Save Our Oldgrowth Trees
HOLLOW HOUSING CRISIS AS OLDGROWTH TREES ARE LOGGED
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Hollows in big old trees are essential homes for many of Australia's animals, they can't survive without them. In NSW at least 46 mammals, 81 birds, 31 reptiles and 16 frogs, are reliant on tree hollows for shelter and nests. Oldgrowth trees have been decimated across the landscape, and with them populations of hollow-dependent animals. Across extensive areas there are not enough hollows left to meet the survivor's needs. In a life or death struggle, they have to compete for the dwindling numbers of suitable hollows. PLEASE WRITE TO THE NSW GOVT TO DEMAND THEY STOP CLEARING AND LOGGING ANIMAL'S HOMESAND START THE LONG PROCESS OF RESTORING THEM Millions of oldgrowth trees, and their inhabitants, were burnt in the 2019-20 wildfires. Many have nowhere to live, there is a housing crisis for hollow-dependent species. For their survival it is essential that we urgently save the remnant oldgrowth trees, and begin restoring them. Restoration is slow, it takes 120-180 years for a tree to begin to develop hollows, and it is not until they are over 220 years old that oldgrowth trees develop the big hollows large animals need. We need to protect the oldest trees left so that hollow-bearing trees can be restored as soon as possible NEFA want to stop logging of public native forests, but we can't wait until we achieve this to take action for our imperiled wildlife. We need the Government to act now to stop logging the surviving hollow-bearing oldgrowth trees, and protect the biggest trees remaining so they can become the hollow-bearing trees of the future. Before the fires the logging rules for State forests required the retention of up to 8 hollow-bearing trees per hectare, but in many forests there aren't that many left, and is some they have all been lost. In response to the fires, in June 2021 the NSW Natural Resources Commission recommended to the NSW Ministers for Forestry and Environment that they urgently change the logging rules for State forests to require that (1) where there aren't 8 hollow-bearing trees per hectare left, that the largest trees be retained to make up the difference, and (2) for each of these trees retaining 2 recruitment trees to become the hollow-bearing trees of the future. The problem is that since June 2021 the Ministers have refused to act on the NRC advice , so we need your help to convince them to adopt this NRC recommendation to give hollow-bearing trees, and the multitude whose recovery depends on them, a ch Here's more detail about this issue. Visit here for background information about the fires and the NRC recommendations Visit here for background about the importance of old trees for recovery. |
NSW'S 174 HOLLOW-DEPENDENT SPECIES NEED YOUR HELP NOWPlease write to the NSW Ministers for Environment and Forestry now asking them: Dear Minister ....., Please act now to protect all NSW oldgrowth trees. (Refer to any of the information above to provide context) Please take urgent action to protect and restore hollow-bearing trees across State forests by implementing the June 2021 advice of the Natural Resources Commission by changing the logging rules to require: (1) where eight hollow-bearing trees per hectare are not available, retaining the next largest trees as substitutes, (2) retaining two recruitment trees per retained hollow-bearing tree It is essential that the largest healthy trees are protected as recruitment hollow-bearing trees. Apply these protections to Private Native Forestry through the PNF Code of Practice Protect all trees over 100 years old. Yours Sincerely (etc) Its always best to add your own comments, and ask for a response.
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New PNF Codes fail threatened species
MEDIA RELEASE 3 May 2022
NEFA considers that that the new Private Native Forestry Code of Practice released on Monday is a step backwards, and will increase the extinction risk of our most imperilled species of plants and animals.
In general they are allowing increased logging intensity, reduced retention of old hollow bearing trees essential for the survival of a plethora of hollow-dependent species, and reducing protections for most threatened species, NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said.
“Under this code most threatened species of plants and animals will get no real protection what-so-ever.
“The only improvement is an increase in the exclusions around headwater streams, though at 10m this is still dramatically less than the 30m identified as necessary in numerous reviews.
NSW Koala Strategy fails Koalas
MEDIA RELEASE 9 April 2022
The NSW Government’s Koala Strategy released today will do little to turn around their extinction trajectory as it is not stopping logging and clearing of Koala habitat which, along with climate heating, are the main drivers of their demise.
“The Strategy proposes nothing to redress the logging of Koala habitat on public lands where at best 5-10 small potential Koala feed trees per hectare need to be protected in core Koala habitat, with the only other requirement being to wait for a Koala to leave before cutting down its tree” NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said.
“We know that Koalas preferentially choose larger individuals of a limited variety of tree species for feeding, and losses of these trees will reduce populations. So protecting and restoring feed and roost trees is a prerequisite for allowing populations to grow on public lands.
“The most important and extensive Koala habitat we know of in NSW is in the proposed Great Koala National Park, encompassing 175,000 hectares of State Forests south of Grafton and west of Coffs Harbour.
“Similarly on the Richmond River lowlands the most important and extensive area known is the proposed Sandy Creek Koala Park, encompassing 7,000 ha of State Forests south of Casino.
Read moreNorth East Forest Alliance Statement for International Day of Forests
On International Day of Forests it is essential that we recognise that forests support our civilisation, climate and biodiversity. Forests are under unprecedent threat due to increasing droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods. At the very time we need them to take our carbon out of the atmosphere and store it safely in their wood and soils, and to mitigate flooding by storing and slowing the water during extreme rainfall events.
Big old trees are awesome, hundreds of years old, towering 8-12 stories high, apartment complexes for hollow-dependent animals with larders for Koalas, gliders, possums and a multitude of honeyeaters.
Forests improve our health, generate rainfall, cool the land, regulate streamflows, sequester and store carbon, reduce flood risk by storing water and slowing flows, reduce landslips by reinforcing soils, and support most of our biodiversity.
Media - North East Forest Alliance
Commonwealth must intervene to save Greater Glider, Koala and Yellow-bellied Glider from Extinction
Posted by Dailan Pugh · July 05, 2022 10:57 PM
Time to protect Koalas from logging harm
Posted by Dailan Pugh · June 17, 2022 9:30 AM
NEFA launches campaign to Save Oldgrowth Trees
Posted by Sean O'Shannessy · May 27, 2022 6:34 AM
Morrison must change his logging approval to protect Endangered Koalas in Yarratt State Forest
MEDIA RELEASE 28 February 2022
The North East Forest Alliance is calling on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to intervene to stop logging of important Koala habitat in Yarratt State Forest near Wingham in accordance with the June recommendations of the Natural Resources Commission and the Commonwealth’s February Conservation Advice for now Endangered Koalas.
As a signatory to the North East NSW Regional Forest Agreement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has responsibility for NSW’s refusal to protect important Koala habitat on State Forests, and must modify his approval to provide rapidly declining Koala populations with the protection they urgently need, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.
DPI Forestry’s Koala habitat ranking, OEH Koala Hubs and Koala records in Yarratt State Forest.
