KOALAS AND THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY UPGRADE

The RMS - Roads and Maritime Services (previously known as the RTA) - continues to show a lack of concern about protecting important populations of native species.  The route of its proposed Pacific Highway upgrade from north of Coffs Harbour to Ballina will have a devastating effect on many species because of the clearing of native vegetation and the increased likelihood of roadkill. 

An important koala habitat area near Wardell, south of Ballina, is one area of concern.  Recently ecologist Mark Graham wrote to local papers expressing his concern about a statement made about this area by the Highway Upgrade Manager. This letter is printed below.

Yesterday on the ABC Mr Bob Higgins, Pacific Highway upgrade manager for the RMS said about the proposed Broadwater to Ballina deviation "The route that was selected is mostly on cleared land."  His statement is not correct.  The reality is the proposed route will clear and sever intact corridors of forest and wetland that connect the Wardell heathland (part of the National Reserve System called the Ngunya-Jargoon Indigenous Protected Area) with the nationally significant forests (and koala habitats) of the Blackwall Range.  Indeed these areas are recognised as some of the most important wildlife corridors in Ballina Shire.

What Mr Higgins has repeatedly failed to address is that the proposed route is several kilometers longer than the existing highway.  It will require clearing lots of nationally important koala habitat and result in the isolation and  permanent degradation of hundreds of hectares of adjacent koala habitat.  It will clear and fragment the largest and most significant tracts of native vegetation in Ballina Shire.

The RMS policy about biodiversity states: "When managing biodiversity, RMS aims to: 1. Avoid and minimise impacts first. 2. Mitigate impacts where avoidance is not possible. 3. Offset where residual impacts cannot be avoided."

Mr Higgins has been informed (in person and in writing) since 2005 that building a highway along the proposed route will cause local extinctions of nationally protected species such as the koala and long-nosed potoroo.  He knows there is  no native vegetation, protected areas or culturally significant features along the existing highway between Broadwater and Ballina.  He also knows that avoiding any impacts on biodiversity is readily achievable.

Mr Higgins, you have no excuse for killing Ballina's koalas.

      - Mark Graham

This letter was published in The Daily Examiner on July 17, 2014.

NSW FORESTRY'S DESTRUCTION OF KOALA HABITAT

In a media release on 7th July North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) spokesperson Dailan Pugh was very critical of the inadequate fines imposed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) on the NSW Forestry Corporation for logging Koala High Use Areas in Royal Camp State Forest 16 km south-west of Casino in northern NSW.

The EPA fines, issued almost a year after the breaches, were $300 each for the three penalty notices for logging within a Koala High Use Area and failing to mark the boundary of a Koala High Use Area.

Mr Pugh pointed out that the Forestry Corporation continued logging in nearby koala areas "under the nose of the EPA while the Ministers repeatedly refused [NEFA] requests for an independent assessment."

He said that the Forestry Corporation plans to resume logging in Royal Camp in June had been held up by wet weather but, as the area was drying out, it was expected they would resume logging any day.

"Last Thursday we inspected two small sections of the area they are intending to log and found both contained Koala High Use Areas. Given that the Forestry Corporation still refuse to accept that they need to thoroughly search for Koala scats, it is evident they will go on trashing core Koala habitat.

"From our investigations it is evident that Royal Camp is one of the most important areas of public land for Koalas in the Northern Rivers region. The loggers should not be allowed near it again. This forest should be fully protected as a national park," Mr Pugh said.

Report on the NEFA inspection of Royal Camp State Forest, Compartment 13

LOGGING IN CORE KOALA HABITAT IN NORTHERN NSW

In a Media Release on 13^th June the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) called on the Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, to intervene to convince the NSW Government to stop logging core Koala habitat, this time in Koreelah State Forest near the juncture of the Border and Great Dividing Ranges, 15 kilometres north-west of Woodenbong.

Spokesperson for NEFA, Dailan Pugh, said a weekend audit of Koreelah State Forest again found a Koala High Use Area that had been logged in contravention of the prescriptions mandated under the North East NSW Regional Forest Agreement, signed by both State and Federal Governments in 2000.

"On Sunday we randomly selected one hectare that had already been logged and thoroughly searched around the 36 Tallowwood and Grey Gum trees and stumps within it for Koala scats. Despite our searching being hampered by logging debris, in one area we located one tree with 30 Koala scats from a mother and baby under it and 3 other sequential trees with Koala scats under them.This area thus qualifies as a Koala High Use Area that should have had a 20m buffer placed around it and been excluded from logging.

"Not one of the trees we searched had been searched by anyone before us, despite Forestry Corporation being legally required to thoroughly search 100 trees within this same area for Koala scats before logging and to protect Koala High Use Areas.

"Based on our random sample it is evident that many other Koala High Use Areas are likely to have been logged, with others about to be logged.

"The North East Forest Alliance undertook a reconnaissanceof Koreelah on 10 May and wrote to Mr Nick Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, Forestry Corporation of NSW, complaining that nobody appeared to be searching for Koala scats.Both he and the supposed Environmental Protection Authority denied our concerns.

"Last August we found 4 Koala High Use Areas in Royal Camp State Forest, one was being actively logged and three were about to be logged.While we convinced the NSW Ministers for the Environment and Primary Industries to intervene to stop logging those areas they allowed it to continue in an adjacent area.When we found another high use area logged the Ministers allowed the logging to continue into yet another Koala High Use Area.

"Koalas have deserted all the logged High Use Areas we have found and the Forestry Corporation is actively targeting the mature feed trees they rely on.

"Given the EPA's failure to take action in relation to Royal Camp almost a year later, it is not surprising that Forestry Corporation continue to log without looking while the responsible NSW Ministers turn a blind eye.

"The Commonwealth relies upon the Regional Forest Agreements to satisfy their obligations to protect the nationally vulnerable Koala.Given that NSW refuses to implement the prescriptions intended to protect core Koala habitat Tony Burke must now intervene to provide the urgently needed protection the Koala deserves," Mr. Pugh said.

Fauna expert, David Milledge, who surveyed the area, stated "My records of Albert's Lyrebird and Koala indicate that the prescriptions that should have been implemented were not. I consider that adequate and seasonally appropriate surveys (including Koala mark-up searches) should be undertaken before further logging occurs". 




NEFA's Koreelah State Forest Audit