Media Releases – Page 30 – National Parks Association of NSW

Can we have our cake and eat it, or will offsetting cost our natural heritage? (Great Koala National Park News)

Posted by on May 25, 2016March 2, 2017in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

The NSW government announced prior to the election that it would adopt all the recommendations contained in its recent biodiversity review. It is hard to overstate the magnitude of this: NSW is the most populous state in the country so future pressures on the environment will likely be felt most acutely here. The state also contains globally significant species and ecosystems, including a large part of the ‘Forests of Eastern Australia’¹ biodiversity hotspot.

To ensure that we don’t trade development for nature, the drafting and implementation of new biodiversity laws must be done well. The government’s ability to achieve this will determine the fate of the 970 threatened species and 104 threatened ecological communities in NSW.

Landmark report finds koalas across two-thirds of NSW facing extinction

Posted by on May 17, 2016March 3, 2017in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

The National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) are alarmed at a new report that shows that koalas across two-thirds of the state face extinction from habitat loss and climate change.

The report, written by former Office of Environment and Heritage ecologist, David Paull, indicates that radical measures need to be taken if the fate of the state’s koalas is to be reversed.

Regional Forest Agreements: Nice idea but total failure! (Park Protection News)

Posted by on May 12, 2016March 3, 2017in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

On Wednesday this week, the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) launched a new report entitled Regional Forest Agreements in NSW. Have they achieved their aims? In short, the answer is no — far from it, writes Dr Oisín Sweeney.

Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) are deals between the Commonwealth and State governments that allow for logging in public native forests.

Review of evidence concludes Regional Forest Agreements a failed model for forest management (Parks Protection News)

Posted by on May 11, 2016March 3, 2017in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) that have been the framework for public forest management in NSW for 20 years have failed to achieve any of their top-line aims, a new study has found.

The Agreements, which were the centrepiece of the peace deal that ended the “Forest Wars” of the 1980s and 1990s, were supposed to lead to:

Creation of a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of forest reserves;
Implementation and enforcement of ecologically sustainable forest management practices;
Development of a viable, ecologically sustainable timber industry;
Ongoing research into ecological, economic, and social aspect of forest management.

Overhaul of feral animal control needed

Posted by on April 2, 2016March 3, 2017in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

Leading conservation organisations are urging the NSW Government to fully implement the recommendations of the NSW Natural Resources Commission’s Pest Animal Management Review, which was released today.

The groups strongly endorse the review’s recommendation that feral deer now be declared a pest species and managed appropriately. Currently deer are managed as “game” and government policies are assisting their spread.

Holistic plan for environment a welcome change (Park Protection News)

Posted by on March 29, 2016March 2, 2017in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

The National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) welcomes Labor’s ambitious plan for environmental protection, (Labor’s Plan For Our Environment, Tuesday 17th March 2015).

Several elements of the plan are long-standing NPA advocacy positions, including the creation of the Great Koala National Park and a Sydney Marine Park, World Heritage listing for eucalypt forests in the Forests of Eastern Australia Biodiversity Hotspot and the continued expansion of the national parks network.

The commitment by Labor to impose a state wide moratorium on coal seam gas (CSG) and implementation of permanent ‘no-go zones’ around national parks and Ramsar wetlands is also reassuring to NPA members, many of whom have become increasingly concerned about the rampant expansion of CSG.

NPA CEO Kevin Evans said ‘it’s great news that a major party has finally recognised that nature underpins the fabric of our society and that nature should not be destroyed for short-term profits.’

‘Of course, it’s easy to make promises in opposition so we will make sure that we remind Labor of their commitments should they gain power in two weeks’ time.’

NPA Science Officer Oisín Sweeney said ‘it’s exciting that Labor have committed to filling the gaps in our national park network and pursuing World Heritage listing for our incredible eucalypt forests and rainforests.’

‘The NPA has been vocal for some time on the problems facing koalas which led us to call for the Great Koala National Park. We are in serious danger of losing koalas in NSW.’

‘The commitment to convene a Koala Summit is therefore welcome—though a national summit may be better to allow NSW to learn from other states where koalas are doing better.’

NPA Marine spokesperson John Turnbull also welcomed the plan, particularly the commitment to create a Sydney Marine Park, lift the moratorium on the creation of new marine parks and reinstate protection for the critically endangered Grey Nurse Shark.