Media Release - 16-07-06
Koala initiatives threatened by uncontrolled Minister
Friends of the Five Forests (FOFF) have labelled as counter productive and politically motivated a NSW Government decision to allow unrestricted shooting in public forests. According to FOFF, the decision to open up public forests for shooters, particularly those in areas of critical Koala habitat, reflects a Minister that has lost the plot and a Government that is in disarray.
Spokesperson Robert Bertram said statements from NSW forestry Minister Ian MacDonald that amateur shooters will eradicate feral animals and that the Games Council has undertaken best practise risk analysis are rubbish.
" There is no evidence to support the notion that uncoordinated hunting will
have a positive impact and reduce feral numbers, but there is plenty of
evidence to demonstrate that shooters are responsible for the spread of
certain feral species. Similarly, if best practise risk assessment had been
undertaken, local residents would feel re-assured as opposed to the thought
of being shot at when travelling to and from work, the school bus, in a
National Park or their back yard" he said.
The NSW Government recently spent hundreds of thousands of public dollars engaging the consultancy firm Eco Logical and other experts, to provide some community and scientific input into Koala management issues. The consultancy arose from Forests NSW failure to consider community concerns before logging critical Koala habitat in Murrah State Forest last year.
"You have to wonder why the NSW Government would bother to engage
consultants when before the report is completed, Minister MacDonald and his
cronies in the Forestry Commission can, yet again, ignore community concerns
and bulldoze through with their unscientific claptrap. Clearly this approach
represents another attempt to outrage the community, perhaps with the
intention of diverting attention from more important and pressing issues,
especially the ongoing loss of forest cover. There is only so much a Koala
or the community can bear, so in the absence of any reasonable consultation
we will be exploring avenues for legal redress" Mr. Bertram said.
Friends of the Five Forests support positive change based on credible science and best practise community consultation. Our proposals for sustainable forest management aimed at preventing the extinction of Koalas and restoring our forests can be down loaded from www.fiveforests.net.