October 28: NSW Environment Minister Robyn Parker has corrected her gaff about 'logging protects koalas' now admitting logging doesn't protect koalas. Parker also confused the Threatened Species License with the Environment Protection(formerly Pollution)License. What appears to be happening in the OE&H is those who threaten koalas by supporting FNSW and unsustainable logging are blaming those who provide the unscientific approach to soils. Concerns about possible corruption around the koala issue have been referred to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, so perhaps they can sort it out.

October 27: Finishing off their responses to the questions posed by the ABC FNSW have attempted to explain what they did in Cpt 2051. According to FNSW there were only four definite koala records not the 5 indicated in the NPWS wildlife Atlas and reported to the Senate Koala inquiry. One of these 4, one wasn't a definite koala but a possum. At this point FNSW ignore the fact that their original transects found nothing and turn the 'sweep searches' undertaken between RGBSAT sites into transects. Using this method the RGBSAT site apparently doesn't count and trees with koala evidence are reduced to 2, incurring the minimum logging exclusion area. It's a bit hard to know who are the bigger criminals, FNSW or the OE&H who let them get away with it.

October 23: Forests NSW have responded to three of the questions posed as part of the ABCs logging program. Apparently the transect technique has been 'successful' for yonks, in other regions and although the RGBSAT surveys picked up some koala evidence,'incidental records' infer no technique is certain to find koalas. FNSW really want to do RGBSAT survey and although the OE&H won't let them (?) they claim to do it anyway (??). All of this is part of FNSW's long-term efforts to maintain the illusion that koalas are so 'cryptic' that they could be/are everywhere. Unlikely though it is, one wonders if the OE&H will have anything to add.

October 20: ABC local radio are running a series of programs on the logging issue, starting with the different koala survey techniques and posing some questions, brief responses resources page. Also available on the resources page are FNSWs results from their (endangered) Southern Brown Bandicoot (SBB) surveys and comments on them as well. It would seem that the SBB 'recovery team' apparently made up of FNSW, OE&H and Bega Shire Council, take a similar lax approach to SBB's as the fabled 'koala recovery team' (whomever they may be) do with koalas.

October 14: FNSW have announced that they will not be logging in Tanja SF before Christmas, while they wait for 'wetter' weather. It is uncertain if this decision stemmed from concerns raised at a public meeting in Tathra the other night however, there is apparently no reprieve for residents of Bermagui and Coolagolite. Faced with a massively increased post logging 'on-ground' fuel loads and the potential for an extensive canopy die-back event it's little wonder FNSW's 'community consultation' with regard to their illegal operations has been constrained to one ill-informed person. On the other side of the coin the NSW Minister for the Environment has announced the intention to double the area burnt in National Parks. Question is, if this proposal is based FNSW's claims that this will reduce die-back?

October 10: The commencement of logging was again delayed in Cpt 2069 this morning, while FNSW and the loggers found somebody else's skirts to hide under. As it turned out the private landholder providing access to 2069 doesn't have a Harvesting Plan either. So this poor bugger is in the position that if he denies the same access he provides to FNSW he may unwittingly be assisting illegal activities. Regrettably ignorance is no excuse and added to the unreasonable withholding of legal documentation, it seems a shame that FNSW and the OE&H can't do their own dirty work.

October 7: All of the rest of those charged over protesting about illegal logging in Cpts. 2133 and 2135 in Mumbulla State Forest, were today found not guilty. Costs were awarded.

October 4: Logging in Cpt 2069 started late today because it took over an hour for the NSW Police to arrive and confirm that FNSW 'restricted area' sign is, in fact, on private land. Whether or not the NSW Police will be required to confirm the other facts remains uncertain.

October 3: The OE&H have recently responded to a request for information on the genetic make-up of koalas on the tablelands indicating that they are genetically different from the Five Forests koalas. While the reasons why and how this should be the case remain elusive, even more elusive is why they are logging critical habitat for this nationally significant koala population in Cpt 2069 of Bermagui SF. Some of the concerns that require resolving about this logging are detailed in a brief document available on the Resources page.

September 26: Another day and Forests NSW have now moved into Cpt 2069 in Bermagui State Forest. As indicated in the media release this action confirms the NSW government doesn't care about koalas and thinks the same of the local human community.

September 25: On Friday 23 September a request was made to the Forestry compliance unit at the OE&H to advise whether Clause 11 of the IFOA still applied to logging operations in the Eden Region, there has been no response. Amongst other things Clause 11 indicates, at (B)(b) that "the area logged comprises no more than 60% of the net harvestable area (NHA) of the compartment in existence immediately prior to logging." The OE&H have approved FNSW's new harvesting plan for Cpt 2002 that provides for more than 70% of the NHA to be logged. In addition to the original plan they have also logged coupes 3,4 and may now be in coupe 5. While a breach report is being prepared the OE&H's consistent failure to adequately control FNSW's activities confirms that the community must do it.

September 23: The Senate committee have released a 'highly couched' final report, but making several worthwhile recommendations. Problem being the State governments who will have to do something. Forests NSW have returned to Cpt 2002 in Bermagui SF apparently logging more than they are allowed and the question is whether they will then move out of Bermagui, Murrah and Mumbulla and confirm whether the NSW government is prepared to take more care looking after koalas.

September 17: On Wedenesday 14 September the koala recovery officer Chris Allen held a meeting at Numeralla to talk about the outcomes of koala surveys in the area. As no information has been passed onto the broader community a check of the Numeralla and District Activities(Inc)website also has no information on the survey outcomes. It's as if this information is secret - for some reason.

September 8: Submissions recently released by the Senate Koala Inquiry have proposed considering the genetic differences between koalas in the north and south. This approach is proposed to include the Strzelecki and Five Forests koalas with populations to the north that, unlike most Victorian koalas, have not been through the 'genetic bottleneck'. The potential benefit is that the Minister could list koalas to the north, without the need to refer the matter back to the TSSC and provide some Federal influence on the State Government's appalling management. Of course information on the genetics of the tablelands koalas would be required and we can only look forward to the results of Sydney University's analysis, due now.