Read moreMorrison’s $50 million pledge for Koalas a smokescreen
MEDIA RELEASE 30 January 2022
Scott Morrison announcement of $50 million for Koalas is a smokescreen to cover-up his Government’s approval for increased logging and clearing of Koala habitat, while allowing climate heating to run amok, threatening the future of both Koalas and the Great Barrier Reef, according to the North East Forest Alliance.
“Without good policies on habitat protection and climate change no amount of money will save Koalas, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.
“If Scott Morrison was fair dinkum about protecting Koala habitat the first thing he would do is to stop their feed and roost trees being logged and cleared. Money is no good for Koalas if they have nowhere to live.
“The second is to take urgent and meaningful action on climate heating, as Koalas and their feed trees have already been decimated by intensifying droughts and heatwaves in western NSW, and bushfires in coastal areas.
“If the Morrison Government doesn’t take urgent action on climate heating then neither Koalas nor the Great Barrier Reef will have a future.
Read moreForest News
Forest Media 1 July 2022
New South Wales
Forestry Corporation have been fined $230,000 ($45,000 to be paid to Bat Society) after the Land and Environment Court convicted them of logging 23 trees in an unmarked 40m exclusion zone around a mineshaft used as a roost by Eastern Horseshoe Bats, breaching its approval and carrying out unlawful forestry activities in an exclusion zone, in Dampier State Forest near Bodalla. The EPA puts the offences down to “mapping errors”, though as the roost was identified and marked on the digital harvesting plan, the problem was that the Forestry Corporation failed to mark the boundary in the field and the contractor failed to use his GPS.
South Coast conservationists say Forestry Corporation’s $15,000 fine for illegally logging hollow-bearing trees in South Brooman State Forest does not go far enough, they want the logging to end. About Regional focusses on the prosecution for logging unburnt/lightly-burnt refugia in Yambulla State Forest. News of the Area reports on Wild Cattle Creek, focussing on Koalas.
At the behest of Byron Council, Mullumbimby Local Court has fined a resident $60k for clearing 9 trees ranging in height from 15 metres to 25 metres, $10k for unauthorised building work, and $5k for Council costs.
Results for the NSW 2020 Statewide Landcover and Tree Study show that 51,400 hectares of woody vegetation was lost, slightly less than the previous year’s total of 54,500 hectares. This excludes fire-affected areas, which have the potential to regenerate.
- There was a 44%decrease in the rate of vegetation loss due to agricultural activity from 23,400 ha in 2019 to 13,000 ha in 2020
- Annual woody vegetation harvesting for forestry in 2020 was 30,000 ha, an increase of 6,500 ha (28%) compared to 2019, this increased harvesting occurred on state forest with the rate increased by 51% when compared to 2019, though native forest harvesting decreased while plantation (pine and hardwood) increased.
- The rate of woody vegetation loss due to infrastructure increased to 8,450 ha in 2020 from 7,580 ha in 2019.
In March 2020 the walk to the summit of Wollumbin (Mt. Warning) was temporarily closed, which has now been extended for a fifth time, until October 31, enabling those who don’t want access denied to anywhere (including Uluru) to continue their campaign - Wollumbin is a site of immense spiritual significance to a variety of traditional owners who want it closed to visitors, yet the Government has failed to make the final call, and develop the identified alternative walks in the area.
Australia
An article in the Conversation argues that disruptive protests such as those by Blockade Australia are effective, with the downside being that politicians are driven to denigrate protestors while NSW, Victoria and Tasmania have/are all introducing draconian legislation to punish climate and forest protestors, arguing that politicians would be better to listen to the messages rather than punishing the messengers. An independent Tasmanian MLC is complaining that the mining company MMG was allowed to listen to briefings provided by environmental and civil groups on Tasmania’s anti-protest legislation, whereas the industry briefings were in secret, a final vote will be held when the Legislative Council returns in mid-August, with its passage depending on a single vote.
Greens senator Larissa Waters is supporting the campaign led by Save Ferny Forest to stop logging of the forest on the Sunshine Coast before it is due to become a national park in 2024. Victoria’s Conservation Regulator is assessing a number of allegations of non-compliance with timber harvesting laws in the Wombat State Forest as opposition to logging of the identified national park continues.
ABC did a factcheck on Tasmanian Liberal’s claims that young forests are superior in their ability to offset carbon emissions and that old-growth forests are actually net carbon emitters, finding these claims are incorrect, as oldgrowth forests continue to sequester carbon and store vastly more, with older trees sequestering more carbon than young ones.
Our taxes and the Australian Forest Products Association have jointly funded some pretty crappy 360-degree virtual reality (VR) videos in an attempt to capture the hearts and minds of school children and promote clearfell logging.
The Northern Territory Tiwi Plantations Corporation has begun a three year, $4.6 million project to grow a 30,000 hectare forestry estate for export, though there is mention of Midway Limited, existing plantations of 4,900 ha, logging underway and ships being loaded.
Concerns are growing as the practice of constructing cairns of rocks in natural areas grows, with natural habitats changed and scenery increasingly disrupted by rock stacking, with the practice likened to a destructive form of graffiti.
In Victoria, around Warburton, the Council is proposing an intensive network of 180 kilometres of mountain bike trails through bushland, raising expectations of a major increase in tourism, and opposition due to construction of metre wide trails through the Yarra Ranges National Park on Mount Donna Buang, rural residential bush blocks surrounded by trails, long-term rental properties being converted to holiday rentals for mountain bikers, and increased bushfire risk.
Species
ABC’s Background Briefing has a 37.5 min podcast ‘Will any koalas be left in Australia's east by 2050?’ which reports on a range of the issues affecting Koalas – NEFA gets a brief run. EDO have released a legal update that examines what the NSW uplisting of Koalas to Endangered means for decision-making and whether this will be enough to save our koalas from extinction – not from the loggers.
Environment Minister James Griffin has announced $600,000 for the Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council (Gumbaynggirr community) to integrate traditional ecological knowledge into koala conservation, to support habitat restoration, cultural burning in key koala locations, Aboriginal research projects and the development of cultural training for Aboriginal Rangers. Koala Clancy Foundation is seeking $373,000 to plant 30,000 trees between Bannockburn and Inverleigh over three years with the aim of aiding the region’s koala habitat. Wildlife Recovery Australia “builds and operates mobile wildlife hospitals alongside predator-proof sanctuaries,” is another competitor in the increasingly lucrative wildlife recovery industry, it has its own TV show and is now offering Wildlife Rescue Kits to purchase online through Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital for $69.
A researcher argues that while the varroa mite will be costly to the bee industry, its establishment in Australia is just a matter of time, so its important to take a cost/benefit approach by recognising it as an effective biocontrol for feral honeybees in Australia’s natural environment.
