Qld State of Environment Reporting .

NSW State of Environment Report 2009 .

Australian Government State of the Environment Reporting

North Coast Bioregion (NE NSW and SE QLD, Australia)

Ongoing habitat clearing is a main cause of biodiversity loss in the Northern Rivers of NSW and in SE QLD. Habitat clearing, on large scale,  is done by wealthy corporations, individuals and governments that seek to create growth in the name of  “SUSTAINABILITY”. The habitat destroying infrastructures, developments and industries that are created by greedy, selfish people are usually created under the guise of  “Sustainable Enterprise“, Social wellbeing and more recently, saving the world.

B is for beauty,  wild bounty blessed
I is for insects, not seen as a pest
O only treads with respect on the ground
D dreams of nature’s deep secrets  and sounds
I is for instinct, information, ideas
V is variety, birds voices you hear
E is for earth, as it welcomes each day
R  respects  nature and its complex way
S is for  simple life, to use less is more
I instructs industry to respect nature’s law
T takes the time to heal our earth’s health
Y is young futures that share nature’s wealth

environmental advocacy collage showing Biodiversity, Bioenergy, Biofuels and Wisdom thereof, concerning the Northern Rivers, NSW, Australia approach to Camphor Laurel Habitat harvesting

The people who condone, support and profit from habitat destroying  infrastructures, industries and developments are seen to be holding money, power and prestige as their “God”. In the light of eternity, these moneybag people are the destroyers of earth’s biodiversity. They create lies and deceptions, social myths and fear agendas in an attempt to control the populations of Australia.

Bluecray calls these people “moneybags“.  They are often mean spirited people who pretend to be caring, loving and supporting of the future world for our youth. They are far from that.  The moneybag people are takers and userers. They act without honour. The moneybag people usually hold more possessions, land and monetary assets than others. Moneybag people support unequal distribution of wealth. Moneybag people create, support and profit from the insanity that is called war. Not all wealthy people are “moneybags”. Not all people fighting wars are “moneybags”.

The moneybag people are often hidden from public scrutiny or behind overwhelmingly complex  man made laws, technologies and physical barriers. The “LAWS” that the moneybag people create and support, on close scrutiny, are either against the founding laws of our Australian Nation or against International laws agreed upon to preserve the human rights of our innocent youth .

These moneybag people work against the Law of God and the Law of Nature. Often these moneybag people are seen to exhibit great religious self righteousness and Socially accepted responsibility. Often they have friends, associates  and colleagues who are also corrupt and greedy. These moneybag people profit from the victimisation, propaganda and powerplay of the average Australian citizen. They are often sociopaths. They often operate under the guise of being “needed” for the well being of the Australian people.

Moneybag people like to be “in CONTROL”…………of everything they can see, hear, feel, and think of. Moneybag people have been on earth for a long time, through many generations. They feed off  the “depowering” of individuals. They create people power structures and values via indoctrination, fear, propaganda and other manipulative human tools. Moneybag people create wars, insanity, suffering, co-dependent social structures, market based “realities” and toxic wastes to help with their survival.

The moneybag people are destroying our beautiful biodiverse world. In the end, all that they will destroy is their souls. Mostly, moneybag people know that what they are doing is wrong, evil, unfair, without honour. Mostly they have sociopathic sickness, that creates a false reality in their minds. They work hard to ignore that they are heading down the path towards their soul’s destruction. The harder they work to cover up their lies and false realities, the more others see them. Little children and animals see them for what they are, increasingly, these days. God always saw them, and always will see them for what they are.

said the “Powerful” moneybag………..

Peaceful koala asleep in your tree
can you find a new home?
‘cos I want this for ME!
My smart homes of luxury,
devices and cars
Can you find a new place please?
we’re beginning to tar
the roads to our golf courses, shops and afar
dear Koala, please move
‘cos I want this for me!

Iconic koala, so high in your tree
can you find a new home, cos your home pleases ME!
I know that since owning your home many years
my promise to plant more has gone in arrears
But my bank balance thins, and development’s slow
so dearest Koala – could you please go?
My token tree plantings show ALL that I care
My bulldozer mates made a nursery with flair
cleared ground, sterile landscape, is full of gum trees
waiting to plant out in near coming years

so, Koala please go
‘cos I want this for ME!

