While Queensland, Australia Government Dithers, Land Clearing Soars

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org

http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Archives

http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest Conservation

11/22/99

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY

Here is an update on the shameful acceleration of land clearance

occurring in Northern Australia. Queensland's record on land

clearing is the worst in the Western world, with 340,000 hectares a

year being cleared between 1995 and 1997. In anticipation of

legislation to curb habitat conversion, the rate this year is

estimated between 400,000 and 500,000 hectares. The result has been

rising soil salinity, erosion and the extinction of animal species.

It is the opinion of many that Australia has zero credibility in

condemning any other country for forest loss. However correct their

concerns may be, they need to get their own house in order (like most

of the over-industrialized countries).

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: Land law 'too late' to stop clearing

Source: The Australian

Date: November 22, 1999

Byline: LEISA SCOTT

CONSERVATIONISTS yesterday urged Queensland Premier Peter Beattie to

dispense with his bid to get consensus on land clearing laws and act

decisively to stop the destruction of an estimated 1000ha of land

each day.

Green groups have been pushing for legislation to control land

clearing to be passed and in force by the end of the year, but Mr

Beattie's spokesman said yesterday it was expected there would be an

agreement between all relevant parties and a cabinet decision by

Christmas.

Legislation was unlikely with only three weeks of parliamentary

sittings before the end of the year.

"It's a matter of brokering an agreement to make sure we come up with

a solution that is going to work, that is more important than setting

a time limit," the spokesman said.

Queensland Conservation Council co-ordinator Imogen Zethoven said

that time frame was unacceptable and would enable graziers to

continue the "panic clearing" that had begun since Mr Beattie

promised the legislation last year.

She said Queensland had the worst record of land clearing in the

Western world, with satellite imaging showing an average clearing of

340,000ha a year between 1995 and 1997.

It was believed the rate this year was between 400,000 ha and 500,000

ha as farmers cleared land ahead of the legislation.

The result - especially in woodland and brigalow inland areas - was

rising salinity, soil erosion and the extinction of animal species,

she said.

Ms Zethoven said Mr Beattie - who last week called on federal

Environment Minister Robert Hill to provide $100 million for

compensation as part of the agreement package - had to show

leadership.

"It's unrealistic to expect we can all come to an agreement that

would be sufficiently strong to protect the environment and the

productivity of our lands into the next century," Ms Zethoven said.

"The Premier has got to act decisively on this."

She said any of Queensland's 1000-plus ecosystems, which had been

cleared by 50 per cent or more, should be protected by the

legislation against further land clearing.

Australian Conservation Foundation executive director Don Henry said

he appreciated that Mr Beattie was attempting to do something about

an issue that had been ignored by successive governments, but warned:

"The bulldozers won't stop over the Christmas-New Year break."

Mr Henry said Queensland's high tree-clearing rate - accounting for

80 per cent of all tree clearing in Australia - was largely due to

the fact that the southern states had already cleared most of their

land. States such as Victoria and NSW were now paying for that by

increased salinity and soil erosion.

"Tree clearing and the salinity it brings already costs rural

Australia about $1 billion a year in lost productivity," Mr Henry

said.

He said that in the past, a lot of the tree clearing took place

because of ignorance about the effects on the land but that was no

longer an excuse.

Most farmers were responsible and angered by their fellow farmers'

insistence on clearing land, he said.

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