North Coast Local Land Services are warning motorists to keep a lookout for active deer during the breeding season from June through to September, with data showing there are about 15 vehicle collisions with deer in the region each year.
The Deteriorating Problem
North American claim to have the oldest living trees is now under threat, the oldest documented living trees are bristlecone pines, reaching 4,853 years old based on tree-ring data, with the oldest giant sequoia only reaching 3,266 years. Now these records are threatened by Chilean researchers who have included counting tree rings with computer modelling to estimate a Patagonian cypress tree, also called an alerce, is at least 5,000 years old, with claims tree-rings on an intact stump show it lived for about 4,100 years. Unfortunately 19% of California’s giant sequoias have been burnt out in 2 years, and droughts and bark beetles are taking their toll on bristlecone pines.
(While these stems may be the oldest single stems, many Australian trees are clonal, meaning they resprout from their roots, with a stand of a single huon pine in Tasmania estimated to be over 10,500 years old (with the oldest stem around 2,000 years), another Tasmanian, Kings Holly (Lomatia tasmanica) can no longer set seed and instead one plant has been cloning itself for at least 43,600 years, and possibly up to 135,000 years, and closer to home the Peach Myrtle in Nightcap has been described as immortal. Yet Huon Pines and Peach Myrtle are also succumbing to fire).
Turning it Around
British Columbia’s ‘Save Old Growth’ have announced they will stop their months of causing major traffic disruptions, which resulted in confrontations with frustrated drivers, demonstrators being dragged off the roadway, a protester shattering a hip falling from a damaged structure, and a threatened class-action. Other actions include dumping manure outside the Premier’s office, interrupting an international soccer match, and being hospitalized from hunger strikes.
Some conservation scientists are warning that a global deal to protect the environment, due to be finalized at the UN biodiversity summit in Montreal in December, is under threat after negotiations stalled during international talks in Nairobi last week. They are calling on global leaders to rescue the talks — and biodiversity — from the brink. Others are more hopeful that, although progress has been slow, a deal will be struck by the end of the year.
The United States Supreme Court is widely expected to turn its ideological wrecking ball on the country’s greenhouse gas emission controls, leading a group of climate scientists and advocates to petition the EPA to regulate greenhouse gasses under the Toxic Substances Control Act rather than the Clean Air Act (the focus of a current Supreme Court case).
Peter Sainsbury cites a new study that warns that we need to reduce all greenhouse gases, not just CO2, and account for the increased warming from a reduction in sulphates, to have a chance of limiting heating to 1.5 or 2oC – more reasons to use trees to remove CO2.
Praised as guardians of tropical forests, indigenous peoples have accused governments and NGOs of failing to follow up billion-dollar pledges made at November’s COP26 UN climate summit to enlist their help to halt forest losses by 2030, including by granting them more money and control over ancestral lands.
Live Science has a good no-nonsense article about the benefits of forest bathing, summarising its Japanese origins, some of the research showing its beneficial affects and how to practice it. Bustle also considers its multiple benefits.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
More breaches:
Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) have been fined $230,000 ($45,000 to be paid to Bat Society) after the Land and Environment Court convicted FCNSW for logging 23 trees in an unmarked 40m exclusion zone around a mineshaft used as a roost by Eastern Horseshoe Bats, breaching its approval and carrying out unlawful forestry activities in an exclusion zone, in Dampier State Forest near Bodalla.
- The Prosecutor also submitted, although the actual harm to the bats was minor (albeit the risk of harm was not to be so categorised in the Prosecutor’s submission), there were two other elements of actual harm that require to be considered. The first of these was that 23 trees were cut down from an area where tree‑harvesting was not permitted. In addition, the failure to abide by the terms of the Corporation’s licence also effected harm to the integrity of the regulatory system which operated to protect the environment during forestry operations.
- In this regard, I am satisfied that, although the actual harm was (as agreed) minor, the combination of the risk of harm and the damage to the integrity of the regulatory system established through the licensing regime to which the Corporation was subjected (and which it breached) means that, contrary to Mr Hemmings’ submissions, it is not appropriate to regard all of these “harm” matters, when bundled up, to be regarded as being at the low end of the low range as submitted by Mr Hemmings. How the overall assessment of the objective elements of the Corporation’s offending conduct is to be characterised is dealt with in a later section of this decision.
… This past record of lower level infringements demonstrates, I am satisfied, that, in the past, the Corporation cannot be regarded as having been a good corporate citizen. However, having regard to the extent of the Corporation’s activities, as described by Mr Chaudhary as set out above, I am satisfied that this aspect should not weigh heavily against the Corporation. Indeed, given the matters later set out as extracted from Mr Chaudhary’s affidavit concerning the steps that the Corporation is taking to avoid future transgressions (coupled with the orders for further training that the parties have agreed to is also later discussed) means I am satisfied that the Corporation is seeking to change its ways.
- As a consequence of these moderations of starting penalty to reflect the fact that the Corporation’s offending arose out of a single course of conduct, the total overall penalty to be imposed on the Corporation is $230,000 (before deduction of the contribution to the Bat Society project).
https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18164bdfee25398416c600f7
The EPA puts the offences down to “mapping errors”, though as the roost was identified and marked on the digital harvesting plan, the problem was that the Forestry Corporation failed to mark the boundary in the field and the contractor failed to use his GPS.
This follows FCNSW’s convictions earlier this month for four breaches at Wild Cattle Creek State Forest and a $15,000 fine for allegedly breaching conditions in South Brooman State Forest. Together, fines and costs from these incidents have cost FCNSW more than $530,000.
FCNSW has also been ordered to undertake an audit of its field mapping and marking activities including understanding the level of experience and competency required to comply with the law. Any recommendations arising from the audit around training must be followed.
The Court also ordered FCNSW to pay the EPA’s investigation costs of $8,000.
https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/news/media-releases/2022/epamedia220629
Nick Hopkins from the Coastwatchers Association Inc … "Forestry seems to be unable to operate without repeatedly breaching its license to log our forests."
"If it was a private corporation that was proven to be unable to operate compliantly with its licence, it would've lost its licences years ago," he said.
… breaches backlash continues:
South Coast conservationists say Forestry Corporation’s $15,000 fine for illegally logging hollow-bearing trees in South Brooman State Forest does not go far enough, they want the logging to end.
NSW independent MP Justin Field was also disappointed.
"It's woefully inadequate because Forestry Corporation are serial offenders," he said.
Ms Frank said the big goal was to end native logging in NSW.
Greens NSW MP and spokesperson for forests Sue Higginson said the campaign around the South Brooman State Forest was consistent with many around NSW since the 2019/20 bushfires.
“The fires changed everything and we have well and truly reached the time that we must stop logging our public native forest estate,” she said.
About Regional focusses on the prosecution for logging unburnt/lightly-burnt refugia in Yambulla State Forest.
