NPA NSW

National Party emerges as a key threatening process to Mike Baird and koalas

Posted by NPA NSWon October 14, 2016March 2, 2017in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

The rampant clearing that is threatened is eerily reminiscent of that which occurred in Queensland under Campbell Newman’s disastrous reign—a mess that the incumbent Labor government still hasn’t been able to clean up.

Added to the increasing intensity of native forest logging and loss of habitat for urban development, the pending wave of land clearing will push koalas to the brink in NSW says the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA).

Invasive Species

Posted by NPA NSWon September 22, 2016October 27, 2016in Featured PostLeave a comment

This is a sobering piece on the impacts of invasive species – particularly mammals – on extinction rates.

How can we stop this? One way is to restore populations of top order predators to control the smaller ones and promote coexistence.

In Australia this would mean dingoes or Tassie devils. Thoughts?

http://bit.ly/2cyUWOd

Creation of new National Parks falls 95% under Coalition

Posted by NPA NSWon August 12, 2016March 2, 2017in Featured Post, Media ReleasesLeave a comment

New figures released today by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) shows the expansion of the National Park estate has almost ground to a halt since the Coalition came to power in 2011.

According to the NSW Report on Native Vegetation 2013-141 the average annual rate of National Park additions under the Coalition to 2013-14 is just 9,753ha—a 95% reduction on the previous six-year average of 173,965ha.2

A plan to protect Kosciuszko’s water catchments

Posted by NPA NSWon August 5, 2016March 2, 2017in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

Large numbers of the Wild Horse, a farm-animal escapee, are severely impacting the water catchment wetlands of the Australian Alps, including right across Kosciuszko National Park. In 2014, 35% of the Alps wetlands had been damaged. These high mountain wetlands are the very heart of the headwater catchment sources for our mightiest rivers, the Murray, Murrumbidgee and the Snowy and regrettably they are also a preferred grazing area for these heavy stock animals. Numbers of Wild Horses have grown from about 2000 to more than 6000 in just 11 years and they are causing great damage to the catchments. The NSW Government, in response to these threats has launched, in May 2016, a draft Wild Horse Management Plan for consultation … a plan, amongst other things, to protect the water catchments.

The Dragons Among Us

Posted by NPA NSWon June 16, 2016October 13, 2017in UncategorisedLeave a comment

Contributed by: James Baxter-Gilbert (PhD Student from Macquarie University, NSW)

The Australian Water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii) is a large lizard species common along the eastern coast of Australian ranging from Queensland to Victoria. There are two subspecies described: the Eastern Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii) living in the northern extent of the range, and the Gippsland Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii) living in the south¹. The males of this species are larger in size and will defend a territory, displaying a bright red chest coupled with head-bobbing and arm-waving to communicate to other males to stay away. Females will regularly mate with multiple males to ensure genetic diversity of her eggs; a single clutch of eggs may have 2-3 different fathers² divided between 6-18 eggs.

Environmental groups demand end to logging of Australia’s native forests | Environment | The Guardian

Posted by NPA NSWon May 18, 2016March 16, 2017in NPA in the NewsLeave a comment

More than 30 green groups sign statement after damning report says extending regional forestry agreements ‘would constitute an irrational decision on environmental, economic and social grounds’

Source: Environmental groups demand end to logging of Australia’s native forests | Environment | The Guardian