Proposed legislation puts koalas' future at risk
Liina Flynn
06 November 2020, 12:57 AM
Friends of the Koala (acting) president Susannah Keogh says it’s now or never if we want to save the koalas from extinction.
A new piece of NSW legislation set to be voted on in NSW parliament next week will open up land for clearing and will “unravel the many hard-won gains made for koalas and protecting their habitat over the past 25 years”,” she said.
The proposed new Local Land Services Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2020 will be voted on in the Upper House on November 11. Susannah urges anyone who wants to see a certain future for koalas, to tell politicians not to pass the Bill.
“Friends of the Koala strongly disagree with this Bill and we are urging people to email members of the Legislative Council in the Upper House to voice their concern,” Susannah said.
“The recent Parliamentary Inquiry into koala populations and habitat found that without effective intervention koalas will become extinct by 2050 in NSW.
“While Ben Franklin MLC commended our work for koalas during the public hearing for this Inquiry, he is supporting this Bill – a Bill that could condemn koalas to extinction.”
Read Susannah's story of Makawee the koala who is in care at FoK after being rescued from the fires last year in Blogs/Letters - Susannah Keogh: Koalas, one year on from the fires
What does the Bill propose?
Susannah said if the Bill passes it will give free rein to Private Native Forestry (PNF) and double the duration of PNF operations from 15 to 30 years. If the bill becomes law, even if a forest is identified as core koala habitat it will remain unprotected from clearing for agriculture or logging.
Freeze koala habitat
“The Bill will also freeze the amount of koala habitat that can be protected in Comprehensive Koala Plans of Management, meaning that over 99% of koala habitat on private land in NSW will never have protection.
More clearing
“It will also allow more clearing to take place in environmental zones – undermining the protections offered by E-zones.
No Development Applications
“It will remove the requirement for Development Applications to be made for land clearing activities.
Dunoon to Bungabee
In the Lismore Local Government Area, Susannah said areas that could be affected by the new Bill would include “patches all over the area – from Dunoon to Clunes and Bentley’s Bungabee forest”.
“It will mean farmers and landholders will be able to clear what they wouldn’t have been able to before,” she said. “A lot of the land that will be affected will be peri-urban areas and farms with remnant rainforest or boundary trees, which are vital to the connectivity between areas of habitat for wildlife.
Iconic animals
“Koalas are our country’s most iconic animals and if we can’t save the koalas, we can’t save anything. What chance then does any other species of flora or fauna have?
“It’s devastating and frustrating, especially after the bushfires and all the work we did – the world is watching the wat we treat the koala.”
Plight of koalas
“These changes are clearly inappropriate given the plight of koalas after the devasting drought and 2019/2020 bushfire season.
“Loss, modification and fragmentation of their habitat is considered the key threat to koalas’ survival.
“This Bill is designed to benefit developers and agri business, without any consideration for the value of our forests and the incredible biodiversity they support.”
We absolutely cannot allow this Bill to pass, we must act now to protect koalas and their habitat before we lose them forever.”
Susannah said the following draft version of a submission to politicians can be used and personalised as needed:
Dear Member of the Legislative Council,
I am writing to ask you to vote against the Local Land Services Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill because it puts the future of our koala populations in jeopardy.
The government has stated it wants to save koalas from extinction, even double their numbers over the next 30 years, but this bill pushes them closer to the brink.
In 2017, the Office of Environment and Heritage advised the Environment Minister that less than 1% of koala habitat on private land was protected, and recommended the government “exclude additional core koala habitat” from clearing.
The LLS Amendment Bill before parliament would freeze protected koala habitat. Meaning that over 99% of koala habitat on private land in NSW will never have protection.
Under current rules, if councils identify core koala habitat, after a process of consultation and approval, this land can be protected from clearing and logging. This bill undermines that process.
Tens of thousands of koalas perished in the Black Summer bushfires. Now is not the time to take a step backwards on the protection of koala habitat.
Please reject this bill and ensure koalas continue to have a home in our state.
You can email the above draft letter to all the Upper House Legislative Council Members listed below:
AUTOMOTIVE