News of the Area reports on Wild Cattle Creek, focusing on Koalas.
https://www.newsofthearea.com.au/forestry-corporation-fined-over-logging-at-wild-cattle-creek-95419
$60,000 fine for clearing nine trees
At the behest of Byron Council, Mullumbimby Local Court has fined a resident $60k for clearing 9 trees ranging in height from 15 metres to 25 metres, $10k for unauthorised building work, and $5k for Council costs.
Ralph James, Legal Counsel, said that the court found that the impact of the clearing, and the construction of an informal shower and toilet area, had a negative impact on the natural environment and that the clearing of native vegetation and earthworks modified the site which impacted native habitats and drainage
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/06/byron-shire-resident-fined-60000-for-tree-clearing/
Forestry take clear lead:
Results for the NSW 2020 Statewide Landcover and Tree Study show that 51,400 hectares of woody vegetation was lost. Woody vegetation loss was slightly less than the previous year’s total of 54,500 hectares. This excludes fire-affected areas, which have the potential to regenerate.
- There was a 44%decrease in the rate of vegetation loss due to agricultural activity from 23,400 ha in 2019 to 13,000 ha in 2020
- Annual woody vegetation harvesting for forestry in 2020 was 30,000 ha, an increase of 6,500 ha (28%) compared to 2019, this increased harvesting occurred on state forest with the rate increased by 51% when compared to 2019, though native forest harvesting decreased while plantation (pine and hardwood) increased.
- The rate of woody vegetation loss due to infrastructure increased to 8,450 ha in 2020 from 7,580 ha in 2019.
“There is little point throwing hundreds of millions at the land sector for natural capital and carbon sequestration when nothing is being done about the thousands of hectares of potentially illegal land clearing,” [Justin Field] said.
Nature Conservation Council chief executive Chris Gambian added that native forests in the state could absorb about 44 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare annually. He said the 2020 figures for clearing could have killed up to 4.6 million animals.
“After the government weakened land clearing laws in 2017, deforestation rates doubled and have remained at these dangerously high levels ever since,” he said. “These figures, and the rising number of threatened species, shows the laws completely fail to deliver on that promise.
Wollumbin closure stumbles on:
In March 2020 the walk to the summit of Wollumbin (Mt. Warning) was temporarily closed, which has now been extended for a fifth time, until October 31, enabling those who don’t want access denied to anywhere (including Uluru) to continue their campaign - Wollumbin is a site of immense spiritual significance to a variety of traditional owners who want it closed to visitors, yet the Government has failed to make the final call, and develop the identified alternative walks in the area.
AUSTRALIA
Denigration and draconian laws the downside to protests:
An article in the Conversation argues that disruptive protests such as those by Blockade Australia are effective, with the downside being that politicians are driven to denigrate protestors while NSW, Victoria and Tasmania have/are all introducing draconian legislation to punish climate and forest protestors, arguing that politicians would be better to listen to the messages rather than punishing the messengers.
Disruptive protests like these make an impact. They form the iconic images of social movements that have delivered many of the rights and freedoms we enjoy today.
They attract extensive media coverage that propel issues onto the national agenda. And, despite media coverage to the contrary, research suggests they don’t reduce public support for climate action.
But disruptive protest also consistently generates one negative response: attempts to criminalise it.
But yet again in 2022, the freedom to protest in Tasmania is under threat. The Police Offences Amendment (Workplace Protection) Bill 2022 proposes fines of up to $21,625 and 18 months jail for peaceful protest.
Activities such as handing out flyers, holding a placard or sharing a petition could fall within the offences.
Tasmania is not an outlier. After the Port of Botany and Sydney climate blockades in March this year, NSW passed the Roads and Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill 2022.
Almost 40 civil society groups called to scrap the bill, which used vague and broad wording to expand offences with up to two years in jail and a $22,000 fine.
Similarly, the Andrews government in Victoria is introducing the Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment (Timber Harvesting Safety Zones) Bill 2022, which raises penalties on anti-logging protest offences to $21,000 or 12 months imprisonment.
[Adani] also reportedly bankrupted senior spokesperson Adrian Burragubba in 2019, sued one climate activist for intimidation, conspiracy and breaches of contract, surveilled his family, and is pursuing him for $600 million (now reduced to $17m) in damages.
Courts have used anti-protest legislation to instead highlight the importance of peaceful protest as a legitimate form of political communication. They have struck down legislation, released activists from remand, overturned unreasonable bail conditions and reduced excessive fines.
And in general, research shows the public does not support repressive protest policing.
The majority of Australians support more ambitious climate action. Many agree with Blockade Australia’s statement that “urgent broad-scale change” is necessary to address the climate crisis.
Politicians may be better served by focusing their efforts on this message, rather than attacking the messengers.
.. anti-protestor legislation:
An independent Tasmanian MLC is complaining that the mining company MMG was allowed to listen to briefings provided by environmental and civil groups on Tasmania’s anti-protest legislation, whereas the industry briefings were in secret, a final vote will be held when the Legislative Council returns in mid-August, with its passage depending on a single vote.
Ferny Forest protest continues:
Greens senator Larissa Waters is supporting the campaign led by Save Ferny Forest to stop logging of the forest on the Sunshine Coast before it is due to become a national park in 2024.
As reported by Sunshine Coast News, the community, led by the Save Ferny Forest group, has been maintaining momentum against the harvesting with protests at the site on Steve Irwin Way every Friday afternoon and an online petition.
“Furthermore, the First Nations owners of this land, the Gubbi Gubbi people, have requested the immediate cessation of these plans to log Ferny Forest due to its immense cultural significance and heritage,” [Senator Waters] stated.
https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2022/06/29/ferny-forest-logging-larissa-waters/
Wombat muddling on:
Victoria’s Conservation Regulator is assessing a number of allegations of non-compliance with timber harvesting laws in the Wombat State Forest as opposition to logging of the identified national park continues.
Pants on fire:
ABC did a factcheck on Tasmanian Liberal’s claims that young forests are superior in their ability to offset carbon emissions and that old-growth forests are actually net carbon emitters, finding these claims are incorrect, as oldgrowth forests continue to sequester carbon and store vastly more, with older trees sequestering more carbon than young ones.
Belinda Medlyn, a professor at the University of Western Sydney who studies how forests respond to atmospheric carbon dioxide, told CheckMate she could say "unequivocally" that "old-growth forests are not carbon emitters".
"There is zero evidence to show that forests start to emit [CO2] as they age, and considerable evidence to show that they may continue to take [it] up," she said, adding that when it came to which forests were more effective carbon sinks, people often confused the rate of sequestration with the total amount stored.
Professor Mackey and Dr Keith pointed to a host of studies (e.g. here, here, here and here) which showed that, compared to primary and old-growth forests, "the long-term average carbon stock of regrowth harvested forests is 30-70 per cent lower".