September 4: Forests NSW have released their September logging list (resources page) confirming their intention to log Compartments 2069 in Bermagui and 2102,2104 and 2108 in Tanja SF. No Harvesting Plans have been released. There are eleven koala records in and within 2 kilometers of 2069 and the Tanja compartments all have a record within 2 kilometers and are on the Murrah Soil Landscape(map resources page). The koala record in Tanja is in an unlogged coupe in Cpt 2103, not on the logging list. This record is a result of 'research' undertaken by Dr Rod Kavanagh now Senior Principal Research Scientist and leader of the Forest Biodiversity and Ecology program in the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystems Research Unit at the NSW DPI. At that time other coupes in the compartment were being logged.

September 1: Available on the Resources page (Downloadable information) is a brochure that spells out FNSW ideas about dieback. Produced in association with the CRC for Bushfires, the maps of dieback referred to in the brochure have apparently been suppressed by the NSW government. Also available is the fourth submission/report to the Senate inquiry that is pitched at what some think FNSW and the OE&H should be doing.

August 26: The OE&H have put out a press release about the koala surveys they have been undertaking in Dignams Creek catchment. According to the PR " . . . Mr Allen said the survey results would be a great guide for focussing the management of fire in and around the identified koala areas and also reminded everyone of the importance and the fragility of this population." The problem being that the OE&H via FNSW have already provided to the Senate inquiry evidence that the one kilometer grid does not identify all koala activity. So their proposed management is based on 'professional judgment' that has no basis in science or fact.

August 24: Yesterday the Senate Koala Inquiry released information from Forests NSW on koalas. *(Document previously referred in this spot has been withdrawn and replaced with more comprehensive fifth submission to Senate koala inquiry) According to the HP for Cpt 2051/52, no evidence of koalas was found during pre-logging surveys, but the information provided by FNSW to the inquiry, from the NPWS's Wildlife Atlas has five koala 'records' in Cpt 2051 dated around June 2010.

August 20: Due to concerns about the legality current logging in Bermagui, the following request for clarification was sent to the Australian Forestry Standard on 18/8/11. As yet there has been no response " To whom it may concern, I refer to the article pasted below fyi, that appeared in yesterdays Narooma News within the context of AFS certification of Forestry NSW (AFS/01-21-05, Cert No. 13761), South East Fiber Exporters -SEFE (AFS/01-21-20 & Cert No.9069-10) and Chain of Custody certification for SEFE (Cert No.14213-0) and Blue Ridge Hardwoods (Cert No.14213-01). Could you please advise as to whether the logging contractors proposal to sell 'waste' timber is consistent with AFS and Chain of Custody certification?

August 17: In today's Narooma News is an article titled "Loggers at Bermagui keen to promote sustainable harvest". Amongst other claims is the following statement " . . . Mr Wilton said other than timber earmarked either for the sawmill or chipmill, he was also setting aside the heads and butts of trees and redwood off-cuts for firewood.He was planning to sell some of this firewood to raise money that he would donate to the Bermagui Field and Game Club, as a way of giving back to the community." The 'redwood off-cuts', Mr Wilton intends to sell on the side, come from koalas preferred feed trees. Apart from destroying critical koala habitat there is some uncertainty as to whether Mr Wiltons proposals are consistent with the Chain of Custody requirements associated with the Australian Forestry Standard. One expects Mr Wilton's polluting shotgun club mates will be happy recipients of his generosity whether it's legal or otherwise.

August 6: At the Senate inquiry on Monday Mr Peter Menkhorst, representing the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment , was asked " . . whether you have any information on that isolate of koalas around Bermagui in south-east New South Wales and what relationship that has to the Victorian population." In response Mr Menkhorst said " . . No, I do not have any information, but I would add that I am not convinced it is an isolate. There are koalas in far eastern Victoria, around Mallacoota, and north of the Victorian-New South Wales border, in the vicinity of Delegate, so it would seem to me that there is very likely to be a continuous population through that area—very sparse." Next on where Forests NSW who went with 1,500 koalas in the Eden region based on their unverified call-back survey in 1997 and radio-collaring, that they aren't allowed to do anymore. They even claimed that there were no koalas in Bermagui SF because it's all spotted gum. Thankfully they were given several questions and information requests- so it will be helpful to see their contradictions/lies in writing.

August 1: Amongst others appearing at the senate inquiry in Melbourne today are FNSW's south region ecologist and their native forest planning manager. Based on current information it seems likely they will be arguing that logging has maintained 'forest structure' and is therefore not a threat to koalas. A re-measure of three koala survey plots and found consistent trends in the discrepancies for all of them. Either data quality control was no existent or it is deliberate fraud.

July 23 : With protests in Bermagui now a regular event, it seems likely that even if the Five Forests koalas were listed as endangered in NSW, FNSW would still be logging. As Chris Allen says in his submission to the Senate koala inquiry " . . the issue of Koalas’ habitat preferences in terms of forest growth stage in this part of NSW remains unresolved at a scientific and policy level". So logging can continue because when it comes to advocacy for koalas or anything against FNSW, the OE&H couldn't argue their way out of a wet paper bag.

July 16 : While FNSW continue to trash Bermagui they have also released their plan of operations(POO)for 2010- 2011.There are 39 compartments listed for logging or as contingency (map on resources page)in Bermagui, Murrah, Mumbulla and Tanja SFs, many in active koala cells. All that is certain is that like Bermagui and everywhere else, any logging will not be consistent with the RFA which requires 'adaptive management'. In contrast the AFPA/NAFI claim in their response to a question on notice to the koala Senate inquiry that FNSW do practice 'adaptive management' and that will save koalas. Someone's telling porkies.

July 9 : It is possible that current logging of critical koala habitat in Bermagui State Forest is a result of an agreement between the OEH and FNSW about what is ‘preferred koala habitat’. On page 2 of the Conservation Council ACT Region Inc./South East Region Conservation Alliance submission to the Senate koala inquiry under the heading " ...The map overleaf indicates the results of the combined DECCW/community RGBSAT surveys and analysis undertaken by DECCW and confirmed by Prof. Ross Cunningham, ANU." The ‘preferred habitat’ layer on this map, available on the resources page, does not seem to be derived from environment variables, like soils, forest ecosystems or catchments, rather maximised timber production seems to be the only variable. Interestingly koala activity cells are found outside ‘preferred habitat’ suggesting either the model is wrong or the koalas don’t know what’s good for them.

