Gliders have their day in court – and WIN
Supreme Court rules in favour of effective detection and protection of rare gliders – with scathing comments on VicForests’ logging
Fire management out of control
The protective vegetation of ancient mahogany trees were destroyed as part of planned burn ‘management’. Some of these were hundreds of years old and posed no risk to anyone. Yet no one is accountable for this shameful vandalism.
Flying Foxes – an economic ‘golden egg’ for Bairnsdale or a million dollar back-fire?
There could be a win-win solution for the current controversy over the nationally significant colony of Flying Foxes along the Mitchell River, say local environment groups. A failure if the council proceeds with habitat destruction could cost ratepayers over a million dollars going by other documented failures and the lessons learned. The second stage of …
VicForests agrees to court orders
After EEG launched a 10 month Supreme Court battle, the government’s logging agency VicForests, has agreed to await further surveys and put in place protections for wildlife and plants before logging. The court orders made on 23rd December 2016 detail VicForests obligations regarding the high value forests. It’s great that VicForests has finally agreed to …
New economic era for East Gippsland
The call by the Auswest sawmill and Tim Bull for long term log contracts to be renewed (EGN/SRM 2 Nov) is a misguided ‘Magic Pudding’ mindset, according to Environment East Gippsland. “Long term contracts are not being signed because there has been serious uncertainty of resource availability for quite a while”, said Jill Redwood from …
Victoria’s own ‘Thylacine’ pushed into extinction pit
Victoria’s version of the Tasmanian Tiger is heading down the same extinction path as its relative was 80 years ago when the last Tasmanian Tiger died in the Hobart Zoo. “Eighty years ago we can accept that ignorance was the reason for the extinction of this amazing marsupial ‘dog’. In 2016 there is no excuse”, …
VicForests – Tactical hooliganism
MEDIA RELEASE In an act described as “tactical hooliganism” VicForests’ contractors started logging a stand of contentious high value forest NW of the Errinundra National Park last week. They had previously agreed not to log this site while the Premier’s Forest Taskforce negotiations were underway. “We see this as a flashpoint in the process” said …
This burning desire must stop – a costly placebo
Environment groups in East Gippsland are imploring DELWP and its Minister to immediately apply more environmental considerations to its planned burns. The old hectare based burns have been acknowledged as financially costly, with minimal safety outcomes but significant ecological losses. “If this is the new improved risk-based approach, then there is no difference to the …
Legal action forces VicForests to survey
Action taken by Environment East Gippsland and their lawyers, Environmental Justice Australia, has resulted in VicForests today agreeing to halt logging and survey for rare wildlife and plants in a 28 ha stand of East Gippsland’s forests rich in threatened species. “Sadly, since mid-January and while negotiations have been going on, VicForests continued to clearfell …
20 year legal exemption must go
Wednesday 3rd February marks the 19th anniversary of an agreement that has allowed the logging industry a legal exemption from Australia’s environment laws. Jill Redwood from Environment East Gippsland, where this exemption from commonwealth laws was first introduced says the Turnbull government is planning to instate another 20 years of this special treatment. “We have …