Cultural logging and the super koalas

In a bizarre twist anti-logging and anti-forest restoration group the South East Region Conservation Alliance has put its support behind attempts to save wooden bridges, due to their cultural heritage. Starting with Cuttagee bridge, their idea is to restore it and assumedly the rest of them, rather than put in concrete bridges. So now there is to be community consultion, rather than just replacing the bridge.

Of course many trees would need to be cut down for the Cuttagee bridge alone. So the question is where does this antilogging group want to log, to retain the heritage values they value so much?

Co-incidentally, on ABC radio Member for Bega and NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance suggested he thinks Forestry Corporation should be abolished and forestry moved back into a government department. Perhaps they could simply merge forestry with the NPWS given they both degrade forests and want to get rid of koalas. That way conservationists can continue supporting broad acre burning and ‘sustainable’ logging so it’s a win-win. When it comes to unquestioning collaboration, koalas and their habitat always come last.

Genetic improvement – doesn’t improve habitat.

Meanwhile in South Australia they are attempting to breed super koalas that “will have a greater genetic variety and will be less prone to disease and genetic conditions”. Some 20 female koalas rescued from Kangaroo island will be put with a group of translocated male koalas ‘from areas such as the Strzelecki mountain ranges’.

This is what south coast conservationists have long wanted to do, due to a belief that all koalas need is trees. While the genetic enhancement may reduce the many genetic issues island koalas endure. The disease issue is more associated with the quality of habitat, an issue most prefer to ignore.

Koala protection – moving beyond woodchips

The anti-woodchip lobby has been active lately with a couple of ‘actions’ including, as indicated in shot below, dumping a pile of woodchips at the door of the local state member’s office in Bega. I understand, the driver of the chip delivery vehicle has been found and fined $700 and police are hunting down three other suspects.

 

Another action is described in this month’s edition of the ‘Triangle’ in an article about the scheduled logging in Bermagui SF. The author, Harriet Swift convenor of Chipstop and deputy convenor of the South East Region Conservation Alliance, writes about the koala stencils that appeared on local roads some years back. Harriet suggests the best place to see koalas is probably in the coastal strip of forest between Bermagui and Tathra that have been ‘protected’ since March 2016.

What Harriet neglects to mention is that there have only been two logging operations in the Flora Reserves since the Environment Protecion Licence for logging was introduced in 1996.
The first of these was in Murrah SF during May 2005. This was after the second extensive canopy die-back event that stretched from 2002 through to 2004. It was also one month after the National BMAD forum in Lismore that, co-incidendilty, I attended with Will Douglas, who has just been announced as the local greens candidate for the upcoming state election.

Also co-incidently the arresting forestry officer at the protests in Murrah SF was none other than James Jaggers, author of forestry’s seminal work on extensive canopy dieback, Estimating the Extent of Declining Forest in South East NSW. Forestry didn’t retun to Murrah SF.

The second was the illegal logging of coupes in Biamanga Aboriginal Place during 2010 and Forestry did not come back then either.

With the festive season looming, it seems unlikely we will see a final Bush Fire Management Plan for the shire and certainly no management plan for the flora reserves. On a positive note I can say that there a still some koalas and as indicated in the very recent photo below of quite small pellets, probably at least one new one this year.

EPA report welcomed – time for greater government rigour

The ‘Performance of the NSW Environmental Protection Authority’ inquiry has released its final report, making 17 recommendations.

The committee found that the EPA’s chief executive Barry Buffier has too much power, given the former forester is only responsible to the Environment Minister, and is also acting as chair person on the EPA’s toothless board. So it’s recommended an independent board chairperson be appointed and Mr Buffier should have a performance management agreement, in line with other government departments. The committee reccommended more staff be employed in the EPA’s forestry division and emphasised the need for greater scientific rigour and greatly improved communication with stakeholders and the community.

