Truth is the casualty in latest environmental ‘study’
NSW Farmers is deeply concerned that the environmental movement is seeking to misrepresent land management laws in New South Wales with a thinly-veiled attempt to hoodwink urban communities about the benefits of active land management in regional New South Wales.
NSW Farmers’ Conservation and Resource Management Committee Chair, Bronwyn Petrie, said the ‘Towards Zero Deforestation’ report released today by a clutch of environmental groups was a poor attempt to shape public opinion with lots of maybes and very few actuals.
“Farmers are our environment’s most active land managers and stewards. Every farmer seeks to leave their land better than they found it and, through active management of vegetation, including weeds and native species, the right balance can be achieved for the environment and the farm business”, Ms Petrie said.
“The report fails to recognise that farmers in New South Wales, particularly in the regions alleged to be ‘clearing hotspots’, are experiencing the worst drought in nearly 50 years. The report claims that these so-called hotspots have been identified as a result of aerial surveillance – however, we all know that the drought has contributed to a natural reduction in groundcover and vegetation. There is no acknowledgement of this in the report.”
“What the environmental movement cannot accept is that the flawed laws which previously existed in New South Wales created worse outcomes for the environment than they were designed to prevent. As a consequence, and after extensive review, we have a new regime which seeks to better balance the needs of agriculture alongside the environment. The two can, and must, co-exist – they can mutually benefit from each other.”
“The suggestion in the report that areas of western and northern western New South Wales are ‘at risk’ from a range of practices distorts both the truth and facts about the biodiversity management laws in this state. The current laws do not allow for the claims this report makes, quite the opposite – distorting the truth like this is irresponsible in the extreme.”
Ms Petrie cited an example of a farmer in western New South Wales who had seen a nine-fold increase in biodiversity as a result of his active land management practices.
“We have to remember that farmers, when they actively manage their landscape, are continuing to manage a natural landscape which is not a picture postcard, it is constantly changing and requires management. Recovering a landscape overrun by an invasive native species or weeds, for example, allows biodiversity to thrive and productive agriculture to continue. Studies on a property in western New South Wales show an increase in biodiversity directly attributable to managing the landscape, removing invasive native species, controlling regrowth, reducing weeds and creating sustainable corridors for native wildlife to thrive.”
“As the Minister for Primary Industries noted in parliament yesterday – monoculture forests provide no biodiversity when they are overrun by weeds and invasive species. They must be managed – as they were for millennia before European settlement. This balance is critical – the report acknowledges this previous management but denies that farmers seeking to continue this practice is still the right approach.”
“Locking the gate on huge tracts of unmanaged landscape leads to biodiversity collapse, increased risk from bushfire and unchecked spread of weed species. It is again disappointing that this report has not referenced the loss of koalas due to destructive forest fires on public land, continuing instead to point the finger at farmers in an attempt to lock up more land, condemn more of our precious native animals and plants to destruction.”
“Farmers are not out to destroy the landscape – it is their first responsibility to protect and enhance it. Farmers need to manage our landscape in a way which sees the environment benefit, biodiversity increase while also increasing the productive benefits to our communities and the economy”, Ms Petrie said.
Date: Wednesday 14 November 2018
Media Contact: Kathleen Curry | Public Affairs Director | 0429 011 690