Due to technical difficulties for the koala and logging breakout group at the Nannas conference, this enthusiastic group of Nannas from the NSW coast decided to have a Zoom meeting too. Here is the report from both meetings.
Overview of the forest situation in NSW (Susie)
Susie lives near Taree but is part of a network that covers all forests up and down the coast of NSW. They are working to build up to a decision like the Victorian one banning logging in native forests.
Susie’s nearest forest is Yarratt State Forest which is unburnt koala habitat but it’s being logged. Forestry NSW declares that their logging areas are prohibited zones, so you risk arrest by going in. However, so far the authorities haven’t prosecuted.
Many protectors have been arrested in other forests. Next court date for forest protectors is 13 June 2023 at Port Macquarie – it would be good to have Nannas supporting.
North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) held a citizen science weekend in Bulga Forest 3-4 June. NEFA, supported by the EDO, has taken the NSW Government to the Federal Court to challenge the legality of the North East Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) on climate grounds.
Of the 175,000ha of state forests that constitutes the proposed Great Koala National Park (GKNP) (green) Forestry Corporation NSW plans to log over 17% in the next 12 months (red), including some of the most important koala habitat in NSW (white). See Nature Conservation Council (NCC) map.
An article, Loggers get their way in proposed koala national park, in the Sydney Morning Herald, asks why areas to be declared as part of the Greater Koala National Park are being logged now.
Susie also demonstrated how you can check logging coupes on Forestry Corporation NSW’s portal.
Campbelltown (Bron)
Campbelltown koala population of 500-1000 is the only chlamydia free population in NSW.
The Labor Government has promised to establish the Upper Georges River National Park in South West Sydney within three years, but no more details have emerged since the election. The park is to the east of Appin Road, but Penny Sharpe has warned Save Sydney’s Koalas not to expect protections to the west. This is where good koala habitat is, and (so far) a way to expand into the Blue Mountains.
Penny Sharpe shouldn’t sign off on Stage 2 of Lendlease Gilead housing development because it is right in the middle of an important koala corridor joining the Nepean and the Georges Rivers.
The Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan won’t conserve koalas because of the lack of good habitat and corridors. Tanya Plibersek shouldn’t sign off on it before the EPBC Act is overhauled and made fit for purpose to deliver zero extinctions.
North Coast (Dot)
Dot is a life member of Friends of the Koala. She became aware of a cosy and unpalatable relationship with the Forestry Corporation whereby they handed out thousands of koala feed tree seedlings to the group thus making themselves look koala-friendly. Dot and Nanna friends realised that the koalas would be extinct before the trees were grown. They managed to get North Coast Friends of the Koala to sever the tie and are now working on other groups to end their relationships with them.
ANZIF Forestry Conference will be held in Tweed Heads on October 15 – 18. This may be an occasion for more Friends of the Koala groups to sever ties with Forestry NSW and draw the public’s attention to the fact that planting trees now is not going to solve the looming extinction.
Lismore Nannas’ Fridays for Forests keeps the pressure on local politicians. Nannas don’t have to go into the forest if they don’t feel they are physically capable. Nannas have been protesting outside Janelle Saffan’s office for a long time and they also have highly visible actions along the Pacific Highway.
South Coast (Larri)
Action on Monday June 5th to save the “Big Spotty” Compartment 50, North Brooman State Forest. Fourteen Nannas signed up to go on this field trip to see Big Spotty. Report on this action later in the week.
Actions
- Hit MPs on social media
- Write to/ring MPs (Premier, Treasurer)
- Write to/meet with companies e.g. Lendlease.
What is the most effective form of action?
- If you write to the top person (e.g. Premier), it gets passed down the chain, so gets read by more people.
- Ringing an MP’s office is powerful.
- Getting an appointment and meeting the MP is very powerful as you build a relationship with them.
- The best thing to do is what you feel comfortable doing, as it is sustainable – you will keep doing it. Luckily different people like doing different things.
- Have an action around the idea of “How much are we spending to have our native animals killed?”
- Tie in with Forestry Corp’s greenwashing e.g. free trees to Friends of the Koala.
- Publicise the Bob Brown Foundation’s 3 Days of Action for Forests in 17-19 August – make sure all our networks are aware.
- Compile a register of Sydney metropolitan koala groups so we can contact each other easily.
- The Nature Conservation Council of NSW is holding a webinar with Tanya Plibersek on Monday 26 June. Suggested questions that the Nannas would like Tanya to answer (individual Nannas can submit these or similar when they register for the webinar):-
- What can we do to help you win over the prime minister and the rest of your government to action supporting the protection of nature?
- Will you ensure that your overhaul of the EPBC Act is consistent with the principle of zero extinctions? In view of the long timeframe expected for the revamped Act, is there some other mechanism you can use in the meantime to ensure that your zero extinctions promise is kept?
- Will you introduce legislation to prevent destruction of native forest on public and private land?