And the evidence shows it is the oldest trees that do much of the heavy lifting — with the largest 1 per cent accounting for half the total carbon stored in above-ground living forest biomass.
Capturing kids with VR:
Our taxes and the Australian Forest Products Association have jointly funded some pretty crappy 360-degree virtual reality (VR) videos in an attempt to capture the hearts and minds of school children and promote clearfell logging.
ForestLearning’s hugely successful ForestVR™ technology has expanded with ten new engaging, immersive and educational 360-degree virtual reality (VR) video experiences able to be viewed on any school technology such as iPads, laptops, smart boards or VR headsets.
Students can also discover how forest science is used every day to sustainably manage and regenerate these environments for today and all generations to come for a range of outcomes. Students will be introduced to managers of these forests to learn about protective processes related to the environment, biodiversity, recreation, Indigenous Australian cultural practices and heritage. In addition, forest managers will share details on how these multi-use forests help provide sustainably managed wood products.
Tiwi exports:
The Northern Territory Tiwi Plantations Corporation has begun a three year, $4.6 million project to grow a 30,000 hectare forestry estate for export, though there is mention of Midway Limited, existing plantations of 4,900 ha, logging underway and ships being loaded.
https://www.nit.com.au/tiwi-led-forestry-project-aims-to-grow-30000-hectare-forestry-estate/
Rocking graffiti:
Concerns are growing as the practice of constructing cairns of rocks in natural areas grows, with natural habitats changed and scenery increasingly disrupted by rock stacking, with the practice likened to a destructive form of graffiti.
Careful what you wish for:
In Victoria, around Warburton, the Council is proposing an intensive network of 180 kilometres of mountain bike trails through bushland, raising expectations of a major increase in tourism, and opposition due to construction of metre wide trails through the Yarra Ranges National Park on Mount Donna Buang, rural residential bush blocks surrounded by trails, long-term rental properties being converted to holiday rentals for mountain bikers, and increased bushfire risk.
Opposition to the project has been so fierce the council was prompted to complete an exhaustive Environmental Effects Statement and take part in four weeks of public hearings earlier this year.
More than 2,700 individuals or organisations made submissions.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-26/mountain-bike-plan-tensions-on-melbournes-fringe/101183868
SPECIES
Stuffing Koalas:
ABC’s Background Briefing has a 37.5 min podcast ‘Will any koalas be left in Australia's east by 2050?’ which reports on a range of the issues affecting Koalas – NEFA gets a brief run.
… Endangered in danger:
EDO have released a legal update that examines what the NSW uplisting of Koalas to Endangered means for decision-making and whether this will be enough to save our koalas from extinction – not from the loggers.
There are no direct implications of uplisting the koala from vulnerable to endangered on the rules regulating forestry operations in NSW (for example, Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals (IFOAs) or the Private Native Forestry Code of Practice). This is because the rules apply uniformly to threatened species (whether vulnerable or endangered), and specific protections for koalas are not affected by a change in the conservation status of the koala.
However, in light of the uplisting of the koala from vulnerable to endangered, we recommend that koala protections are strengthened under forestry rules. This could include making koala habitat off limits to forestry. This could be done, for example, by the relevant Minister/s amending relevant IFOAs in accordance with the Forestry Act 2012 (NSW) and the Private Native Forestry Code of Practice in accordance with Part 5B of the Local Land Services Act 2013 (LLS Act).
https://www.edo.org.au/2022/06/27/nsw-follows-suit-and-lists-koalas-as-endangered/
Gumbaynggirr Koala culture:
Environment Minister James Griffin has announced $600,000 for the Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council (Gumbaynggirr community) to integrate traditional ecological knowledge into koala conservation, to support habitat restoration, cultural burning in key koala locations, Aboriginal research projects and the development of cultural training for Aboriginal Rangers.
“The traditional custodians of this land intrinsically understand how to care for their Country,” he said.
“Coffs Harbour is leading the way when it comes to protecting the future of this iconic species and I am proud that we are continuing to support local Aboriginal knowledge in our conservation efforts,” said Mr Singh.
https://www.newsofthearea.com.au/600000-investment-in-local-aboriginal-koala-conservation-95887
Koala Clancy Foundation is seeking $373,000 to plant 30,000 trees between Bannockburn and Inverleigh over three years with the aim of aiding the region’s koala habitat.
https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/goldenplains/news/koala-group-expands-efforts/
Wildlife Rescue industry:
Wildlife Recovery Australia “builds and operates mobile wildlife hospitals alongside predator-proof sanctuaries,” is another competitor in the increasingly lucrative wildlife recovery industry, it has its own TV show and is now offering Wildlife Rescue Kits to purchase online through Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital for $69.
Varroa mite be good:
A researcher argues that while the varroa mite will be costly to the bee industry, its establishment in Australia is just a matter of time, so its important to take a cost/benefit approach by recognising it as an effective biocontrol for feral honeybees in Australia’s natural environment.
Feral European honeybee populations are recognised as a key threatening process to Australia’s native biodiversity, with impacts felt across the country. Feral bees are abundant and efficient pollinators, and compete with native birds, insects and mammals (such as pygmy possums) for nectar from flowers.
Honeybees avoid, or only partially pollinate, some native plants. This means a high concentration of honeybees could shift the make-up of native vegetation in a region. They also pollinate invasive weeds such as gorse, lantana and scotch broom, which are particularly expensive to control in the wake of bushfires.
When the varroa mite breached New Zealand, feral honeybees declined by about 90% within a few years.
Encounters with deer can be dear:
North Coast Local Land Services are warning motorists to keep a lookout for active deer during the breeding season from June through to September, with data showing there are about 15 vehicle collisions with deer in the region each year.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Oldgrowth trees:
North American claim to have the oldest living trees is now under threat, the oldest documented living trees are bristlecone pines, reaching 4,853 years old based on tree-ring data, with the oldest giant sequoia only reaching 3,266 years. Now these records are threatened by Chilean researchers who have included counting tree rings with computer modelling to estimate a Patagonian cypress tree, also called an alerce, is at least 5,000 years old, with claims tree-rings on an intact stump show it lived for about 4,100 years.
Wildfires worsened by our fossil fuel emissions have wiped out up to 19 percent of California’s giant sequoias in just the last two years.
Hotter droughts and bark beetles are for the first time in recorded history killing bristlecones, according to a recent study published in the scientific journal Forest Ecology and Management.
While these stems may be the oldest single stems, many Australian trees are clonal, meaning they resprout from their roots, with a stand of huon pine in Tasmania estimated to be over 10,500 years old (with the oldest stem around 2,000 years), another Tasmanian, Kings Holly (Lomatia tasmanica) can no longer set seed and instead one plant has been cloning itself for at least 43,600 years, and possibly up to 135,000 years, and closer to home the Peach Myrtle in Nightcap has been described as immortal.