July 5: The results of two field dispersion tests on soil samples from Cpt 2001 are available on the resources pages. In brief whether the soils are dispersible seems to depend on where the soil sample is taken from and what field test is used. The test specified in the Environment Protection License seems designed to provide for whatever outcome is required.

July 2: Available on the resources page (reports produced by or for the government) is the analysis of koala survey data undertaken by the ANU in 2010. According to this analysis the data produced from the surveys cannot be used anywhere else so it would seem koala habitat can only really be determined by two criteria- large trees growing on the Murrah soil landscape. However, according to Forests NSW the soils in Cpt 2001 of Bermagui SF are not dispersible. More on whether this claim is true soon.

June 21: This morning Wilton Logging Pty Ltd moved into Compartment 2001 in Bermagui State Forest rather than Cpt 2069. Perhaps the NSW Police will be able to explain why this logging is taking place when the actions outlined in the NSW Koala Recovery Plan have not been implemented and if they have none of the information has been made publicly available.

June 20: Forests NSW are currently clearing fire trails in Mumbulla State Forest. The operations involve pushing large piles of dirt into random locations, bulldozing dead tress into live trees and uprooting koala feed trees. Brockeloes Creek catchment contains 560 hectares of Mumbulla State Forest and combining the length of fire trails with half of the road length on the catchment boundary gives a road density of 1785 meters per 100 hectares. According to FNSW's ESFM plan the average road density in state forests of the Eden region is 990 meters per 100 hectares.

June 13: Perhaps concerned about negative publicity on the koala issue the National Association of Forest Industries have engaged the Center for Environmental Management at the 'be what you want to be' Central Queensland University. Their report, recently posted on the Senate koala inquiry website, takes a few liberties. Estimates of koala numbers in the south east of NSW are cited to the interim report on surveys in the Bermagui/Mumbulla forests (Allen et al. 2010)although this report only had figures for these surveys. Further on the FNSW figure of 0.006 koalas per hectare (1600 koalas)in the Eden region is quoted. On a positive note and in contrast to the NSW Government the report suggests " A multicatchment survey in NSW supports this localised, catchment approach to the management of koalas, showing that a broad (multicatchment) approach is not sufficient (Crowther et al. 2009) and a more effective koala management approach should be developed at a catchment scale rather than at a broader region or state level." However the conclusion suggesting "There is the potential that further research could demonstrate opportunities for the forestry industry to have a positive effect on the sustainability of koala habitat and the long term perseverance of koalas within forestry estates." is far too late. Thankfully there is enough research to confirm that the negative effects of an unsustainable forestry industry guarantees koala extinction on forestry estates.

June 7: Forests NSW have scheduled Compartment 2069 in Bermagui State Forest for logging. Cpt 2069 forms part of the 'corridor' between Kooraban NP and Murrah SF. According to the NSW koala recovery plan " . . DECC will approach Forests NSW to collaborate in developing policy & practice consistent with the NSW Koala Recovery Plan; exchange information, given koalas move across tenure boundaries; & work within the context of agreed regional forest agreements. (Low priority)" On the assumption that this collaboration has taken place the outcome is clearly another case of putting timber supplies first, from those who know nothing about koalas.

June 2: Thanks to the work of South East Forest Rescue - see complaint lodged re logging in Bodalla State Forest resources page - more information has surfaced on koalas in the area. As indicated in the logging plans for compartments in Bodalla SF - also on resources page - logging occurred in two compartments with koala evidence and a 50 meter buffer is claimed to have been put in place around these locations. Unfortunately they have never been followed up to see if the prescriptions worked and koalas can still be found in these compartments.

May 28: The Standing Committee on Environment and Communications has released the transcript for the public meeting held in Canberra. It is now certain that the push to translocate koalas from somewhere into 'suitable habitat' on the south coast is supported by Chris Allen but, apparently not by John Hibberd who suggested trying to look after the koalas already here. Clearly there is a split in SERCA over this issue and perhaps those who support translocating koalas, like Coastwatchers may wish to consider another organization to associate with.

May 20: Yesterday the Standing Committee on Environment and Communications inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia's koala population held their second public meeting in Canberra. Amongst those invited to attend were Koala recovery officer Chris Allen, in a private capacity and John Hibberd appearing as Executive Director of the Conservation Council ACT Region. According to the transcript from the Brisbane meeting those questioned are asked to confirm their submission and asked whether there is anything they would now like to change. Seems unlikely but it will probably be necessary to wait for the transcript to see if the aforementioned still think change is unnecessary.

May 17: On May 13 the Standing Committee on Environment and Communications inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia's koala population agreed they need time to consider the evidence thoroughly. An additional public hearing is proposed during the winter recess and the committee intends to present the final report on Wednesday, 24 August 2011.

May 7: Apparently not what the conservation movement had hoped for but Boral, who amongst other things export native forest woodchips from the north coast, have applied for Forest Stewardship Council certification. The move to expand the FSC is simply to relieve the Feds of the increasing risk associated with their 'accreditation' of the state governments forest management systems. Hence it's not surprisingly that one of the criteria ditched in the draft 'Controlled wood risk assessment' for Boral, because FNSW don't agree, is the notion of environmental stewardship from a bio-regional perspective. Rather the FSC is apparently happy to just slot in next to the Australian Forestry Standard, taking the heat off the feds, creating two problems where there was one and generally making things more difficult. Thankfully other options may be available at a local scale, otherwise it would be necessary to trust that the conservation movement would take a moment to get their collective wits about them, realize the FSC is a bad idea and put their efforts behind supporting management systems that are meshed into credible science. Perhaps one day that moment will occur.

May 5: As a result of the changed NSW government the DECCW is now called the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH). The OEH has responded to a submission (sub 83-name withheld) to the Senate koala inquiry that questions the effectiveness of the IFOA and private land logging protocols in protecting koalas and their habitat. According to OEH Chief Executive Lisa Corbyn " . . As our previous submission showed NSW has a multi-strand program in place to protect the koala including a Koala Recovery Plan, active establishment and management of protected areas and proactive regulatory programs which are kept under regular review for improvement." Naturally Ms Corbyn doesn't mention dieback.

April 28: The Senate Koala inquiry is now taking supplementary submissions. As a consequence the document referred to below has been temporarily removed from the resources page pending the Committees consideration and providing the opportunity for relevant parties to respond, should they wish.