Maaate, Koala, climbing slowly, to tree top so high
could you please come down quickly, my bulldozer’s nigh
My authority’s sanctioned, I’ve owned this land years
So Koala, please come down, and please disappear

Hey Koala, dear icon, I’ve found a great zoo
I can put you in bars, charge a fortune to view
Now my lots are all ready, the buyers are here
So Koala, please answer – you’ve nothing to fear

I see that you’re ill, fevered, trembling and scarred
relocators are here, so don’t make this hard
How can you stay, when I’ve planned all my life
to get rich from your home. Stop giving ME strife!

Koala in MY tree, My lots worth much more
Please come down, I promise to plant trees – lots more
I promise, I will, though I know it takes time
my bank balance dwindles – it’s no longer PRIME
I need this development to help me spend more
on energy rich lifestyle that opens the door
To boys’ clubs, and honour, as I sponsor the host
to gaming, recreation, shopping centres and most
of the god given pleasures that make me prestige
I’m rich, and your poor – you’re out of my league

So Koala, marsupial, dwindling here
I’ve made millions from your home – and much more through next year
yes, Koala, I ignore that your sick, threatened, ill
cos this home is ALL MINE and the money’s a thrill

I’m hidden from scrutiny, my buddies back all
I’ve invested in infrastructures, parks and a mall
So, Koala – please leave here, and live by the road
While I wait at heaven’s gate, with my life soul’s great load

Oh koala – what’s this, you’ve escaped – now you’re here
In god’s arms, oh so peaceful now ’tis i have the fear
And god’s angels tell me, the gate here is closed
and my goods and great doings are ALL now MY LOAD
Dear god, can I pay you, my hotels, and shops,
my real estate legacies – though they’re all at a stop
But I promise, the trees, that I never got round
to planting – well, god, can I offer bare ground?

I see that the gates to the heavens stay shut
Oh god, please tell me why, I’m in purgatory’s rut?
My chattels and cargo, are heavy and bleak,
I am grand! I WANT heaven! what’s that? I’m not meek?

said the Koala……
w’ell you were warned, Maaaate

Concreting the Coastal 2003 : Clearing and Development Pressures on the NSW Coast 2003 Total Environment Centre PDF – this compiled resource by the TOTAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE show problematic development, land clearing activity, approvals and proposals in coastal nsw 2002 -2003. It looks at the larger, more controversial, uncompleted developments at that time – (not the smaller, under the radar ones, nor the already completed ones). This is an excellent recent historic resource.

Because the NSW Department of Planning has approved a Woolworths Development in their beautiful little township, and the towns folk are still determined to have their valid arguments, for why this is not OK ,to be heard. A court case is pending, and the township of Mullumbimby needs your support!

Try these links to understand just why.

Firstly:-

Mullumaction.org : the Mullum Community Action Network that has formed to work to preserve the rural identity of the little township from being over-run by one of the two corporate giants (duopoly) in the Australian Grocery supply industry. Issues such as inadequate groundwater management, unfair competition against small local businesses, visual and physical impacts from the building of a large woolworths shopping centre in the township are just a few.

Mullumbimby at google maps.

bluecray Environmental Search Engine results for:-

Woolworths Mullumbimby .

Woolworths Gambling Poker Machines .

Mullumbimby Action Woolworths Court Appeal .(Woolworths Vs Byron Shire Council at NSW Land and Environment Court – possibly November 2009 hearing)

Woolworths hardware giant .

Phantom Koala sees that small regional communities can offer sustainable resources in a variety of ways, and large corporate developments offer sameness, blandness, non renewable resource dependency and the”rich get richer while the poor get poorer” scenarios

There are a number of small rural towns about the area of Mullumbimby. Many of them have small shops, local and regionalised industries  that offer community focus and community values far beyond what the woolworths corporate giant and its development has to offer.

