After the state government was caught out during and after the ’06 fires, thumbing its nose at its own planning regulations let alone Federal laws, these careless cowboys have now changed the laws to allow them to continue! Over 200 km of these lineal logging coupes were bulldozed through the heart of many intact and …
The push by farmers to have poison baits dropped from planes to kill wild dogs and dingoes has been successful. A three-stage government trial is currently going on and so far it has only shown that planes can drop baits accurately. But ‘can’ does not mean ‘will’. A senior scientist at the Arthur Rylah Research …
Can you believe this?! Victoria is the most ecologically damaged state in Australia but the Brumby Government recently reduced protection for remnant native vegetation on railway reserves. It’s our railway reserves that are chocka-block with the rare vegetation types from pre settlement days. They haven’t been grazed or ploughed. They get the odd burn, which …
Bob Brown has personally poured humungus amounts of his money into legally challenging Forestry Tasmania’s plan to clearfell the Wielangta (pron. why-lang-ta) forests in Tassie, with its many endangered species. The initial judge ruled in his favour to halt logging. Forestry Tasmania then appealed. On November 30th, the Federal Court of Appeal agreed that logging …
Australia will need to create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to move to cope with the effects of global warming. The impacts of climate change should be less severe in systems that remain intact and healthy. The 2,800-kilometre climate ‘spine’ has been approved in principle by state and national …
Shooting, climate change, drought and more frequent El Ninos have reduced water bird numbers by 82% from 1983 to 2004. The 2007 survey shows water bird populations have dropped even further. Polls have shown that 87% of Labor respondents, 83% of Liberal/National Party supporters and 98% of Greens voters want the recreational shooting of native …
Two critically endangered plants have been found in a controversial area that was left out of the new East Gippsland reserved areas before last year’s state election. The State Herbarium has verified their identity The exciting discovery of the small stand of about 100 plants was made during our Forests Forever Easter camp in 2007. …
Two hundred years ago the Sooty Owl was abundant and fed on 18 ground species of prey in Gippsland. Today they have two or three to choose from. Other wildlife’s ability to thrive is similarly threatened by decades of habitat change. The conversion of habitat to farmland, decades of mining, logging and grazing, as well …
At the time of going to print, there are FIVE CREWS working on a GOVT SANCTIONED 70 mts x 256 kms CLEARING that cuts across the Thomson catchment. The DSE claimed it learnt from the squandering of the Yalmy Road and the Snowy National Park in the 2003 fires. Now we understand how! The Minister …
The Howard Government has conceded logging in Tasmania may be illegal, but is refusing to act against it. The federal Forestry Minister, Eric Abetz, initially poo-pood the claim that there were national implications from the Tasmanian Wielangta court case. Now he’s bemoaning the fact that the judgment could affect all sorts of land uses (and …