TURNING IT AROUND
Protesting Canada’s oldgrowth:
British Columbia’s ‘Save Old Growth’ have announced they will stop their months of causing major traffic disruptions, which resulted in confrontations with frustrated drivers, demonstrators being dragged off the roadway, a protester shattering a hip falling from a damaged structure, and a threatened class-action. Other actions include dumping manure outside the Premier’s office, interrupting an international soccer match, and being hospitalized from hunger strikes.
Biodiversity threatened as talks falter:
Some conservation scientists are warning that a global deal to protect the environment, due to be finalized at the UN biodiversity summit in Montreal in December, is under threat after negotiations stalled during international talks in Nairobi last week. They are calling on global leaders to rescue the talks — and biodiversity — from the brink. Others are more hopeful that, although progress has been slow, a deal will be struck by the end of the year.
The framework consists of 4 broad goals, including reining in species extinction, and 21 targets — most of them quantitative — such as protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and seas. Without a deal, estimates say, one million plant and animal species could go extinct in the next few decades because of climate change, disease and human actions, among other triggers.
Regulating CO2 as a toxic substance:
The United States Supreme Court is widely expected to turn its ideological wrecking ball on the country’s greenhouse gas emission controls, leading a group of climate scientists and advocates to petition the EPA to regulate greenhouse gasses under the Toxic Substances Control Act rather than the Clean Air Act (the focus of a current Supreme Court case).
More reason for trees:
Peter Sainsbury cites a new study that warns that we need to reduce all greenhouse gases, not just CO2, and account for the increased warming from a reduction in sulphates, to have a chance of limiting heating to 1.5 or 2oC – more reasons to use trees to remove CO2.
a new study shows that focusing only on reducing CO2 over the next 25 years is great for reducing warming, in the longer term but may lead to increased warming in the short term and could lead to warming exceeding 2 degrees by 2050. But if we combine mitigation of CO2 emissions with mitigation of SCLP emissions, especially methane and another greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O), global warming will be slowed more quickly than decarbonisation alone and breaching 2 degrees can be avoided. Indeed, strong attention to the CO2 and non-CO2 gases over the next 20 years could reduce the rate of warming between 2030 and 2050 by 50 per cent. The study authors conclude that comprehensive CO2 and targeted non-CO2 mitigation strategies are needed to tackle both near-term and long-term warming. Each approach is necessary, neither is sufficient on its own.
https://johnmenadue.com/environment-can-capitalism-deliver-the-future-we-want/
Unmet promises to indigenous peoples to protect forests:
Praised as guardians of tropical forests, indigenous peoples have accused governments and NGOs of failing to follow up billion-dollar pledges made at November’s COP26 UN climate summit to enlist their help to halt forest losses by 2030, including by granting them more money and control over ancestral lands.
In recent years, many studies have shown that granting land rights to indigenous peoples is a particularly cost-effective approach to combat climate change and protect biodiversity.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air to grow, making them natural buffers against global warming.
But tropical primary rainforests are being lost at a rate of 10 football pitches a minute, according to Global Forest Watch - a platform that provides data and monitors forests.
https://www.eco-business.com/news/indigenous-peoples-warn-of-global-delay-on-forest-protection-push/
Forest bathing benefits:
Live Science has a good no-nonsense article about the benefits of forest bathing, summarising its Japanese origins, some of the research showing its beneficial affects and how to practice it. Bustle also considers its multiple benefits.
So far, research has shown that forest bathing can improve several aspects of a person's health. For example, research published in February 2021 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (opens in new tab) showed a decrease in systolic blood pressure after 12 healthy volunteers practiced forest bathing for a two-hour stint. In a research article published in October 2018 in the journal Frontiers in Public Health (opens in new tab), scientists showed improvements in heart rate variability — a measure of cardiovascular health — in 485 male participants while walking in a forest for just 15 minutes.
Research published in February 2018 in the journal Biomedical and Environmental Sciences (opens in new tab), found reduced biomarkers of chronic heart failure, inflammation and oxidative stress in elderly chronic heart failure patients after they participated in two four-day forest bathing trips. Researchers also found that a five-day forest trip improved immune system health, as indicated by an increase in natural killer cells, which are part of the body's defence against cancer, they reported in March 2018 in the journal Oncotarget (opens in new tab).
https://www.livescience.com/forest-bathing
https://www.bustle.com/wellness/what-is-forest-bathing-benefits
Forest Media 24 June 2022
New South Wales
All charges were dismissed in Kyogle Court today Friday 24 June for the four forest protectors arrested in November for defending Cherry Tree State Forest from logging. Malveena Martyn, Naomi Shine, Ian Gaillard and Dee Mould, collectively known as the "Cherry Tree Four" who had their final day in court after over six months of legal action were relieved and proud to have had their efforts exonerated by the court.
After the court imposed $285,600 in fines and costs for the Forestry Corporation for harming Koalas, rainforest and a rainforest buffer in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest, the EPA announced they are prosecuting the Forestry Corporation for illegally logging 53 trees in a lightly burnt and an unburnt refugia in the Yambulla State Forest after the Black Summer Bushfires, and then the EPA issued a Penalty Infringement Notice and fine for logging an unidentified number of hollow-bearing trees when logging resumed after a Stop Work Order was issued for logging hollow-bearing trees in South Brooman State Forest. The NCC called for an independent review of the Forestry Corporation given they had been prosecuted and fined three times in the past six days for alleged illegal logging operations in koala habitat and fire-affected forests. The Wire has audio of an interview with Chris Gambian.
The Mandarin, aimed at Australian public sector leaders and executives, has covered the $285,600 fine for the Forestry Corporation for harming Koalas - without mentioning rainforests. The Northern Rivers Times ran the EPA’s press release about the Wild Cattle Creek breaches. The Echo ran with conservationists’ responses (including NEFA), including the impact on rainforests.
The Clarence Valley News has an article calling for an end to logging of public native forests for biodiversity, carbon sequestration and economics.
In an example of cracking down on protestors, after armed undercover police dressed in camouflage refused to identify themselves and claimed to have been “pushed and shoved” at a Blockade Australia camp they claimed they were “fearing for their lives” and called for urgent assistance from 100 police from all over the Sydney Metropolitan Area including PolAir, the Public Order and Riot Squad, Raptor Squad and Operations Support Group and set up a crime scene, arresting 7 people. Blockade Australia deny they were violent or slashed tyres.
#Fridays4Forests action outside parliament house received more coverage, it was to demonstrate that people will vote for our forests and against any party that fails to protect our koalas forests, our water catchments, and our climate.
In its pre-budget cash splash, the NSW Government announced it is committing $56.4 million to construction of a new Arc Rainforest Centre and a hanging boardwalk in Dorrigo National Park, and construction of a 46 km Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk involving three suspension bridges, new camping areas, and four walkers’ hut precincts – which they say will be managed by NPWS.