On the issue of forestry regulation in Royal Camp State Forest, where the EPA issued three penalty notices totalling $900 for breaching koala prescriptions. The committee endorsed an EPA board proposal to increase the current threatened species penalties, described by FCNSW as being similar to a parking ticket, up to $15,000. The same figure has been suggested for water pollution penalties and ‘give serious consideration to applying a multiplier effect for penalty notices to repeat offenders’.

Consequently, FCNSW field staff have received more training on how to ‘thoroughly’ search for koala pellets, even though it really isn’t in their best interests to find any.

While NEFA welcomed the report, after all the work the outcome is better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick. NSW Greens Dr Mehreen Faruqi provided a dissenting report, and it’s arguable her additional recommendations would provide greater confidence in the outcomes.

Locally, SERCA and affiliated group(?) Chipbusters have begun a campaign titled ‘IT’S TIME TO LOG OFF’ aiming to ‘end native forest logging once and for all’. According to Chipbusters website it wants the end of all native forest logging within ten years (as in Queensland!).

Regrettably, the now former Qld government broke the agreement to end all native forest logging. While the Qld labour party lists ‘An end to logging of remnant and regrowth native forest through the Regional Forestry Agreements.’, as one of it’s previous achievements, the new Government is yet to show its hand. However, one of the issues when considering environmental issues at a broad scale is the notion of a consistent approach.

As indicated on the map above, from the Queensland Department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, forestry ‘pocket facts’ pamphlet, and like NSW, the areas are not consistent with scientifically based bio-regions. Agreement between state and federal governments on a consistent approach to the environment would be a real achievement. Particularly given trees from northern NSW also end up as sawlogs in SE Queensland, and the prevailing threats to trees, koalas and biodiversity generally, are similar.

Conservation groups threaten logging ‘re-make’ boycott, and other good news

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome news from various sources this week, beginning with a joint press release from the NSW conservation movement, expressing serious concerns, and threatening to boycott, the ‘remake’ of public forest logging rules (IFOA). Interestingly, new NCC chief executive Kate Smolski said, “ We are prepared to work with the government to ensure vital protections for soil, streams and threatened species are maintained, but we will not put our name to proposals that come out of a flawed process” .

Of course there is an argument that currently, there is little protection for soils, streams and threatened species, only the illusion of protection the government creates.

NEFA’s Dailan Pugh suggested the best available science should be used, and it is ‘up to the government to demonstrate it is genuine about seeking and incorporating our input’.  SERCA’s Heather Kenway added, “We need new forest and forestry policies that take account of the degraded state of the forests, the economics of the plantation and native forest industries, and global and domestic market circumstances.”

At a local scale, we are yet to see any genuine government consultation on the koala issue, and while acknowledging forests are degraded is a step forward,  SERCA are yet to support new forestry policies for koalas, so it may be a sign of movement in that direction.

However, challenging the NSW government requires information, like the previously referred to chart below , now with more DBH classes, indicating forest that is currently classified as Eucalyptus woodlands with a tussock grass understorey, has been transformed into Allocasuarina forests and woodland.

 

 

For those keen on reversing this trend ,  more welcome news comes from Murdoch University’s Centre of Excellence for Climate Change, Woodland and Forest Health, and the Mulligans Flat woodland experiment in Canberra. On the former, researchers have have confirmed that declining native forest in western Australia, and elsewhere, is linked to the loss of ‘once-common digging mammals such as boodies and woylies’.

At Mulligans Flat, the Eastern Bettong breeding program, initiated with 60 animals, translocated from Tassie during 2011-12,  has been declared a success, so other locations to are required.

All good news really, for those moving in that direction.

The north south conservation divide – not conducive to effective campaigns

Arriving in the mail this week was the minutes of the NCC/SERCA conference, held in Bermagui early this month. The ‘Welcome to Country’ (the Yuin Nation) was delivered by Dan Morgan, apparently the only other person present concerned about the NPWS burning koala habitat.

