofuel” for goodness sake. “Bio-Fuel”: Feeding Forests Into Furnaces To Make Electricity. “Bio-Fuel” is burned in furnaces and the pollution released into the air. They lie that biofuel is an ‘ecologically sustainable’ furnace fuel. “Bio-Fuel” is a fraud, a lie, “Bio-Fuel”…
Caldera Environment Centre submission to Tweed Shire Council on the Draft Climate Change Policy – Net Zero 2030
The Caldera Environment Centre (CEC) strongly supports the Draft Climate Change Policy – Net Zero 2030. This draft policy builds on the framework of the Tweed Shire Council Community Strategic Plan 2017-2027 – in particular regarding its goals of decreasing the carbon footprint of the Tweed Shire, progressing toward 100% self sufficiency in renewable energy…
The Million Jobs Plan
Beyond Zero Emissions https://bze.org.au/the-million-jobs-plan/ The Million Jobs Plan is the framework to restore our economy. We’ve mapped out how we can rebuild our nation through practical projects that can restore our economy, modernise our industry, reskill our workforce and deliver a bright and secure economic future. We’ve identified seven key sectors across our economy where…
Review of Native vegetation clearing in NSW (Natural Resources Commission, NRC)
The level of clearing confirmed by expert report shows that rather than helping the environment our laws are now operating to put greater stress on native landscapes that are already suffering the impacts of climate change, drought and bushfires. Instead of building resilience and ensuring healthy and productive country, our laws are degrading the land.…
ACTIVE HOPE AND RESILIENCE IN A TIME OF CRISIS
A community event held by Extinction Rebellion Tweed Valley. We are living through difficult times that have only gotten harder the last six months as we face regular new waves of social and environmental crises. In this time we are witnessing immense growing social injustices and the sixth mass extinction of life on Earth. Many…
NSWG Plastic Plan
Caldera pics
NCC: Stop logging the previously protected old-growth and high-conservation-value public forests.
>15,000 hectares of NSW previously protected old-growth and high-conservation-value public forests are to be logged. More than 29,000 hectares of previously protected old-growth forests on private land have already been opened up to logging in recent years. These rare and important forests have been protected for almost 20 years. They store huge amounts of carbon…
GONDWANA BURNING – Frontline Films [David Bradbury] > 9 Minute Pre Film Preview
Dear Invitee. David has asked our [CEC] attention and interest, he has provided the 9 minute Pre Film Preview and requested feedback regarding the degree of interest shown. … Northern NSW native forests are to be fed into European furnaces as fuel to make electricity. Here is the 10 minute Pre Film Preview – Gondwana…