Also that farmers will get windfalls, under a $206 million program farmers will access up to $135,000 if they voluntarily opt in to the scheme to reduce their carbon emissions and protect biodiversity under a green accreditation scheme. At the same time the Government is trying to increase logging of private forests by giving $28 million to “facilitate and expand” Farm Forestry (Private Native Forestry), including gaining certification.
Australia
As Governments ramp up penalties for protestors, Extinction Rebellion brought out 'Blinky' the burning koala to protest against Victoria’s proposed tougher punishments (12 months jail time, $21,000 fines) for those who interrupt logging sites. Meanwhile, the Tasmanian upper house passed changes to the Police Offences Act, mainly the offence of trespass, to significantly increase penalties for protestors (of any kind), with fines for a person obstructing a business doubled up to $8,650 or up to 12 months jail, causing "a serious risk" to the safety of themselves or someone else goes up to $12,975 or 18 months jail (do it again and its up to $21,625 or two-and-a-half years jail), and public nuisance, increases from $519 to $1,730. These have yet to go through the formality of being passed by the lower house.
A report ‘Tasmania’s Forest Carbon: From Emissions Disaster to Climate Solution’ by forest ecologist Jennifer Sanger, in collaboration with The Wilderness Society and the Tasmanian Climate Collective, has found greenhouse gas emissions from native forest logging are equivalent to about 4.65 million tonnes of carbon each year, making it the state's highest emitting industry, while if native forest logging was ended 75 million tonnes of carbon could be absorbed by the state's production forests by 2050. Of course Forestry Australia refuted claims that native forest harvesting in Tasmania has impacted negatively on the climate.
Controversy over logging in Wombat State Forest in Victoria continues, with the forest slated for conversion to a national park, it’s being logged under the pretence of “forest recovery” and “salvage logging”, conservationists are outraged and traditional owners divided. The finding of a population of Greater Gliders in Wombat State Forest in a Victorian National Parks Association survey has intensified efforts to stop the logging.
Tanya Plibersek says the damning 5 year national environmental report card suppressed by the former Coalition government, tells an “alarming story” of decline, native species extinction and cultural heritage loss, will be released on July 19, though is making cautious progress in her new role.
Aljazeera has an interview with former Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews who has warned Australia’s biodiversity is the “worst it’s ever been” and more needs to be done if Australia is to save its unique flora and fauna, such as addressing climate change, stopping logging of native forests, and stopping land clearing.
The World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia has welcomed the Queensland Government’s budget commitment of $262.5 million, including $200 million for property purchases, for expanding Queensland’s national parks and protected areas.
The Guardian has an article about the growing number of commercial developments in national parks across Australia, including a proposal to construct hut accommodation along the Light to Light Walk, south of Eden, with further developments proposed for the Great Southern Walk and Gardens of Stone.
Species
Koalas again dominate the media. Simon Reeve has produced a film called “Koalas the Hard Truths” which looks in documentary fashion at the plight of koalas and the humans who care for them, with its first screening at Parliament House on June 22 for NSW politicians and members of the public. The Guardian has an article about the decline of Koalas, identifying habitat loss as the primary threat and that the IFAW petition calling for the status of koalas to be uplisted to endangered garnered more than 250,000 signatures globally. The ABC has a podcast on the combination of retro virus and chlamydia on koalas, both of which may be aggravated by stress – such as chopping and bulldozing their trees. The Australian Koala Foundation has sent their Koala Protection Act to the new environment minister Tanya Plibersek in the hope of getting interest in national laws to stop cutting down koala feed trees, though they are not optimistic. The Clarence Valley News has a story about the defeat of the Great Koala National Park Bill after the ALP voted it down. Lismore voted in June to request a more Koala friendly design for a housing development in Goonellabah after the council’s ecologist had found the designs submitted put the local koala population at risk of extinction, with Koala feed trees proposed for removal and a road in an ecologically protected zone, though a recent meeting created confusion with a decision to defer the matter until July instead of requesting a Koala friendly design. As the 20 year anniversary of the Port Stephens Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management nears closer, Port Stephens Council has secured $845,000 from the NSW Government to construct fencing and an underpass at their worst Koala black spot. Until 15 July expressions of interest are sought for Koala Conservation and Protection – Community Grants – Round 1 which provides grants from $50,000 to up to $200,000 for small-scale community projects and local activities that support the recovery and protection of the Koala. Forestry Corporation of NSW has delivered 25,000 koala food tree seedlings to the Friends of the Koala and Bangalow Koalas to establish habitat on private land – it’s interesting that they regard Blackbutt as a feed tree.
If it’s not Koalas, its genes. A genetic study has found that insurance populations of the endangered Tasmanian devil, in zoos and on Maria Island off the east coast of Tasmania, are as genetically diverse as wild populations. A genetic study of the small Endangered Northern Rivers emu population has confirmed that they are genetically distinct from other populations from which they have been isolated for centuries, though their low genetic variation has led to proposals to introduce emus from elsewhere. With fewer than 3,000 Pookila mice thought to be left in the wild in Victoria they have become the latest target of a captive breeding program aimed at improving their genetics.
The Deteriorating Problem
Due to changes in high-altitude winds (jet stream) resulting from climate change, in both the northern and southern hemispheres, the paths of the weather systems that bring rain in the middle latitudes have been moving away from the equator and towards the poles, causing a decrease in the number of low-pressure systems bringing rain and the drop in rainfall during April and May in southeast Australia, which combine with the air over parts of inland southeast Australia becoming significantly drier since the 1990s and areas of strongly rotating air moving further east and south (over the Tasman Sea) resulting in a significant decrease in late autumn rainfall in southeast Australia.
An ongoing La Niña event that has contributed to flooding in eastern Australia and exacerbated droughts in the United States and East Africa could persist into 2023, according to the latest forecasts. A ‘triple dip’ La Niña — lasting three years in a row — has happened only twice since 1950. Some researchers are warning that climate change could make La Niña-like conditions more likely in future, contrary to current climate models.
Pearls and Irritations has an article by David Shearman welcoming action on climate change but lamenting the rapid demise of biodiversity and its ecological services not being addressed and acted on, particularly the elephant in the room that unlimited population and economic growth is possible on a finite planet.
The world’s first biodiversity-adjusted sovereign credit ratings show how ecological destruction affects public finances across 26 countries, these downgrades would increase the annual interest payment on debt by up to US$53 billion a year, leaving many developing nations at significant risk of sovereign debt default (in effect, bankruptcy), with the assessment only covering fisheries, timber and pollinators.
A study in Boreal forests found that increasing soil nutrition by fertilisation makes trees more hostile to their fungal partners, restructuring the root-associated fungal community from being dominated by specialist myccorhyzal fungal species that are highly dependent on the carbon-containing sugars from the trees to more versatile species.