April 19: Based on a perception that politicians may not be getting the best advice on koalas a response has been prepared, resources page, to issues raised in some submissions to the Senate koala inquiry. In particular submissions from the Koala recovery officer, the (now defunct)DECCW and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations and Communities.

April 8: The Senate Committee has released the DECCW submission to the koala inquiry. In general they appear to be sticking with their statewide recovery plan but at Attachment 2 indicate- " . . .Policy/Measure/Action Review conditions of Eden Regional Forest Agreement Region Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals and Threatened Species Licence related to koala protection. Outcome sought/Achieved DECCW and Forests NSW have been gathering and analysing data to support the review process. DECCW has held preliminary discussions with Forests NSW about potential reserve options. Ongoing negotiations in south east regarding habitat in Mumbulla, Murrah and Bermagui State Forests. Comments (Issues/Constraints) Options limited by commitments in Regional Forest Agreements, Forest Agreements and Integrated Approvals." Seems the DECCW are looking to the feds to solve an issue they cannot.

April 3 : One of the election promises made by incumbent Liberal member for Bega Andrew Constance was to return planning powers to local communities. If this had been the case back in 2001 the DECCW may not have been able to use their influence with the Feds to scuttle the scientific proposals for koala and catchment management. Now that the koala recovery officer has stated, in his submission to the Senate inquiry, that dieback is 'too complex' to understand but koalas may have a few years left, perhaps the new state government will rethink their approach.

March 25: Forests NSW are proposing operations (logging) in Nullica State Forest and have written to South East Forest Rescue asking for information they may have on koalas in the area. In that regard a brief document 'Koala Extinction-Nullica SF and Curalo Lake catchment (PDF, 2.8Mb)' is available on the resources page.

March 18: After the solicitor for those charged over the illegal logging in Mumbulla SF suggested FNSW should not have proceeded with the prosecution, in an article titled 'Forests NSW defends court action" ABC radio reports - " . . . But the new Regional Manager, Daniel Tuan, says the protesters did not know about the Indigenous significance during the activity, and it was a matter of luck that the issue surfaced weeks later." As luck would have it what also surfaced was information on FNSW's unilateral decision to eliminate Aboriginal sites from their corporate database. This decision was made and signed for by three FNSW employees. As part of the lateral movement of FNSW staff to many other government departments one of these employees, former manager Mr Michael Bullen, now heads up the Sydney Catchment Authority. Mr Bullen's past actions are not a confidence booster and his suitability for his current position must be questioned.

March 14: All those charged over the illegal logging of Biamanga Aboriginal Place have been found not guilty apart from Cr Keith Hughes whose story did not convince the Judge. According to Harriet Swift a precedent for other logging has not been set because there are few Aboriginal Places on State Forest. While this may be the case there are/were hundreds of Aboriginal sites that FNSW illegally destroy on a regular basis.

March 1: The NSW Government are continuing their prosecution of 'protesters' charged in and during the logging of Biamanga Aboriginal Place. Forests NSW are allegedly claiming among other things that BAP was/ is not on their 'corporate database'. Publicly available from the federal Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries and on the Resources page are the project summaries for the Eden Comprehensive Regional Assessment Process. The project on page 58 - DEVELOPMENT OF NET HARVESTABLE AREA (NE12/FRA)- states that Aboriginal sites were on the GIS layer and the metadata for the project states that SFNSW are custodians of the GIS layer. The questions are, what have they done with this layer, why isn't it being employed to inform their management and is taking people to court another attempt evade their responsibilities under the RFAs?

February 23: Yesterday on ABC radio a DECCW spokesperson stated that while they knew about koalas around Bermagui, they don't have any information about koalas further south down to Eden. The request was for landholders to report any koala activity in that area. Had this been done a decade ago the DECCW and their 'scientists' may have retained some credibility. It's too late for that now and they should be ensuring that one threat, current management (logging & burning) is stopped. Until they do, any claim that they care for koalas is laughable. A copy of the submission sent to the Senate inquiry is available on the resources page.

February 17:As another sign that Forests NSW can do what they want when they want the new regional manager, Mr Daniel Tuan has approved logging of rainforest in Cpt 3043 Bodalla State Forest. As a result of the illegal logging of Biamanga Aboriginal Place FNSW produced a new document aimed at a 'due diligence' approach to cultural heritage. Apparently to get around this, details of who produced the plan and the cultural heritage section have been blacked out of the logging plan for Cpt 1326 in Coolangubra SF. The 3043 map and 1326 plan are available from the resources page.

February 11: Todays Bega District news reports on Bega Shire Council's decision to put their support behind the unsustainable native forest logging industry. Coupled with their previous support for the offensive and toxic Bermagui shotgun club, it seems reasonable to assume that Bega Shire Council are keen to destroy critical koala habitat and eliminate all koalas. One wonders what other forms of environmental degradation they will support as they seek to bring world wide disrepute on the Shire.

February 2: The DECCW are holding community meetings at Bredbo, Numeralla and Cooma to get people involved in koala surveys. According to their press release - “Koalas exist across the Southern Tablelands but information on distribution could be improved. We hope to build on what we already know and improve our knowledge of koala distribution, abundance, genetic status and browse species preferences in this part of the state. These meetings will provide an opportunity to share information about koalas in the region and about the survey methods that we use, and to give an overview of the survey work we are planning“, Mr Darlington said. Koala surveys undertaken in the early 2000’s revealed an important population that was spread through forest and woodland areas to the north east of Cooma." As there has been no attempt to clarify the genetic status of the "bark eating' tablelands koalas during the past decade, the sooner this information becomes available the better. Interestingly the ellipse in Chris Allen's draft report on koala trends in the south east (resources page) appears to exclude the area on the tablelands where koalas, including the skulls of three koalas, were first located during community surveys in the late 1990's.

January 23: Former Forests NSW employee and NSW Scientific committee representative Dr Jim Shields is planning to undertaken koala surveys using a dog. According to an article at - http://www.dogtrainingtips.net.au/koala-detection-dogs-for-southeast-nsw - Shields will be starting his dog surveys early this year. The point behind the surveys is not clear but the idea would seem to be to continue to support logging and ignore dieback while claiming threatened and endangered species may or may not be 'rare' because they are 'currently difficult to survey'.