Mullumbimby is a regional resource centre  to many of these small communities, and the issues at stake here, should woolworths gain the upper hand in retail grocery supplies (and possibly hardware as well?) could be against the basic principles of local and regional sustainability, as promoted and supposedly supported by the Governments of NSW and Australia.

The move by Woolworths, supported by the NSW Department of Planning,  to develop in this small rural township is an example of the rush of non sustainable developments that are now in the pipeline. These non sustainable developments have the potential of  overwhelming the coastal strip of NE NSW. Corporate leadership,  when it comes to Northern Rivers of NSW, appears to be based about non sustainable development, species and habitat destruction and land development at all costs to the environment. It is entirely out of step with the Global Vision for local environmentally friendly sustainable vision.

Biodiversity is subtle, and can offer resilience in times of Climatic Change. Regional and local sustainable community diversity can also offer resilience in times of climate change.

other bluecray articles for this topic:-

Mullumbimby Woolworths Approved by NSW Department of Planning 28.01.2009

The Long and Short of Corporate Vision 5.10.2009

Gambling can come in many forms, including throwing money into poker machines, coastal property development and large scale clearing of habitat in the name of habitat restoration

Bluecray experience is that whilst Governments can be elected by people and supportive of people who elect them, there are many voices making up the communities within the Mt Warning Caldera Region. One of the biggest pressures on both governments and communities is the need to make decisions when large corporations and businesses move to develop in a way that does not serve environmental sustainability or regional well being.

There is a current, highly obvious dichotomy within government where some non environmentally sustainable developments are considered “ok” and others are not. Some times it appears like rolling a dice as to what the outcomes will be, but often, there are also deeper undercurrents at play.

National Toxics Network:

Ross Gittens on Gambling, happiness and economic pursuits at the Sydney Morning Herald

Privately steered, corporation power can also be affiliated with a variety of  Merchandising/ Commercial, State, Religious, Educational, Scientific or Political networks & regimes. The rise of not for profit Corporations is on the increase over the past century. Also, the concept of Corporate Feudalism has been with us for many decades.

Increased information, communications and mobility facilitates the joining together of people for a variety of responses to current humanity, philanthropic, animal advocacy and environmental concerns.

Whilst environmental advocacy by groups and individuals has always existed, corporations have been extremely slow to respond.  Short term corporate vision of creating a sustainable environment still remains  just a wonderful concept. Its current immaturity risks the future well being of all the children of this earth.

Long term environmental corporate vision for sustainability is also in its infancy.  So what we have is limited corporate short term vision, with the long term vision barely nurtured. Both need to grow up. Vision is our way forward.

Tweed Shire Koala Populations at candobetter.net – and some more updates about the threat from corporate myopia and Koala Populations HERE .

Senate Environment and Communications Committee (Parliament of Australia : SENATE):-  ”The koala—saving our national icon” 22 September 2011  Commonwealth of Australia 2011 ISBN 978-1-74229-524-4

Tim Flannery on Biodiversity -  Copenhagen Climate Council at bluecray Environmental Search

Postkyoto Conversations – Peter Vintila (“freelance social researcher and writer committed to social and environmental justice causes and to the open democratic inquiry this implies”)- at postkyoto.org – and also see search results for some of Peter’s works and thoughts at bluecray environmental search

When  environmental vision is governed by corporate myopia, it is shocking – both short AND long term.

Phantom Koala also knows that His problems and those of all his Koala friends’ problems are OUR PROBLEMS.

Corporate Leadership and Koalas : search results at bluecray Environmental Search

The “Koala” is not just an ICON.

Koala Icon QLD : bluecray Environmental Search results .

Koala Icon NSW : bluecray Environmental Search results .

In the following Koala Poem about Corporate Vision, Phantom Koala muses that the current vision is extremely MYOPIC. Land is cleared,  bargains are made and more Koala Habitat is lost. PK is waiting for Corporate Leadership to take the helm. Unfortunately, all he sees is self seeking gamesmanship, ego and deceit in many directions. Luckily, he has some good friends all around the world, and with his family and friends, he climbs up high to “see”…..
…………….corporate myopia

Phantom Koala does disappearance good
His developer enemies wish that he would
stop as a threat(ened), so their work can go on
now their money is dwindling ,  their wish list so long

They’ve complied with the standard of EIS, so -
why does the nod from the government slow?
And why does their sleep seem to toss turn and wake
they’ve paid their donations what more does it take?

