Victoria’s backlog of almost 500 listed species that currently have no legal protection, have finally seen a plan* to plan for their protection. Environment East Gippsland legally challenged the government’s neglect to write protection measures for most of the state’s rare species last June. It was settled in October 2013, but we’re still concerned that …
After the Gillard Government was leant on by the Business Council of Australia to hand environmental powers to the states, combined enviro groups commissioned the Australian Network of Environment Defenders Office to write a report assessing the adequacy of threatened species and planning laws in Australian jurisdictions. The report outlines the legal framework for managing …
There is extensive knowledge of how plants respond to fire, but little on how fauna respond. Michael Clarke says blanket recommendations of how much land should be burned as hazard reduction are made without any knowledge of how fauna will respond in local areas. He says more work is being done monitoring fauna and studying …
The Climate Change Authority’s final report on the renewable energy target, which was released yesterday, contains a number of controversial conclusions and recommendations. A standout amongst these is the recommendation that the federal government explore whether making native forest wood waste eligible to participate in the large-scale RET (LRET) would increase the rate of harvesting …
These are their new credentials from leaving a nasty stain on the environment. The paragraph on the left there is from their CEO’s intro in the Sustainability Report 2012 – just released. It’s chocka with lies and PR spin. They really are desperate for a bit of ‘social license’
This is a little complex but it basically shows that VicForests excel in stuffing up. Public forests are vested in VicForests for a number of years while it gets around to clearfelling them and then afterwards while it oversees the supposed regeneration of them. This can take years – and of course costs them many …
Big old trees, as we know are as rare as hen’s teeth, but far more important for forest ecosystems globally. They are necessary for all sorts of wildlife and processes that have evolved with large old trees. They are now a small part of any forest (if they exist at all) but can account for …
Just days before the DSE attended a workshop on public safety, they approved VicForests lock and gate two major fire access roads – favoring the logging industry over and above public safety. There was no notification to the CFA brigade. These roads provide major access to the west for the local community – the most …
Trees can live hundreds, even thousands of years. But the problem is that these trees aren’t making it to old age and according to a new study, big, old trees are in decline throughout the world which can have detrimental impacts to forest ecosystems. Old trees are crucial organisms for many ecosystems: they provide homes …
THE federal government will tell business leaders that it is putting on hold plans to devolve to the states power to deal with environmental approvals for major projects. The decision is a major blow to business – which has claimed ”green tape” is jeopardising projects worth many billions of dollars – and a victory for …