January 10: The final Forests NSW action for 2010 was to bulldoze a road through Mumbulla SF and onto private property where they cleared a large area cause they can. Curiously an article in the most recent edition of ‘Bush Matters’ a glossy DECCW Conservation Partners Program newsletter states “ . . . The biodiversity survey, led by Chris Allen, has grown from a koala survey, the first phase of which assessed the distribution and abundance of a highly scattered and endangered koala population occupying the coastal forests south from The Crossing (Allen et al 2010).” Suggesting the word 'endangered' is a typo there is also an article on what the scientific committee relied on for their determination - Lunney's community koala survey showing koalas as far south as Eden. Then there is an article on the so-called Great Eastern Ranges Initiative to 'reconnect habitat and manage threatening processes'. Regrettably Forests NSW isn't a partner in this initiative so one expects those involved do not have the information on dieback that FNSW refuse to make public. In addition to this ignorance conservation groups, the NPA and the NCC, apparently think that supporting a proposal that has nothing to do with bio-regions is consistent with the bio-regional approach they agreed on for the Forest Stewardship Council assessments. There is something wrong with this logic.

December 15: The credibility of forestry and the loggers continues to take a beating. One of their claims 'burning is good' has been proved wrong- Indigenous burn control a myth: study- http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/12/06/3085726.htm

Another, that when forest is cleared trees will grow again, although this didn't happen on New Zealands south island- Hungry Maoris burned forests to grow food- http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/12/14/3092679.htm?site=science&topic=latest

Another, that logging reduces the threat of fire, has been proved wrong- Logging makes forests more flammable: study- http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/02/11/2816526.htm?topic=

And finally that there is too much nitrogen and this is killing trees, but studies show a lack of nitrogen is a limiting factor in trees ability to take up CO2- Tree's ability to soak up CO2 has limits http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/10/26/3047804.htm?topic=

December 4: Bega Valley Shire Council has apparently approved the interest free loan to the Bermagui Field and Game Shotgun Club. At their last Ordinary meeting on 30 November Councilor Seckold received an answer regarding lead disposal " The toxicity of lead and its persistence in the environment has been documented widely. What surety does Council have that the Bermagui Field and Game Club is complying with environmental requirements?"

The Group Manager Planning and Environment provided the following response: During the assessment of the development application (1999.1438) for the Bermagui Field and Game Club, the potential impact of lead shot on the environment was a key element of consideration. The assessment involved consultation with the then Environment Protection Authority (now NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water). In accordance with that advice and controls required at other Ranges, including Cecil Park (Sydney Olympic site), a system of sediment control measures were required to control and contain the movement of waste lead shot. The system of controls is aimed at retention of the lead shot on site and maintenance of the devices after runoff producing rain ensures that washed lead shot is collected on site and disposed of correctly. A number of inspections of the Murrah Range by Council officers has occurred since the Consent was issued and the site has been found to be effectively maintained and operated. The most recent inspection of the site occurred earlier this year and some maintenance of the control devices was required. Staff did at that time write to the Bermagui Field and Game Club reminding them of the importance of the control devices and of the need to ensure regular maintenance is continued. A further letter has recently been sent and a follow up inspection has been programmed for December 2010. In addition in early 2010 a baseline water quality monitoring exercise in the Murrah River catchment was conducted by Council staff. This study included lead and other estuarine health indicators and found excellent water quality and that lead levels were below the Australian and New Zealand Environment Conservation Council (ANZECC) criteria and in most cases below detection limits. A control site was established in the Nelson Lagoon catchment. This study will be utilised as a baseline study and will be expanded and built upon in future years. Further water quality monitoring will be conducted in 2011.

One of the issues is that none of this information was made available to the public for use in submissions. Another is that there are National standards for determining the severity and extent of contaminated land. Bega Shire Council staff have simply made up their own low standard.

November 25: This week, logging industry representatives protested outside Bega Local Court about protesters stopping their 'legal work'. Inside the court, Forest NSW's legal representative cast doubt on the legality of the operations in Mumbulla State Forest (Cpts 2133-2135). The hearing of charges laid against some who protested about the logging has been adjourned pending the outcomes of the EDO's summons on Forests NSW about logging Biamanga Aboriginal Place. A submission (780 kb) objecting to Bega Shire Council's proposed grant and loan to the Bermagui shotgun club is available on the resources page.

November 21: The DECCW has passed on a confused, confusing and ultimately misleading draft report, available on the resources page (2.5Mb) titled ESTIMATING KOALA NUMBERS & ASSESSING POPULATION TRENDS IN SOUTH EASTERN NSW. The document was apparently put together for the Threatened Species Scientific Committee so it may be interesting to compare/contrast whatever they finally sent, if it's made available. Co-incidently Greens Senator Bob Brown has initiated a senate inquiry into koalas, on ya Bob! Brief comments (260kb) on the NSW forest agreements review are also available on the resources page.

November 12: On ABC regional radio this morning National Association of Forest Industries spokesperson, Mr A. Hansard, claimed that 'populations' (a 'population' being a minimum of 300 to 500 animals) of koalas had moved from National Parks into State Forests. This bizarre claim is apparently based on claims in the document (download from resources page) "A playback survey of the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, and a review of its distribution in the Eden Region of south-eastern New South Wales (2001)". These surveys were undertaken in 1997 and the outcome was an unverified and generally unbelievable estimate of 1,500 koalas in the Eden Region. An optimistic estimate from the 2007-09 RGB-SAT surveys provides for 30 to 50 koalas in the Five Forests, or 10% of a 'population'. If one took the industry seriously, the question would seem to be which State Forests have the other 1,450 koalas moved into?

