The Mt Warning Region, on the east coast of Australia has vegetation remnants that suggest the region has good resilience to drought continental conditions over time.

Three other important regions that can withstand drier trans-continental periods are the Temperate Rainforests of Victoria, the Dorrigo Plateau Region, Eastern NSW  and Far North Queensland Rainforests.

• bluecray Regional Environmental News – Mt Warning Caldera : WATER
• Water Links SE QLD and NE NSW
• What is an ecological community? and more at  NSW Government Threatened Species
• SE QLD Hazards & Risks at Geoscience Australia –  This is a Group of PDF files that can be downloaded separately so, have a look:- includes chapters on flood, east coast risks, cyclones, multi hazard risk assessment

Australian Government National Water Commission

Weather – Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology

To understand our use of, and impact on the basaltic aquifers of the Mt Warning Caldera Region, monitoring is urgently needed. WHY? Because human populations and settlements are increasing steadily in this Region of NE NSW and SE QLD, Australia.

The EDO (Environmental Defenders)  has highlighted that  Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 has resulted in “The limited capacity for members of the community, or even other environmental agencies, to have their voice heard and the reduced rights to seek justice in the Land and Environment Court also suggest that the NSW Government considers that development ranks ahead of the environment, whether that development is sustainable or not”.

It is interesting to think that government decisions that condone inappropriate, non sustainable engineering would exist today given that so much law is being created, money and effort being spent in preserving our crisis ridden environment and its critical disappearance of biodiverse habitats.

I should think that, if one NSW Government Minister/ Director General has the right to veto or modify or condone non sustainable development  at Kings Forest, then this can happen anywhere in the State of NSW.  What will this upcoming decision mean for NSW?  - for Australia? – for the biodiversity of the world?

Stateline NSW : “NSW planning laws under further scrutiny” 2nd Oct. 2009 and the Stateline NSW archive .

Well, if the Minister/Director General vetos, halts or otherwise restricts development in Kings Forest, then State Significant Sites, such as Kings Forest will remain that – Significant.

A precautionary word here.  Should the Minister/Director General and hence, NSW Government, chose to let inappropriate and very damaging land clearing, habitat destruction and inappropriate residential development occur, then clearly, will it be those individuals who are directly responsible for the damage?

Where does the legal responsibility lie here?  How do courts even manage to test this case, if it is not able to be tested in a court of law? Where does the responsibility lie? If not in the courts, does this mean that it is the direct responsibility of the Minister/Director General  alone?

And what type of government is not accountable to the people who elected it?  Surely this NSW Government is accountable somewhere, for it’s development approval decisions.

• “Administrative Law in an Environmental Context” search results at bluecray Environmental search engine
• Duty of care and the precautionary principle : search results at bluecray environmental search engine.

Development is something that will always occur, given the social and economic structure of the world. Developers will always be part of this society and economy, as it goes. Not all developments are “bad”, non sustainable or destructive to the environment.

The Kings Forest Residential Development  ( Tweed Shire ), as seen by the planning documents, is extremely inappropriate and threatening to already threatened species.  The Kings Forest Residential Development, as stands, IS indeed potentially very damaging.  21 threatened species, their restricted and already fragmented habitats, their vulnerability, their capacity to survive intense non sustainable development practices testify to this.

The Kings Forest planning documents show little ” fact”  to convince me that sustainable outcomes (for those 21 species of  threatened native fauna and the vital part they play in the fragile network of threatened species within the NE NSW Region and Mt Warning Caldera Region) will be realised by such a development. This development is on a large scale. Kings Forest IS a State Significant Site. It contains a very large number of threatened species in an already fragmented habitat situation.

Development assurances only on paper, caring “motherhood statements” by developer paid consultants, inability to have standard legal avenues open to protect and advocate for these threatened species – all these things need to be addressed.

The   Caldera Environment Centre in NE NSW, Australia shows insights,  in their submission to the NSW Government and objection to the planned Kings Forest and Cobakai Lakes Development , summing up  the King’s Forest Project situation very clearly. You should have a read of this Submission HERE.

Kings Forest is a powerful place, and development within this area has been historically hard to implement.

The Australian Government, in its wisdom, chose to not list the Koala as a threatened species, although documents show that the Koala is increasingly under pressure within the North Coast region of NSW.  Why did Australia chose to be part of the Agenda 21?

