MEDIA RELEASE 12 July 2011
Wedding_Bells_Supporting_Report
A North East Forest Alliance audit of logging operations in Wedding Bells State Forest, inland from Woolgoolga and north of Coffs Harbour, has revealed numerous and serious breaches of environmental laws designed to protect the Endangered Oxleyan Pygmy Perch, two Endangered Ecological Communities, Endangered plants and Koalas.
“There should be an immediate halt to logging in this forest, urgent rehabilitation of illegally logged streams and rainforest, and an inquiry into Forests NSW’s ongoing disregard for environmental laws,” said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.
“The most worrying aspect of this audit is that it confirms that over the past 12 years both Forests NSW and Fisheries NSW have failed to implement required measures to protect Endangered species, such as the Oxleyan Pygmy Perch.
“Forests NSW have also refused to duly consider Koalas in their planning processes and have been logging Koala habitat without taking any specific actions to minimise impacts on them.
“Our audit also identified that logging had occurred in two Endangered Ecological Communities.
“NEFA identified similar failings in Doubleduke State Forest last November and then again at Grange State Forest. Despite the Environment Minister confirming some of our allegations, the Office of Environment and Heritage is yet to take any action to enforce the law,” he said.
“The evidence is that Forests NSW will not comply with the intent of environmental legislation unless they are forced to, and both Fisheries NSW and the Office of Environment and Heritage have proven themselves unwilling and incompetent regulators.
“The Minister for Primary Industries (Forestry and Fisheries), Katrina Hodgkinson, must immediately stop all logging in Wedding Bells State Forest until Endangered Ecological Communities have been clearly delineated for protection on the ground , the required Aquatic Habitat Assessments have been completed and measures implemented to protect headwater streams.
“It is clear these breaches are both serious and systemic. Katrina Hodgkinson and Robyn Parker, Minister for the Environment, need to urgently instigate a full and independent inquiry into Forests NSW’s ongoing failure to implement the 1999 Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals and the ongoing failure of both Fisheries NSW and the Office of Environment and Heritage to ensure compliance with environmental laws,” Mr Pugh said.
The 1999 Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals for north-east New South Wales were signed by the NSW Ministers for Planning, Forestry and Environment in 1999. They included a variety of conditions to regulate forestry activities on public lands, including a Fisheries Licence to protect threatened fish, a Threatened Species Licence to protect threatened plants and animals and an Environmental Protection Licence to protect water quality in streams.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAILAN PUGH ON 66 807063.
The NEFA Audit Report for Wedding Bells is available at http://nefa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Wedding_Bells_Supporting_Report.pdf (It will open in a new window. Save that to keep a copy of the report.)
This has also been picked up by The Greens. With Coffs Harbour Greens Councillor Mark Graham giving Greens MLC David Shoebridge a tour of the damage. See http://mncgreens.blogspot.com/ for details.