November 6: While it's too late for the trees, the Bega District News (yesterday)reports that the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) has served a summons on Forests NSW over the illegal logging of Biamanga Aboriginal Place. The EDO are seeking an injunction restraining FNSW from any further illegal logging, an order that FNSW make good the damage and an order that FNSW attend a restorative justice conference. One can only speculate on whether FNSW will decide to waste more public funds and peoples time and continue with their prosecutions against the Mumbulla protesters given as High Court Judge J. Harper determined in 2005, against Vicforests, " . . The careless preparation of a Forest Coupe Plan". Details at - http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/VSC/2005/228.html

November 3: Bega Council resolved at its meeting on October 12, 2010, to offer a $30,000 interest free loan (over 10 years from working capital) to the Bermagui Field and Game Gun Club for the purpose of acquiring the shooting range site, subject to the General Manager being satisfied of the ability to repay the debt, and that the proposal be advertised for public comment for 28 days. Submissions regarding the proposal to provide an interest free loan to the Bermagui Field and Game Gun Club can be forwarded to the General Manager, PO Box 492, Bega, 2550. Submissions close: November 30, 2010. A report (1.1Mb) detailing lead pollution concerns can be found at- http://www.rsbs.anu.edu.au/Profiles/Pete_John/pdfs/SubmissnRSBS_&NIE_small%20fig%20DOC%205june03.pdf

October 30: Forests NSW has responded to the request, in August, for information about broad area die-back in south east NSW. They claim there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of that particular information, so it isn't and won't be made publicly available. In this case the 'public interest' is clearly constrained to keeping their jobs in a corrupt government and those in the unsustainable logging industry.

October 22: The NSW Government has released their review of the Integrated Forest Operations Approvals. A the same time they have released the final plan of management for Mimosa Rocks National Park. In order to keep the unsustainable native forest logging industry going, there is no mention of extensive canopy die-back in either of them. On a positive note, now we can be certain that this Government is completely corrupt.

October 17: The NSW Minister for Primary Industries has announced an independent review of Forests NSW hydrology assessment in Yurammie State Forest. Unfortunately it seems the assessment will not be extended to all of the Myrtle Creek catchment, particularly the 500 hectares of native forest that is "Vested in the Minister" as a back up, to keep the unsustainable logging industry going.

October 10: Closer examination of the koala records in Tantawangalo reveals that there are four within 2 kilometers of the compartments. As indicated on the map(Resources page)one of these has the Koala Recovery Officer, Chris Allen as the observer.

October 7: Despite the NSW Government's claims that koalas are everywhere, Forests NSW are not required to abide by their license conditions, most recently in Compartments 2432,2434 and 2435 in Tantawanglo State Forest. Along with bulldozing over and through rocky outcrops and with the full support of the DECCW, FNSW are able to ignore local koala records so no koala surveys are required.

September 22: According to the Bega District News (21 September) Bega Greens councilor Keith Hughes has joined the Biamanga management Board. Regrettably these Boards reflect the NSW Governments tokenism and therefore, have no influence on and do not question management. So one trusts Hughes takes the opportunity to observe the outcomes, including the 100% canopy scorch, of the collaborative (NPWS,FNSW,RFS) big hot burn in Mumbulla Creek catchment. Interestingly, and in contrast to the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, last I heard Hughes and the chair of DECCW's Far South Coast Advisory Committee, Bob Ross both believe the most significant koala population in south east NSW is on the tablelands.

September 18: Last week that the NSW Minister for the Environment was expected to sign off on the Mimosa Rocks NP plan of management. This is the one that doesn't mention forest die-back. While delays are expected, it is unlikely but possible that someone in the DECCW has cottoned on the the notion that ignoring this issue may have implications for the Regional Forest Agreements.

September 9: This Saturday at a 'forest forum' being held in Batemans Bay a proposal for a Eastern Range corridor, available at "www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/ccandger.pdf" will be put forward. According to the conclusion in the report "A continental connectivity conservation approach builds on the same logic that is used to justify a bioregional approach (Sattler and Taylor 2008), but extends the concepts in space and time to better account for multi-scaled processes." At this forum SERCA will be unveiling their "innovative draft VISION". The innovation would appear to be that the vision is for the Bega and Eurobodalla Shires as opposed to the South East Corner Bioregion.

September 6: After another NSW Forestry Minister resigns in disgrace, Member for Monaro Steve Whan has taken up the poison chalice. In his first statement Whan pledges his support for the unsustainable native forest logging industry. Not much change there.

August 25: Yet to be confirmed but rumor has it that the Five Forests are off the logging list until after the NSW election. Clearly the idea is to ensure these forests remain off the logging list.

August 19: After some reluctance the DECCW has made available the data on 17,000 plus trees from the RGB-SAT surveys. According to Forests NSW Mr James Jaggers is to contact regarding provision of their dieback information, but they may need some prompting.

August 10: Under the new Government Information Public Access Act it is necessary to request information from the agencies if they have not been 'pro-active' in making the information publicly available. To test this process initial requests have been sent to FNSW and the DECCW seeking the GIS shape-files of dieback in the Eden and Southern regions and data from the RGB-SAT koala surveys.

August 4: The complaint re past and proposed logging in Bermagui and Murrah State Forests has been sent to DEC Forestry and NCS International and is available on the resources page.

July 25: The Forest Stewardship Council are calling for comments on the application of the FSC to Australian forests. According to their website . . . "The Board of FSC Australia seeks input on an interpretation of Principle 5.6 in the Australian context for use in an FSC Australian Standard. Integral to this is stakeholders’ views on the regrowth periods / harvesting rotation lengths for various types of stands that are representative of Australian forests. The submission period of 60 days has been set from June 7th 2010 to August 7th 2010. All comments will be taken into account and incorporated in a final draft. The final draft will serve as a basis for discussion during the development of the FSC Forest Management Australian Standard in 2011." Further detail at http://www.fscaustralia.org/index.php?id=78 but clearly Forests NSW would fail this criterion.

July 17: Download the flyer (490kb)and come along to a "Tranquility Day" at the Murrah hall, Sunday, July 25, 9.30 til 3 pm.

July 16: Jim Adams from Timber Communities Australia on ABC radio talking about the crisis is plantation and native forest sawlogs. The recent (July 15)article from the Eden magnet, timber-supply-reaches-pinch-point, refers to the latter. Having known for 30 years when the hardwood sawlogs would runout and having failed to properly manage the pine plantations clearly in this Ministers eyes FNSW can do no wrong.

June 29: In an ABC news report this morning the Koala recovery officer said they are intending to implement Forests NSW's idea (1997) and trans-locate koalas to Yurammie and Tantawangalo(?) forests. The idea is that while koalas are extinct in these forests, the habitat may still be suitable. According to Chris Allen they are undertaking foliage studies to determine if it is suitable for koalas. The problem is koalas use a lot of trees and logically their extinction infers a reduction in suitable habitat. The NSW government will demonstrate their commitment to koalas when they support attempts to maintain and improve habitat in the Five Forests, as opposed to time wasting crap.