Then a welcome from Prue Acton, SERCA, “She discussed the success of the Mumbulla Koala campaign, which gained worldwide attention, forcing NSW agencies to closely monitor the wood chip industry to protect vital koala habitat.”

An interesting perception, given the area isn’t koala habitat (wrong soils), and the operation was suspended about an hour after I asked the OE&H why it had licensed logging in Biamanga Aboriginal Place. The outcome was a rash a government documents about due diligence, with regard to the protection of Aboriginal culture and heritage. There is a connection with koalas, but SERCA are yet to get it.

On NCC’s input, ‘Developing Effective Forest Campaigns’, the minutes indicate,  “This workshop began with a discussion to discern the major issues concerning forests in the South East, which were determined to be the Eden Chip Mill and the wood chipping industry, the development of the Biomass Industry and management ethics for forests. Forest campaigns should therefore focus on limiting the impacts these problems have upon the South-East region.”

For those whose management ethics for forests aren’t based on those of the NSW agencies, do exclude the wood chipping industry, but don’t exclude a local integrated biomass industry. Lumping all of these issues together, and defining them as problems, doesn’t make much sense.

 

In contrast, on the north coast, where conservationists are more likely to challenge the agencies, the North East Forest Alliance have welcomed news of an Upper House inquiry into the Environment Protection Authority. The particular issue being the EPA’s regulation of forestry practices, including koala habitat management, in Royal Camp State Forest.

NEFA spokesperson Dilan Pugh said “We were disappointed that the EPA once again ignored our complaints about logging facilitating the spread of both lantana and Bell Miner Associated Dieback along the main creek through the area. . . . We welcome this opportunity to have the EPA’s handling of this matter investigated. Their audit was either a deliberate attempt to hide the nature and extent of breaches or an extremely shoddy, unprofessional and incompetent job. This is just one of the EPA’s audits that we harbor grave reservations about, maybe now we can find out why they are so bad”.

Now the agencies are working with FCNSW to ensure timber supplies, it makes sense to focus on limiting their impacts, and attempting to modify their ethics, with robust, site specific, environmental information. It would be helpful if the local Greens/SERCA were like minded, because it’s difficult to believe a divisive approach results in an effective campaign.

Forest management – landscapes or catchments?

The journal Nature has published the results of ‘genetic blueprint’ studies undertaken on Eucalyptus grandis, aka flooded gum, native to coastal areas north of Sydney. The purpose of the studies was to identify the genes controlling tree growth, wood formation, flowering, and other qualities. The aim is to assist in the development of future biomass crops, and improve understanding of eucalyptus response to environmental change.

Flooded gum is grown across the world and can grow very quickly. In the past, Forestry have claimed seedlings have put on 7 metres (23 ft) of growth in their first year. The species occurs on ‘flats or lower slopes, preferring moist, well drained, deep soils of alluvial or volcanic origin’. Koala primary eucalyptus feed trees also grow in these catchment discharge areas, and depending on what is happening in recharge areas, they can also preferred Bell-miner habitat, when soils become sodic, and retain too much moisture.

While the BMAD issue was referred to in the NSW government’s ‘IFOA-remake’ discussion paper, it was also claimed submissions would be made publicly available, but that hasn’t happened. However, as a landscape based approach to the Threatened Species Licence conditions is proposed, it seems important to be aware of the different ideas about what this means.

For example, in its submission to the remake, and in addition to a photo showing what is now considered to be ‘high quality’ sawlogs (good grief !), the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) indicated ‘ The landscape based approach will require a significant component of process transparency and reporting in order to win public support.’

While fully agreeing with the sentiment, the issue is how to achieve this end.

 

 

The map above, centers on Biamanga and Gulaga NP’s (green hatch), other NP’s and catchment boundaries overlaying the Murrah soil landscape . The term ‘landscape’, is more appropriately applied to soil landscapes, of which there are many in the catchments, but only the one on the map has forests with koalas.

