We are trying to stop the approval of the first station in Eden, now before the NSW government. Others are proposed around the country.

The Eden power station will burn the ‘waste’ – left overs – from woodchipping native forests for the paper and pulp industry. This will lock in the atrocious woodchipping industry for decades. But the economics of the situation will mean that whole logs will inevitably be chipped to supply power because whenever demand by the paper and pulp industry decreases, there is another income stream.

And the federal government has given this form of power its tick of approval– calling it ‘renewable energy’ and issuing Renewable Energy Certificates for burning native forest wood for fuel! In fact wood fired power produces four times more CO2 than burning coal, but neither the federal or state governments are interested in carbon accounting using the full life cycle of the fuel – i.e. the full carbon cost of cutting down, chipping and transporting native forest trees – and instead have constructed very narrow guidelines which make this form of fuel appear environmentally friendly.

Here's one of our gorgeous Kristina's with her trophy

koala killing machinery

]]> http://forestconnect.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/out-and-back-in/feed/ 0 lorraineb OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA http://forestconnect.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/mumbulla-mountain/ http://forestconnect.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/mumbulla-mountain/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:54:50 +0000 lorraineb http://forestconnect.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/mumbulla-mountain/ ]]> Sacred to the Yuin people, this mountain is being logged for woodchips. It is also home to what may be the last colony of koalas on the far south coast. Logging for woodchips destroys the last chance they have of recovery.

This part of the forest was set aside in the 1980s as an “Aboriginal Place,” but authorities conveniently overlooked this fact when approving the logging. This is in blatent disregard of the spiritual heritage of Mumbulla, and the wish of the aboriginal people that the mountain be preserved as a significant site.

A Young aboriginal man is issued with an infringement notice for trespassing.

YESTERDAY ON MUMBULLA

Yesterday a man was arrested during a tripod sit. The tripod was erected on the main road into the logging compartments on Mumbulla mountain, and logging was disrupted for the day.

It’s really hard from the pics to get an idea of the vastness of the logging, but it is a massive operation. The giant mechanical harvesters can pull out a tree and strip off the bark in about 7 seconds I believe. There are at least three of these monsters up there, as well as bulldozers and other equipment.

And they talk about jobs! Millions of dollars worth of equipment and very few jobs. If they tried investing in sustainable industries like wind and solar they could create vastly more jobs AND save the forests!

How gorgeous is this little guy!

Photo Dick Marks, Australian Koala Foundation

Machinery Moves on South East Koalas

Premier Must Intervene to Stop Confrontation

Conservation groups today appealed the Premier to intervene in the battle over the future of the last koala colony in the South East Forests in a remote area near Bega.

“Our people inspected the remote area on Monday and found that contrary to statements from the Minister for the Environment, State Forest graders and excavators were already at work on the road network that will be needed to allow access for huge log trucks bound for Eden woodchip mill,” said the groups.

“State Forests is deliberately pushing the community closer to direct confrontation in the forests even while protracted negotiations on the fate of the koalas are under way with the Department of the Environment.”

“State Forests is not listening to the community nor scientists who are concerned that roading, logging and woodchipping operations in this area will lead to the regional extinction of Koalas in the South East Forests. This situation is reflected by other threats to koalas around the country and if we lose these koalas it will add another mark of shame to Australia’s sad record of wildlife extinctions from greedy and reckless exploitation of our unique landscape.”

“The Premier has to intervene immediately if we are to save this colony. Clearly State Forests will not call a halt until a firm hand is raised to say ‘STOP”.”

We have alerted South Coast communities who have opposed this woodchipping operation since it began 40 years ago and who have fought so long to have the koala colony recognized and protected.

For further comment;
Noel Plumb, ChipBusters, 0425 23 83 03 (Sydney)
Harriett Swift, Chipstop, 0414 908 997 (Bega)
Prue Acton, SERCA, 02 6494 5144, 0419 393 203 (Merimbula)
www.serca-online.org

The crisis surrounding the possible extinction of koalas in the South East Forests deepened yesterday, as conservation groups met with the NSW Environment Minister, Frank Sartor.