June 27: Yesterday the DECCW held a koala information session at Candelo. At the session the Koala recovery officer was to ask why people thought the number of koalas has declined. It would be reassuring to know that the people responsible for the recovery of koalas knew why they declining but that capacity eludes them. Reports have it that no further evidence of koalas was found during RGB-SAT surveys undertaken by the DECCW and Forests NSW in Murrah State Forest. Perhaps not surprising and one expects, no agency staff will question any part of the approved logging plan for Cpts 2051/52, silly duffers.

June 19:Yesterday in the Moruya Local Court Forests NSW and the NSW Police failed to convict the 'Bermi 4' on charges of entering and failing to leave a prohibited area. Thanks to an excellent defence the magistrate was not convinced that the prosecution had proved- 1. that the prohibited area sign was in place when we entered the area and 2. that we remained in the area after being informed of its status. The magistrate also agreed that while there are many reasons FNSW can use to put a prohibited area in place, enabling the Police to arrest 'protesters' isn't one of them. Now that’s done with it will be possible to complete the complaint about various aspects of FNSW’s non-compliance in Cpt 2002.

June 15: The right date for comments on the EPBC koala listing is tomorrow 16 June. Comments to the TSSC can be downloaded from the resources page (1Mb). Story has it that koala recovery officer Chris Allen was observing(?) during FNSW's useless transect surveys weeks ago when he came across a koala pellet in Cpt 2051. So far the loggers have not appeared.

June 10: Forests NSW have approved logging in Compartments 2051 and 2052 in Murrah State Forest. The logging plan (17.5Mb)and map (5Mb) can be downloaded from the Resources page.

May 20: The Nomination to list the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) as a threatened species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, (460kb) is available at- http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/nominations-comment.html . Relying on a document that is not publicly available (Allen C (2009) Assessing koala numbers and trends in south eastern New South Wales. NSW Depart of Environment, Climate Change and Water), it claims there are now 100-200 koalas in the Eden-Bermagui(?)forests and 600-1,200 in a broader area from Goulburn to Victoria. Regrettably, detail of how the estimates were derived is not provided. Comments are due by 9 June 2010 and can be sent to epbc.nominations@environment.gov.au

May 17: After yesterday's hugely successful world premiere of 'BLOCKADE - the musical', this morning and amongst other things, three persons locked themselves onto logging machinery in Cpt 2133 of Mumbulla SF. The result was that by midday logging had not commenced and the rest of the day was uncertain because the Police Rescue Team had to come from Wollongong to remove the locks. One assumes that enforcing the NSW Government's dubious and frequently illegal activities doesn't leave the Police much time to spend on protecting the community and the environment.

May 11:Later: Turns out FNSW are proposing to log four Compartments in Murrah SF, Compartments 2052-2032 & 2035 are also proposed although no Harvest Plan has been released.

Earlier: While continuing to trash Cpt 2133, Forests NSW have provided the DECCW with the results of koala surveys in Cpt 2051 of Murrah State Forest. Correspondence from Minister Garret's department indicates they will be announcing if koalas are to be listed as vulnerable nationally at the same time as the State Government releases the final report on the koala surveys-October. Tragically the NSW agencies believe business as usual is what koalas need so there's no need for change.

May 6: Last Saturday morning the fire lit by the NPWS along a 3.2 kilometre front was heading upslope when the North East wind began to stiffen. That afternoon it turned into an inferno and only now, after some rain is the smoke subsiding. FNSW and the loggers continue to go flat out, when they can get to work. The chair of the Biamanga management board John Mumbler, apparently unaware of the boundaries, expressed his concern that areas in the Aboriginal Place can still be logged. A brief report is available on the resources page (0.85MB) that attempts to reduce this uncertainty.

April 29 -Later: FNSW brought in a new machine, the six already there were not enough, and commenced logging in in Compartment 2133 outside of Biamanga Aboriginal Place. Apparently this is the only aspect of FNW's noncompliance that the DECCW have agreed with. At the same time the NPWS blocked off roads and burned 600 ha of Biamanga Aboriginal Place. Although small in the scheme of things the burn would have produced around 30,000 tonnes of CO2 as well as killing many trees, animals, possibly including koalas and further degrading soils.

Earlier: Yesterday Forests NSW SUSPENDED logging in Mumbulla SF because continuing risked daily fines for breaching the National Parks and Wildlife Act. Apparently they took the machines along the road they bulldozed through the 'protected' old-growth forest and onto adjacent private land. Whether they return would seem to depend again on the level of support FNSW get from their good friends in the DECCW.

April 26: Anzac day is over and tomorrow the Japanese based woodchippers will return to continue the destruction of Aboriginal cultural heritage. In recognition of the area's significance Biamanga was dedicated as an Aboriginal place in 1984. The relevant legislation (0.9MB) is available at- { http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/cultureheritage/gazette/Biamanga.pdf }. Forests NSW's failure to achieve compliance with anything, in this case their cultural heritage requirements, hasn't stopped the Police from charging concerned Aboriginal community members attending the Mumbulla vigil. The NPWS, in collaboration with the Rural Fire Service, are yet to undertake their 'strategic burn' also in Biamanga. It seems the Biamanga Board of Management either agree or have no say in any of it.

April 21: Despite significant community concerns the NSW government is continuing to log in Mumbulla SF. Many people have attended the protests including understandably distraught traditional owners. Previously all of Cpt 2135 was protected under Forest NSW's PMP system due to the abundance of Aboriginal sites. This has been dropped apparently because like koalas, there are enough sites in National Parks. Naturally most of the trees are being cut for woodchips and a brief submission on SEFE's forest furnace proposal is available on the resources page.

April 14 Despite evidence of a koala being located nearby logging has resumed and the NPWS intend to implement their plan to burn koalas and their habitat. Comments on the adequacy of FNSW's logging plan can be found on the resources page.