Clearly in this case, Aboriginal and private land forms a significant proportion of the area, and along with the local community,  the management board should be significant stakeholders in the process.

Despite a further attempt,  SERCA  is yet to indicate its support for changed management practices, re-introducing native species, or a catchment approach to management.  Coupled with this ambiguity is the uncertainty around SRCA’s input into the management board, via Councilor Keith Hughes, representing Bega Shire Council.

On a positive note, my experience with local Aboriginals suggests their commitment to the environment has little ambiguity. They have a proven record of supporting approaches that are consistent with maintaining and improving their/our cultural heritage, and I’m sure prefer a transparent approach.

Conference outcomes – changing management by understanding koalas

The positive aspect of the NCC’s regional conference, at least the part I attended in Bermagui yesterday, and apart from opportunity to catch up with and meet people, was the general support for koalas. Unfortunately, the down side, is the general perception in SERCA that anything other than wood-chipping isn’t important, and understanding koalas is not seen as way to help end wood-chipping.

Now, just a month before the NSW government releases its koala management proposals in State Forests, SERCA show little interest in bringing the government to account, or alternative sustainable management, although that was clearly not the case for others attending the conference.

One of the issues raised, in conversations between proceedings, was the recent burning Biamanga NP. It appears the Biamanga/Gulaga NP management boards have put a proposal to the NPWS to implement ‘traditional’ burning in the parks. The recent burning, undertaken by the NPWS and RFS, without consulting the board/s, is thought to be a ‘get in while they can’ activity. Although not a burning of forests supporter, reducing the NPWS’s privilege to do what they want, where and when they want, would be positive outcome.

Another is a development proposal to increase the size of the Coolagolite quarry, centrally located in the NSW government’s proposed complimentary koala replanting project area, between Biamanga and Kooraban National parks, as illustrated below.

According to Google earth, and apart from recent logging, there has been little clearing in the area over the past 20 years.  Increasing the size of the quarry clearly detracts from the area’s suitability as a koala corridor, although this is a local council decision.

A further issue raised yesterday were concerns about logging on private land, now undertaken using a ‘self assessment’ technique that, apparently, means habitat trees are less likely to be retained. While the decision to relax the requirements for logging on private land helps explain why logging State forests here, remains in abeyance, it seems unlikely the resource will last long.

The connection with koalas is, of course, whether planted trees, or logging regrowth, will provide suitable koala habitat, so logging may be justified. After a quick summary of the issues, it appeared some at the conference were prepared to consider that this may not be the case, so perhaps SERCA will too, eventually .

NCC regional conference – highlighting what doesn’t work

In collaboration with SERCA, the NSW Nature Conservation Council will be holding its annual regional conference in Bermagui, next weekend.Co-incidently, I emailed SERCA a couple of weeks back, asking if the majority of members forsee a time when they would support approaches to management that the NCC and others support. Surprisingly there was a response, saying they would get back to me in a couple of days, but they didn’t.

On the program for Saturday morning are talks about coastal issues, increasingly successful community efforts to hold back the coal-seam gas industry, and forests and wildlife. The latter session will be kicked of by anti – woodchipper Harriet Swift, talking about forest wildlife conservation status and trends, in the south east. Harriet, along with other SERCA members, has long held the belief that koalas are or could be everywhere, and the only threat to the species is woodchipping.

After Harriet’s chat, others will talk of new threats to forest conservation, followed by a discussion on forest campaigns, what has worked and what problems remain.

The map above shows approximation of areas recently burnt, previous logging in Bermagui, the Dignams Creek highway re-alignment area, and the minimal koala exclusion areas in yellow. Two of the areas burned have, or had koalas, and all signs indicate the state government is intent on similar outcomes for the rest of the forests.

When it comes to what has worked in the past, the most successful at stop logging has been challanging the EPA on soils. The connection with CSG, is the threat this industry can pose to ground water, is similar to the guaranteed outcomes expected from long term soil degradation.