“The Minister is deeply concerned at the situation but seems embattled on many fronts with forest issues,” said spokespersons for the South East Regional Conservation Alliance (SERCA).

“State Forests will not rule out the start of logging in the key koala areas as early as next Monday but are also effectively blocking negotiations (to protect the koalas) with the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).”

“It was apparent to us in the discussions with the Minister and his senior officers yesterday that State Forests has refused to supply the critical, specific timber-supply figures that would enable Minister Sartor to negotiate for alternative supply arrangements with the Minister for Forests.”

“The Minister repeatedly expressed his concern that alternative supply arrangements had to be put in place because of contractual commitments to the logging industry”.

Concerned environment groups say “Such figures are, according to their own logic, critical if the koalas are really to be protected from the intensive logging and wood-chipping operations now proposed by State Forests in the koala area.”

“State Forests has also broken its public commitment, made at a community meeting in Bermagui in 2007* that there would be genuine community consultation about the future of these forests once the NPWS koala survey was released by DECC.”

The completed Report was finally released by DECCW only on 23 February 2010 but without the maps critical for clear community information. The survey covers approximately 10,000 hectares of the Mumbullah and Murrah State Forests which lie between Bermagui and Bega.

“This survey does however confirm south coast conservationists and community groups statements of the past 10 years, that there is a small but potentially viable population of koalas barely hanging on in the south east forests.”

Noel Plumb, John Hibberd and Prue Acton “expressed our organisations’ deep concern to the Minister that, given State Forests’ present attitude, there would inevitably be direct conflict in the these forests if State Forests attempted to start logging operations. Members of the south coast communities are sick to death of 40 years of woodchipping and associated environmental destruction, we are determined to save the Far South Coast koalas.”

'Bearly' hanging on inthe south east forests

In addition, the logged compartments will be burnt after logging, which, according to John Hibberd, director of the Conservation Council ACT, could result in the extinction of south coast koalas, by destroying habitat and expansionary corridors. “Koalas need space for their young to move into new territories, and the post-logging fire will spell the end for them”, he said.

Australia’s top koala experts recognise the far south coast as a region where our national icon is in serious trouble. Leading koala expert Dr Steve Phillips said on ABC radio recently “We have got the management prescriptions [for koalas] wrong, especially in the south east …They have just got to be protected so they can continue to expand…there is no longer any argument about what is important habitat.”

“Koalas have a range up to 50km, so leaving small ‘cells’ for koala habitats is not effective to safeguard populations, said Mr Hibberd. “These koalas need space if their population is going to grow to a viable size, capable of withstanding major events, such as fire or disease. Koalas must find trees with nutrient rich leaves for their highly specialised diet, and males need to find new territory”.

The DECCW report states that “this population is undoubtedly small, probably less than 50 mature animals. Thus it will be important to ensure that the population does not experience any further loss and that provision is made for its expansion into any apparently unoccupied but suitable habitat.”

In a region where there were once hundreds of thousands of koalas, and they were often sighted in the main street of Bega, the Mumbulla population is the only tiny remnant yet definitively identified. Despite its small size though, it is genetically strong, and potentially able to increase without inbreeding problems.

These forests are also home to other endangered species, such as Long-Nosed Potoroos, Sooty Owls and Eastern Grey Headed Flying Foxes, as well as being critical habitat for the endangered Swift Parrot.

Prue Acton, spokesperson for the South East Region Conservation Alliance said that there is no need to log our native forests. “The koala, one of our iconic native animals, could face extinction in these forests, for the sake of a short term supply of woodchips and sawlogs, when there are now enough plantation resources on-line in Australia to ensure that no native forest needs to be logged. The NSW government appears to be placing very short sighted interests over the survival of this courageous animal, over our natural heritage and over the expansion of industries such as tourism on the south coast,” she said

Conservationists will meet with environment Minister Sartor on Friday to discuss the issue. “He has a wonderful opportunity here to demonstrate the government’s environmental credentials in the lead up to the next election. We don’t believe that the Keneally government will want to leave the demise of the koala on the south coast as part of its legacy.” Mr Hibberd said.