When our adorable, furry creatures are being pushed to extinction… it means there’s even less hope for the butt ugly ones.
On 30 September, a rally of concerned community members marched to James Griffin’s office in Manly, pleading with the NSW Environment Minister to take urgent action to save koalas from extinction (these lovable Aussie icons were listed as endangered earlier this year). Sadly, logging still proceeds unabated in our native forests and the last chlamydia-free koala population in our state, is still losing its home to a Lend Lease housing development near Campbelltown.
Meanwhile, Northern Beaches Council has decided that clearing a four-metre wide channel through intact bushland at Manly Dam for a boardwalk is fine. This is despite surveys revealing that the area, in question, is home to the most enchanting little animal on the planet…the Eastern Pygmy Possum (listed as threatened). The “Boardwalk” would be built using Fibre Reinforced Polymer, imported from China, which raises additional concerns of melted plastic pollution after bushfires. “Why not simply make the (barely used) adjoining road safer for pedestrian traffic and save $1.8m?” I hear you ask.
A recent study of flora and fauna at Manly Warringah War Memorial Park showcases the amazing natural miracles which exist in the reserve. Every one of the professional ecologists involved in the project confirmed that fragmenting bushland, with more tracks, poses a threat to wildlife survival. Leading scientists insist that we need to keep half of the planet in its natural state to prevent the extinction of one million species, stay below a temperature rise of 1.5c and safeguard the future of humanity. They’re calling for a protection of at least 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030.
Our Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, agrees that “the need to protect our plants, animals and ecosystems from extinction has never been greater”. Northern Beaches Council proudly declared its support for the declaration of a “Climate Emergency in 2019”. An integral component of fighting dangerous climate change is to protect biodiversity (meaning we can store carbon in healthy ecosystems rather than release it into the atmosphere). Conversely, they went on to support the Beaches Link tunnel concept which will have a hugely negative impact on our natural environment if it proceeds.
At the same time, the NSW Government and Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council are teaming up to potentially develop over 225 hectares of high conservation value bushland in the Belrose and Frenchs Forest vicinity. The area in question is habitat to a small remnant koala population and a host of other threatened species. While Premier Dominic Perrottet also recently announced the government’s intention to raise the Warragamba Dam wall and so inundate 4,700 hectares of World Heritage listed “Blue Mountains National Park” (including a multitude of rare species and Aboriginal sacred sites). In doing so he declared that the state must “put people before plants”.
In Canada, this December, governments will meet to create targets on protecting biodiversity for the next decade (COP 15). According to Insurance Group, Swiss Re, more than half of global GDP is dependent on the healthy functioning of the natural world. Fingers, claws and paws are firmly crossed.
Footnote: At the 27 September Northern Beaches Council meeting – Agenda item 18.4 Manly Dam Link Trail Boardwalk (considered under “closed session”). Council resolved to “decline to accept any of the tenders received and to call for “fresh tenders”). Despite public money being used for this project, details remain hidden.