Well PK’s protected. Their money can’t buy
his spirit or habit(at) since their money’s a lie.
And lies based on ego and greed and defense
are valued below more than just a few cents.

While PK’s dear forest friends rally to hear
how corporate greed is now seen by this seer
(This hero who travels through corporate land
and watches and listens to their hollow stand)

Ah -  there’s none oh so blind as as those that can see
yet miss this Koala who’s high in his tree.
And there’s none oh so blind as developers who
circle like madmen yet deny what they knew.

They vow that they’ll see all their money can buy
but PK and his friends see their actions so sly
PK has their myopic sights right in his frame
and sees on their shoulders all of the blame

For his dear friends’ home losses their habitats ‘dozed
And who’s sleeping well now this myth is near closed?
It’s PK and family and friends sitting high
above tree tops of love so they’ll always see “why”.

Phantom Koala (PK) wonders why, for all the badge selling, tracking and monitoring, big furry- suited people with tins, policy advice and volumes of papers and documents, no corporation has stopped the great destruction of Koala Habitat in SE QLD and NE NSW, even though the dedicated people who work hand in hand with Koalas and their “real story” have been telling that story for DECADES. PK knows that he has Corporate Friends. PK also knows that the “Koala” is not just an ICON.

Development on the Tweed Coast of NE NSW, in the Mt Warning Caldera Region of Australia is an example of Corporate Myopia

Australian Science at Work- some archived articles here that may be of interest

Regional Futures Institute : Southern Cross University and ABOUT the Institute

The Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts . and their Threatened Species Publications .

Urban Taskforce : and their Mission Statement…..

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

Australia’s Threatened Species at the Australian Academy of Science .

“Rescuing Remnants” at the National Library of Australia online .

Threatened remnant vegetation – search results at bluecray Environmental Search

“Truth and Consequences” at Daniel Goleman’s website : Ecological Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence

Prinz des Goldes: a blog by Wolfgang Bernhard (if you don’t speak the language, you may like to translate these websites.) and the book “Prinz des Goldes : Fabelhafte Finanzkrise” by Wolfgang Bernhard at Google Books .

Giri and the 22 Arrows of Truth : Myths for a Modern Age Part3

Native vegetation clearance, habitat loss and biodiversity decline – An overview of recent native vegetation clearance in Australia and its implications for biodiversity – references and CONTENTS . what was known back in 1995 . (Biodiversity Series, Paper No. 6 Andreas Glanznig, Biodiversity Unit Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, June 1995) at Australian Dept. of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

“Deforestation, urbanisation and seasonality: Interacting effects on a regional bird assemblage” by Carla P. Catterall, Mark B. Kingston, Katherine Park and Sven Sewell ( Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.) 1996/1997 – at ScienceDirect.com .

• Riki Ott’s website : author of “Not one Drop”, Riki Ott  is a community activist, a former commercial salmon “fisherm’am,” and has a degree in marine toxicology with a specialty in oil pollution. She understands (first hand) the Exxon Valdez oil spill and has some valuable resources on her website, especially relating to oil spills and the issues of  “Corporate Personhood,” which can be defined simply as “the illegitimate notion that a corporation can claim political and civil rights to overturn democratically enacted laws”

His search and their saga – ever so long,  told PK quite clearly that something was wrong!
For months on end, that stretched to years, calling through fences with their tears

Across that void – that fierce road,
the trucks, the cars – their rushing load.