Primarily an anti-woodchip group, SERCA doesn’t support alternative management for the koala exclusion areas, or any where else. While this problem is likely to remain, I may go along to the conference,  to provide some local input.

Bridging the environmental knowledge gap – a conservation failure

A few weeks ago, NSW Treasurer and member for Bega Andrew Constance, while announcing he will be standing for the state election again, praised the professionalism and dedication of the NSW public service. Quoted in friday’s Bega District News, Andrew Constance called a Department of Primary Industries (DPI) proposal to re-introduce fish netting in some coastal lakes, “ludicrous and clumsy”.

The DPI are also proponents of the ludricrous notion that trees on agricultural land are what koalas prefer, in the Bega electorate.

Also on friday, a couple of days after my letter to the editor, the new NSW Environment Minister spoke on ABC radio,didn’t say much, but praised the initiatives of the former minister. He also emphasized the NSW Cabinet will be making all decisions with regard to native vegetation management.

The DPI has remained with Minister Katrina Hodgkinson, whom I’ve yet to write too again, but it’s clear its ideas have a significant influence on Cabinet decisions.

The conservation group SERCA are in a similar situation, except its acceptance of the DPI’s claims is indirect, via an unquestioning support for the OE&H.

Hence, its website indicates ‘SERCA believes that community groups on the coast have attempted to constructively participate in formal environmental processes, but are not succeeding in protecting the coast from damaging development, nor from inappropriate land and forest management practices.’

Of course if one were keen on appropriate land and forest management practices, it would be sensible to support them. Under current management elsewhere, the log in the shot above would have been burned, not long after it was cut down.

However, this log has been laying in the same location since the tree was cut down in 1981. This time frame is beyond the maximum burn times employed in National Parks, although more recently most of the eucalyptus trees around it have died.

According to SERCA  they have been ‘unable to bridge the gap between the real environmental and community concerns and the ‘lip service’ from state and local government.’

Alternatively, SERCA could be seen as being very similar to state and local government when it comes to real environmental and community concerns, thus ensuring the gap is never bridged.

White beech meets immovable force

ABC’s Bill Brown has posted an interesting report on Germaine Greer’s visit last week to launch her latest book ‘White Beech, the rainforest years’.

Organised by the local bookshop and SERCA the book recounts Greer’s work to restore rainforest on a 65 ha property she bought in south-east Queensland.

According to Germaine ‘The private landholder, whether individual or corporate, has a better chance of maintaining conservation values than a public entity that has also to provide a public amenity’ and although hers has been an ‘extremely expensive’ project Germaine reckons ‘it is a model that can be followed on a smaller and cheaper scale’.

There were varied responses, Senior Diringanj man David Dixon, welcomed everyone to Country but ‘sees her work as more of the same’ and is ‘critical of a failure of greater recognition of the relationship between the land and indigenous people’.

SERCA’s Prue Acton was ‘praising her new focus on environmental issues’ although Harriet Swift was ‘questioning the relevance of her project to the issues of forest conservation in the south east’. On radio and minus detail, Greens Councillor Keith Hughes suggested the Forestry Corporation were doing some good research (?!) .

Apparently Greer had looked to buy land on the south coast but one property had an ‘undefeatable’ weed problem and although another near Eden appeared suitable ‘she would have inevitably been drawn into the anti-logging and woodchip movement, writing, ‘I didn’t have the stomach for so hopeless a fight’.

Had Greer bought a property in this bio-region she may by now be aware that it’s pretty hopeless trying to grow eucalyptus, especially endemic species on cleared land and the evidence supports the theory that the reasons trees don’t grow well are the same as those reducing forest health, tree cover and conservation values on public and private land.

 

On the other hand she could have joined SERCA that on the post cards they distributed at the book launch changed the NCC slogan above to ‘Please don’t burn their homes, to power ours’, are unable to define where koalas are and unwilling to support a management model to improve their habitat. So if Germaine had join SERCA, it probably wouldn’t have lasted long.