Kings Forest is  a powerful place. Generations of spiritual  guardians, and land custodians have held this place in a natural heritage beauty and sustainable biodiverse capacity and resilience for thousands of years.  The taking away of even small biodiverse components from an area, so fragmented and isolated now, and, as other developments increase within and about it, will result in an immediate lack of biodiversity and cultural heritage significance.

However, I suspect, that bigger wheels are in play here. And while the big wheels of government and money turn powerfully, the biggest wheel of all is nature.

Environmental Planning and Assessment Act1979 – New South Wales Consolidated Acts at AustLII (Australasian Legal Information Institute - A joint facility of UTS and UNSW Faculties of Law)

News Article referring to Kings Beach Development Proposal as a “world standard” environmental management plan by Leda Development’s Regional Manager- Mr Van Rij , December 2008

Ecological communities - their importance, linking, laws, learning at NSW Government of Environment & Climate Change – Threatened Species & Ecological Communities

“A preliminary investigation of the distribution of koalas and their potential habitat in the Tweed Shire, and implications for management”  by Judy Faulks . Find article at – Australian Zoologist, June 1991 Vol. 27(1 & 2)

search for  Aboriginal  (Indigenous peoples) research literature for the North Coast of NSW at the Libraries Australia Search

Ian Cohen media release :Kings Forest 11th March 2010

Environmental Advocacy within the Mt Warning Caldera Region on East Coast of Australia tells a story as old as human settlement itself. Currently, development pressures, lack of understanding of local habitat issues, a long history of land clearing, catchment flow alteration, aquifer non-management, unsustainable farming methods and human settlement consequences, within the Mt Warning Caldera Region, have compounded the need for widespread Environmental Advocacy.

The subsequent loss of biodiverse habitats, increasing threatened flora and fauna species and water quality issues have resulted in many community efforts to advocate for the unique ecological components of the Mt Warning Caldera Region.

Advocacy for the Environment has become a popularised issue for many people in recent times. However, there are still ill-informed land management practices occurring within the Mt Warning Caldera Region.

One major issue facing the Mt Warning Caldera Region is that, besides the Australian Federal Government, two State Governments (New South Wales & Queensland) hold legal custodianship, concerning Environmental Legislation, Policy Direction and Development Practices.

There are also a number of different Local Government Councils operating within the Region as well.

Environmental Advocacy Groups and Individuals have played an important role in preserving and enhancing the Mt Warning Caldera Region. Global Agreements, Federal and State Government Policies and Legislations from the last few decades of the 20th century have reflected the call for assistance by past and present Environmental Advocates. The Mt Warning Caldera Region has many Reserves, National Parks, environmental strategies and regional plans attached to it. Some of these Parks and Reserves have existed for many decades and others more recent. New species of flora and fauna are still being found in the Region. And development is still a contentious issue in many local areas of the Mt Warning Caldera.

It is also hoped that the legal issues that surround the Mt Warning Caldera Region may be better understood, by reading and studying some of the links below.

Environmental Advocacy can be done at many levels, from helping your neighbour create wildlife corridors, finding a recycling depot and letting others know about it, to writing to your local member or simply learning to respect the inherent values of biodiversity that remain within the Mt Warning Caldera Region.

“Burn out” is a common phrase found amongst certain Environmental Advocates. Often too much is done by too few. This form of Environmental Advocacy has been essential to bring the Region into the 21st century. Now it is up to each and every one of us to work out how we may play our part in Environmental Advocacy within the Mt Warning Caldera Region. No matter how simple or great our efforts are, we all play a part.

We all live here, breath the air, drink the water, share the spaces. Working together, and respecting one another, and listening to our different views, no matter how much we may disagree is part of the process.

One of the simplest Environmental Advocacy methods is to “do it in your own back yard”. So, have a go, create the vision and make a difference.

Advocacy Links

Bluecray.org endeavours to create cohesive insight, useful resources and links, and practical networks for the people and organisations that have the wellbeing of the Mt Warning Caldera region at heart.

While this website is under construction, much of the information may seem a little scattered, as the task of refining regional environmental advocacy resources links and information is a mammoth task! Meanwhile, bluecray.org honours the many people who have dedicated their lives and work to date, in order to advocate for the Mt Warning Caldera Region – its unique biodiverse habitats, ecosystems, natural heritage and beauty.

Please pay another visit to bluecray.org over the coming months, and do not hesitate to contribute your ideas and suggestions. All are welcome.

cheers,

from bluecray