April 9 Forests NSW now propose to resume logging on Friday 9 April. Whether this happens depends on the DECCW and partly if the transects undertaken by SFNSW are consistent with the relevant sections of the Threatened Species License. Clearly they are not and then there are other issues like stream locations and other things. It would appear that the non-compliant approach taken in Murrah and Bermagui State Forests has also been employed in Mumbulla SF. We'll have to see what tomorrow brings but, ultimately some-one is responsible for FNSW's lack of compliance and enforcing the relevant legislation aimed at constraining their management activities.

Earlier: Forests NSW have undertaken the required pre-logging surveys for koalas, results available on the resources page. No evidence of koalas was located, which is not surprising because the bizarre survey method was developed by the DEC and State Forests. However, excluding Silver-top Ash more than 55% of the trees identified in Cpt 2135 are preferred koala feed trees. Being located between the only koalas they know of and the areas the DECCW believe Koalas should be encouraged to return to, continuing this logging will make the NSW government look worse than they already do, if that is possible. Interestingly the stream named " Abrahams Gully" has reappeared in the transect survey maps after being deleted in the Harvesting Plan.

March:

Wednesday 31 March - After news of the post 1980 koala record within 2 kilometres of the compartment hits Forests NSW, they pull the operation. Having compromised both themselves and the DECCW the question is what are they going to do next? A large community contingent was in attendance on the Tuesday and Wednesday urging the loggers to go home. We can only trust they don't come back and the NSW government gets a strong message about the lack of community confidence in the forest management.

Monday 29 March - Forests NSW have moved into Compartments 2133 and 2135 in Mumbulla State Forest. According to the Logging plan (available on the resources page) the soils (four particular landscapes) are all the same and not dispersible. From that perspective the area of soil mass movement identified in the logging plan must have resulted from a miracle. More on the plan and its implications for the NSW government's Koala recovery plan later. After a local resident photographed koala prints on Lizard road, near Cpt 2163 next on the logging list, the DECCW have apparently decided to undertake surveys before their burning operation on the other side of the road. Much of the forest in Mumbulla creek catchment of Biamanga NP is growing on the Murrah soil landscape - still the only place koalas have been located. On this basis and in combination with the State Government's management, the species remains endangered and likely to become extinct.

Earlier: Working collaboratively the NPWS, Forests NSW and the Rural Fire Service have decided to burn close to seven hundred hectares of Biamanga National Park. A map is available on the resources page. It appears the timing of this operation is consistent with plans to begin unsustainable logging on Monday 29 March. Consequently the NPWS is proposing to close the Lizard road to reduce access to the logging area from the east. How kind.

February: The month ends with NSW government releasing a belated 'interim' report on the highly inefficient and non-adaptive/heuristic koala surveys. Amongst other disturbing elements the survey took 5 times as long to complete as the pilot survey. The cost to date, leaving aside the eight arrests and other time runs at over $1million, being twice the estimated value of all the sawlogs remaining in Mumbulla State Forest. The survey outcome, based on employing a 2% (?!) activity contour, is that less than 5% (1089 ha)of the area surveyed (22,000 ha) is said to be occupied by koalas. Regrettably there is some uncertainty about how this area has been derived as the RGB-SAT methodology measure for a single tree in a plot is 3.3%. There are no details as to how the 2% contour has been calculated although theoretically it should encompass a greater area than a 3.3% contour but this is apparently not the case. Seems to be another example of how the NSW and other governments put unsustainable logging above all else. On a positive note the genetic analysis demonstrates the NSW Scientific Committee was quite wrong.

Earlier-Too much is never enough for the NSW Government so they have added another seven compartments in Murrah and Mumbulla State Forests to the logging list. A map of the additional compartments can be found on the resources page. When combined with the fact that no results from the koala surveys have been released, it is apparent that the agencies are happy to maintain their thinly veiled contempt for the environment and the community. Clearly Premier Keneally's initial pledge to 'restore confidence in the government' will remain unfulfilled.

January: The year begins with the NSW government deciding to support the (Japanese) native forest logging industry and their proposals to eliminate the last koalas. According to the Sydney Morning Herald: Forests NSW and the Department of Environment and Climate Change are “ . . . in search of a compromise between felling trees and maintaining enough forest to allow the koalas to survive.” (http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/logging-plan-poses-threat-to-precious-koala-colony-20100124-msm7.html) Referring to the Regional Forest Agreements the recently released independent review of the EPBC Act states “ . . . if the terms of the approval are not complied with, or if there is insufficient reporting information to verify that compliance, Dr Hawke recommends that the approval should be terminated.” And “ . . . the full protections of the Act should apply to forest activities.” In his press release Environment Minister Peter Garret indicated “ . . . the Government notes the concerns raised by Dr Hawke in recommendation 38 in the review regarding the current mechanisms in the Act for forest management under Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs), and is committed to working with state governments to improve the review, audit and monitoring arrangements for RFAs, including their timely completion, clearer assessment of performance against environmental and sustainable forestry outcomes, and a greater focus on compliance of RFAs in the intervening years," Minister Garrett said. The Government intends to use upcoming RFA renewal processes to improve the achievement of these outcomes in future RFAs. In light of this, the Government rejects the mechanisms proposed in recommendation 38 and does not propose to review section 38 of the EPBC Act as it currently applies to RFAs.” (http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/mr20091221.html) The fact that the DECC are working with FNSW to ensure logging in the catchments suggests that they either remain unconvinced that logging spreads Bell-miners or they believe that koalas like sick trees. If the Commonwealth are committed to these ideas they should have no problems working with the state government.

How 2009 ended

LOGGING BEGINS IN COMPARTMENT 2001 IN BERMAGUI STATE FOREST. Forests NSW have approved logging in 89% of the compartment as opposed to the maximum of 60% allowed for in their legal approvals. Desperate to maintain timber supplies this logging confirms the statement from Forests NSW manager Mr Martin Linehan that "We can do what we want when we want".

FIFTEEN months after the NSW Government released a map that is inconsistent with the outcomes of the pilot koala surveys, {1.75Mb} available at ( http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/threatenedspecies/koala_survey_results_SEForests.pdf ). Koala expert Dr Steve Phillips has been interviewed ABC local radio about the uncertain fate for koalas at a national level and the last few Five Forests koalas. An audio file of the interview (13.5 Mb) can be downloaded from http://blogs.abc.net.au/files/koala-crisis.mp3.