Environment group wins legal battle to protect habitat for threatened powerful, sooty, masked owls

The Victorian Government has agreed to set aside 2,000 hectares of forest in East Gippsland to help protect three threatened species of owl. Environment East Gippsland took legal action against the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and state-owned VicForests over the issue. An agreement was reached on Friday between the parties …

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Environment East Gippsland settles with Victorian DELWP over owls

LOGGING will be put on hold in parts of Victoria’s forests to protect three species of threatened owl. In an out-of-court settlement today, green group Environment East Gippsland, VicForests and the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning agreed to terms that will see increased protection of owl species that are threatened under the …

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Victorian native forest timber offered at discount price to Japanese mill

Victoria’s native timber was offered to a Japanese-owned paper mill at a discounted fixed price as part of a secret government deal to end a protracted multimillion-dollar dispute over unpaid debts. A Department of Treasury briefing obtained by Fairfax Media reveals Gippsland-based Australian Paper – the state’s largest wood customer – failed to hand over $10 million that VicForests …

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Over 2000 ha set aside for owls! EEG’s 4th successful legal case

EEG’s fourth Court case challenging the government’s non-adherence to its own environment laws has been settled (17.7.15). This time it was for the owls. EEG, DELWP and VicForests have agreed that the environment department (DELWP) take action to adhere to legal obligations and increase owl protected areas as well as assess the damage done to …

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Endangered owls have legal win

The day after the national Threatened Species Summit ends, a Supreme Court case brought by Environment East Gippsland has reached an out of court settlement The case challenged logging in threatened owl habitat by the state government’s Environment Department and VicForests, which have now agreed to set aside over 2,000 ha. This 10 month case …

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Logging activists fined despite their surveys revealing flaws in the law

Three environmental activists have been fined for surveys they carried out in a logging coupe in East Gippsland, though the state government conceded it needed to bolster timber harvesting rules following the activists’ report. The activists from the Goongerah Environment Centre are facing fines of $440 each for entering the coupe in late April, which they say they will likely …

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We need to tighten the law to protect wildlife homes

Three recent reports make clear that we should be saving habitat in order to save species. It is pretty simple. Destroy a species’ habitat and you destroy its home. The first report was issued last week by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), Birdlife Austrlia and Environmental Justice Australia*. Its take away message is that in …

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Victorian timber bound for China under secret Andrews Government rescue plan

Victoria’s low grade native timber could soon be packed into shipping containers bound for China and other cut-price countries for processing under a plan to help ailing state timber company VicForests. In response, a rule requiring local processing before export has now been relaxed in a bid to open up new markets for the struggling state-owned …

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Current strategies not doing enough to protect endangered species, conservationists say

Governments across Australia are being urged to do more to protect endangered species, amid warnings land clearing and mining are threatening key habitats. The criticism from conservationists comes as the Federal Government prepares to release a new Threatened Species Strategy. Conservationists examined the Federal Government’s current strategy to protect 120 of the most endangered animals …

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Nine hundred giant native trees felled in VicRoads planning blunder

A planning blunder has led to the destruction of almost 900 towering old native trees after VicRoads severely underestimated the environmental impact of a highway project it is managing. Road safety is our utmost priority and roadside trees can be a hazard in run off road accidents.  VicRoads chief executive John Merritt The Western Highway is being …

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