But now the best bit will unfold
As Pk’s stories now are told

One early evening waiting near the talking tree for his mother dear, he heard the wrens and bush birds say that to get to the coast there WAS a way
It was very long, and took some skill, and involved a risk of getting killed
Pk ask more from his flying friends, and they told him of roads that had no ends
However if game, they said that PK could travel those roads for part of the way

“Stick to the edges, and watch for the lights they’ll freeze you and fix you and BOY those cars bite”
“So stay in the shadows, and travel with stealth and you’ll get to a place which is full of ill health -
the drained swamps of coastlands” – the refugees called, but take take care of  dogs so that you won’t be mauled

God speed you PK, called the Birds of the Land, as he started his journey with their helping hand.

Familiar with Mooball and Cudgerra Creek, his crossing of this place took more than a week.
Then suddenly there he was ,over THAT ROAD – that huge roaring thoroughfare with it’s faceless load.

Now where to begin to start tracking his Mum? Her scent was not there on the road he had come,
so sniffing the breeze in the quiet morning light, he touched on a memory ever so slight.
The “feel” of his mother! It came from these trees- she’d been here before, but it had been some years.

The urge to continue, to follow his nose – led him to a high fence and again more loud roads.

Yet our hero undaunted, his mother he’d find -  then suddenly Pk saw one of his kind……..

A cousin – a cousin! There in the tree – he called out “KOALA! it’s PK!…. it’s ME!!”
The cousin’s eye’s opened   his nose sniffed PK.   Then he slowly pointed north,    saying     “that is the way”.

Now trembling with fatigues of his open road walk, our darling PK said “so sorry- can’t talk”. For gone were those days of the safe bushland life, now the people of Tweed were  giving them strife.
The human machines screamed and roared all the day, the constant truck noise – the people – the fray.
Bravely PK lumbered slowly along, to the east and the north where it felt very wrong.

Something was happening that made PK sick – he’d felt it before, it was like a bad trick.
And there – in the distance, from a tall tree he spied, the lay of King’s Forest. Was it there he could hide?

For all about PK, was nothing but bare – all cleared and flat land and the trees were nowhere! There were fences and houses, and small shrubs and trees, but the way to the forest was filled with disease.

The waters were putrid, the sparse old trees ill. Yet PK kept going, with his strong free will
He “knew” that his Mother would be near this place – this great fading Forest – ( Tweed Coast’s disgrace)
Past cypress and tea tree, our little friend ran, then though a sharp fence and across the bare land

And suddenly there he was facing his MUM! She cried out PK – you really have come!

OH reader, now listen of PK’s delight! To find his dear mother at last – what a sight!

Full adventure was over, he could rest .. he could talk. Then he told his Mama about his “LONG WALK”,

so proud of her son and his clever repose – big roads and big fences- do more than we suppose.

*******************************************************************

The above Poem, about Phantom Koala and how he finds his mother and becomes a Hero, reminds us that Koalas  are at very high risk here, on the NE Coast of NSW.

The actions and work by the Australian Government has done nothing to save the plight of the Coastal Koala, here in SE QLD and NE NSW. Koala population Numbers are dropping dramatically, and the same habitat destroying development is continuing at an alarming pace, all along the coast.

However: THERE IS A WAY!!!

Download some KOALA info here:- from the EPA, QLD.

“Koala (Phascolartos cinereus) survey and habitat assessment of Lot 4 on RP 35335 Doolong South Rd, Wondunna, Hervey Bay, Queensland / conducted for the Hervey Bay City Council” -  by ddwfauna August 2005,  is a good start….

” When Phantom Koala was Young -  A Koala Saga “ : my wordpress version of the first PK poem at Balance of Faeries blog.

“A Balance of Faeries” 1989 by al at bluecray – a story about koala habitat destruction – little by little – and the consequences

Kings Forest at articles Balance of Faeries blog and more links

Wisdom in the Land blog has Koala Planning Dreaming : a simple guideline for developing land, hand in hand with nature

Kings Forest : articles at bluecray.org and more links

***And, for inspiration……Some beautiful Koala ART WORK and a poem “Winter Koala” by Carol McCormack

]]> http://bluecray.org/advocacy/there-is-a-way-06.08.2009/feed 0 http://bluecray.org/photos/environmental-advocacy-collages-jan-mar-2009-17.03.2009 http://bluecray.org/photos/environmental-advocacy-collages-jan-mar-2009-17.03.2009#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:07:08 +0000 al http://bluecray.org/?p=1274 ...»»]]> A few photos , images and collages so far, that Bluecray has produced. Mainly for the Mt Warning Caldera Region, NE NSW and SE QLD, Australia.  Plenty to look at – Butterflies, Benoit, a Bat but, sorry, no Bettongs….. yet.  I wish that I had a quick camera reflex today – many different species of butterflies, flying past, through my home, through the garden – everywhere!

