Cultivating News
From "Maple Street Co-op News", December 2007/January 2008
EPA = Every Plan Approved! By Mary Meadows, Co-op Secretary Have you
had anything to do with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lately?
If not, do you rather naively think that the Agency is there to protect
the environment? It appears on the surface that those who work in the
EPA see the environment as a City with wall-to-wall housing, with a
bit of National Park that one can escape to on the weekends. Here are
three examples that may not affect you dear reader, but certainly make
my hair curl.
The Department of Infrastructure have brought in emergency legislation
to push through a pipeline to deliver a water grid to the residents
of Brisbane. This means that a wide tract of land will be exposed to
carry the pipe, wildlife corridors will be carved up, and the farms
and residents of those unfortunately in the way of this so-called innovation
will be seriously affected. Not only did they not notify impacted landholders,
the EPA map shows the site where the balance tank and pump house is
to be located as a wildlife corridor of state significance.
Has nobody informed these people about water tanks and roof catchment?
The cost of subsidising householders to install tanks must equate to
the prohibitive costs of pipelines, not to mention dam travesties.
Not to be outdone, another arm of the government wants to upgrade the
rail line between Eudlo and Mooloolah. Apparently they want to put in
a dual line to cater for a faster train. The existing line is not adequate
because it is not straight (God forbid a crooked line!). So in their
infinite wisdom, they propose to cut another swathe through properties
so that the commuters to Brisbane can save eight minutes (true, a whole
eight minutes). If people want to save time commuting, I would
have thought the logical solution would be to live closer to your workplace.
The effect of this on one acquaintance of mine is that the 60 acres
that he has a conservation agreement on will be diminished by two-thirds.
This line may also affect Eudlo Creek National Park and Dularcha National
Park. Just as a side issue, the proposed plan is open to community consultation
up to three weeks before Christmas - you may as well whistle Dixie if
you think you will have some input into the process.
The coup de grace is the collection of seeds from State forests; these
are the ones that often get felled to plant pine trees. Native species
seeds cannot be collected from National Parks, however, the Queensland
Parks and Wildlife Service gives approval, or not, as the case may be,
for individuals and businesses to collect seed.
Committed lovers of native flora who grow and propagate native plants,
and who may sell to individuals and nurseries etc., at very reasonable
rates have, in the past, had permits to collect seed from a variety
of State forests. These forests have a comprehensive variety of native
species which are being lost elsewhere to land clearing, and permits
are being rescinded. No explanation has been offered, but a 'little
bird' told me that there is a company that harvests wild flowers for
export that has applied for exclusive harvesting rights over all State
forests in south east Queensland.
A friend of mine told me years ago that she had a part-time job with
one such organisation, and that in all conscience she could no longer
work for them because they had no respect for the plants. The instructions
to the harvesters were to take all that they could find. It is only
a matter of time before the State forests will have nothing left to
harvest except pine trees.
The EPA has a guideline for protected plants and environmental licences
and permits, administered through a part of the organisation called
Eco Access. The guideline looks very impressive, with serious questions
about the applicant's intentions, such as: "What is the purpose of the
harvest?"; "Where will the plants be kept after harvesting?"; "What
is the salvage plan?"; and "Please refer to the information sheet (schedule
of fees)".
I have been told that if you owned a block of land and needed a permit
to clear that land, and it happened to have say Forest Grass trees (Xanthorrhoea
johnsonii) on it, the approval would be fairly straightforward.
However, if as a conservationist you wished to save those very same
plants, you would have to jump through a multitude of hoops to get approval.
Maybe the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.
Developers in south east Queensland are loath to allow seed and plant
collectors onto land to save plants from the bulldozers, as the collectors
may find some rare and endangered species. I really can't see why the
developers should be concerned. Obviously, the EPA isn't concerned;
if they were they would not rescind licences to collect seeds, some
by organisations which are 'not-for-profit'. That is unless one considers
the protection of the environment profitable.
Call me a cynic, but is this behaviour dollar-driven by the government,
or have the individuals who make these appalling decisions lived too
long in a concrete jungle?
Whatever the case, we can at least support Barung Landcare, Noosa Landcare,
Cooloola City Farm etc., and buy and plant as many native species as
we can find. We can also join Land for Wildlife and build up our Wildlife
Corridors to counteract the Wildlife Corridors that are being destroyed.
[From "Maple Street Co-op News", December 2007/January 2008; published
by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny,
Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]