Planning, law, Part 3A, habitat loss, fragmentation of habitat, coastal development and engineering of infrastructure are some of the difficulties that Phantom Koala and this little frog face on their journey.

• “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.

PK & Litoria the Frog meet at the roundabout. They have been facing strenuous peril on their holiday north across the coastal border of NSW & QLD. Hopefully Chin Ting (the dragonfly) will arrive, and save the day!

• google search – Australia: native grassland and roadside environment conservation advice .

• Looking for some native australian grass Alternatives? try here:- Grasses of Subtropical eastern Australia Margaret Elliott : search results bluecray Environmental Search Engine

• and, Grasses of Subtropical Eastern Australia by Penny Watsford & Margaret Elliott Nullum Publications, Murwillumbah .at Brunswick Valley Landcare Inc. BOOKSHOP. This book is worth buying or finding in your library. It comes with a CD, photos and clear illustrations. You may even like to purchase a copy and donate it to the library of your local school or TAFE!!
• search results at Australian Government Biodiversity Search pages : native grasslands roadside .

This source of biodiversity, seed bank and native vegetation is often overlooked as a resource that can be managed by road side natural resource managers. It is definitely overlooked by drainage and earthworks contractors, mowing contractors and herbicide contractors. It is a local natural resource that is very under utilized.

Seed banks are precious in this day of biodiversity stress. Sustainability of development relies on acknowledging this, if it is to be truly sustainable at this level of land management.

Land that is cleared for development and roadworks is often removed by machine, with much top soil vegetative material and seed kept in situ for later re-use, back onto the newly formed landscape, of the road or development. This is done quickly, suddenly and harshly.

PK sees that Transplanting Native seedlings for at risk sites is a great way to keep small micro habitats happy

Localised collection of native seedlings, seed, rhizomes, tubers, and other propagation material can be a wonderful treasure chest for later use on the road verge or developed site.

A localised propagation material collection can be stored locally, collected manually , organically and sustainably stored and reused.

Land Managers of road verges encompass a number of different people, from designers and other who sit in offices, draw plans and do not understand the basic concepts of plant strategies for survival, to vegetation management& maintenance specialists who spend much of their time writing reports, filling out forms and negotiating new contracts, to the  contractors, who mow, scrape, excavate  and spray the road verge or development site.

All the while, as these guidelines, initiatives, policies, reports, environmental studies and briefs mount up,  little bits of road verge keep regrowing little seedlings, that get cut, re-cut, sprayed, resprayed, until they either survive, or die out.

Many of these seedlings and propagules,  especially in new developments or new roadworks, may be native. Under the ground there are even native tubers that we cannot see, and seed in the soil, leaf litter and grass thatch.

Sometimes, all it takes is   a little help.

Sometimes a little initiative.

Sometimes more land stewardship education.

bluecray Balance of Faeries blog :  “roads”

bluecray.org search  :  “Regional Environmental News Mt Warning Caldera Region NE NSW & SE QLD”

bluecrya.org :  ”Advocacy Links search ”

bluecray.org all search engines :  ”roads vegetation management”

bluecray.org search :  “roads vegetation management”

Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority and Biodiversity

SEQ Catchments and Biodiversity

• Weed Identification – IBRA – SE Qld
• Weed Identification – IBRA – NSW North Coast
• Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management (Weeds CRC) – what does your garden grow
• Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association : New community listing under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act .  (IFFA)

• native grassland and roadside central qld environment conservation advice : This conservation advice was approved by the Minister on: 15/12/08 A statement for the purposes of approved conservation advice (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

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