American national parks are being increasingly affected by fire, flood, melting ice sheets, rising seas and heat waves, as climate change gathers momentum, threatening some of their core values.
Turning it Around
The next meeting of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will now run from 5 to 17 December in Montreal in Canada, with the aim of finalising COP15.
A study reported in Nature concludes that companies use of renewable energy certificates (RECs) to report reductions in emissions from purchased electricity purchases are unlikely to lead to additional renewable energy production, leading to an inflated estimate of the effectiveness of mitigation efforts.
38 scientists have written a public letter to EU governments and the European Parliament over concerns around the Bioenergy Provisions of the Fit for 55 Plan, warning that promoting biomass leads to additional wood harvest for bioenergy that is likely to increase global warming for decades to centuries, while increasing the extensive use of agricultural land for bioenergy.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
Cherry Tree charges dismissed:
All charges were dismissed in Kyogle Court today Friday 24 June for the four forest protectors arrested in November for defending Cherry Tree State Forest from logging. Malveena Martyn, Naomi Shine, Ian Gaillard and Dee Mould, collectively known as the "Cherry Tree Four" who had their final day in court after over six months of legal action were relieved and proud to have had their efforts exonerated by the court.
[Lawyer Eddie Lloyd] "In submissions today, the Magistrate accepted that we were living in a climate crisis and agreed that these climate change warriors were just trying to protect endangered & threatened species from death by Forestry Corp logging in Cherry Tree State Forest. All charges were dismissed.
Once more into the breach:
After the court imposed $285,600 in fines and costs for the Forestry Corporation for harming Koalas, rainforest and a rainforest buffer in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest, the EPA announced they are prosecuting the Forestry Corporation for illegally logging 53 trees in a lightly burnt and an unburnt refugia in the Yambulla State Forest after the Black Summer Bushfires, and then the EPA issued a Penalty Infringement Notice and fine for logging an unidentified number of hollow-bearing trees when logging resumed after a Stop Work Order was issued for logging hollow-bearing trees in South Brooman State Forest.
Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) has been fined $15,000 for allegedly failing to comply with a post bushfire condition imposed to protect critical habitat in a forest near Batemans Bay.
The Site Specific Operating Condition required FCNSW to permanently retain all hollow bearing trees. Hollow bearing trees are important to many native animals in the forest, including threatened species that are dependent on these trees for their survival.
EPA Acting Executive Director Regulatory Operations Regional Greg Sheehy said these conditions were aimed at protecting our environment from further harm after the forest was damaged by fires.
“The requirement to retain all hollow bearing trees was clear and it’s concerning that better systems were not put in place to ensure compliance.
In July 2020 the EPA issued FCNSW with a Stop Work Order to stop the harvesting of trees in part of the forest for 40 days, after an inspection found hollow bearing trees that were either damaged or felled.
The penalty followed the resumption of logging in that area, after FCNSW were required to put in place additional checks to ensure they met the conditions.
$15,000 is the largest fine the EPA is able to issue under the legislation.
The NCC called for an independent review of the Forestry Corporation given they had been prosecuted and fined three times in the past six days for alleged illegal logging operations in koala habitat and fire-affected forests.
[Chris Gambian] “Where is the responsible minister, Dugald Saunders, during all this? He should publicly condemn the reckless and lawless behaviour of this agency, but we haven’t heard a peep out of him.
“The government must establish a comprehensive independent review of Forestry Corporation to ensure it acts lawfully and sustainably.
https://www.miragenews.com/epa-pings-forestry-corp-third-time-in-six-days-806305/
The EPA have announced they are prosecuting the Forestry Corporation for illegally logging 53 trees in a lightly burnt and an unburnt refugia (Category 1 Environmentally Significant Area), which they failed to mark the boundary of, in the Yambulla State Forest after the Black Summer Bushfires.
James Tremain linked the Yambulla breaches with the Wild Cattle Breaches, citing NCC’s call for a comprehensive independent review of Forestry Corporation to ensure it acts lawfully and sustainably.
[Chis Gambian] On Friday, Forestry Corp [FCNSW] was fined for wiping out significant koala habitat. On Monday, they are being prosecuted for logging forests that were ruled out of bounds after the fires. What more evidence does the Government need before it orders a comprehensive independent review of Forestry Corporation to ensure it acts lawfully and sustainably?
The Wire has audio of an interview with Chris Gambian.
https://www.thewire.org.au/story/trees-chopped-so-nsw-government-fines-itself/
The Mandarin, aimed at Australian public sector leaders and executives, has covered the $285,600 fine for the Forestry Corporation for harming Koalas - without mentioning rainforests.
The Northern Rivers Times ran the EPA’s press release about the Wild Cattle Creek breaches.
Northern Rivers Times June 23 2022
The Echo ran with conservationists’ responses (including NEFA), including the impact on rainforests.
Echo June 22 2022
Time to stop logging:
The Clarence Valley News has an article calling for an end to logging of public native forests for biodiversity, carbon sequestration and economics.
https://clarencevalleynews.com.au/voices-for-the-earth-35/
Getting heavy on protestors:
In an example of cracking down on protestors, after armed undercover police dressed in camouflage refused to identify themselves and claimed to have been “pushed and shoved” at a Blockade Australia camp they claimed they were “fearing for their lives” and called for urgent assistance from 100 police from all over the Sydney Metropolitan Area including PolAir, the Public Order and Riot Squad, Raptor Squad and Operations Support Group and set up a crime scene, arresting 7 people. Blockade Australia deny they were violent or slashed tyres.
People on the property, some of them members of climate activist group Blockade Australia, say earlier that morning they stumbled across two armed individuals near their camp, dressed in camouflage gear and who refused to identify themselves.
The two men, according to witnesses, jumped into an unmarked car and sped off, hitting two people in the process, but did not immediately get away.
Police say the officers were surrounded by activists as they sheltered in their car, their tyres were damaged and they "feared for their lives".
Mr Rolles denies any suggestion that the vehicle's tyres were slashed, or tyre valves were removed.
The group also denies any use of violence.
"The police claim made on [Sunday] that officers experienced fear or felt threatened is disingenuous," the group's statement said.
More coverage of Fridays4Forests:
#Fridays4Forests action outside parliament house received more coverage, it was to demonstrate that people will vote for our forests and against any party that fails to protect our koalas forests, our water catchments, and our climate.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/06/fridays4forests-take-koala-and-forest-protection-to-sydney/
Dorrigo visitor facilities:
The NSW Government is committing $56.4 million in the budget to construction of a new Arc Rainforest Centre and a hanging boardwalk in Dorrigo National Park, and construction of a 46 km Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk involving three suspension bridges, new camping areas, and four walkers’ hut precincts – which they say will be managed by NPWS.
National park management and visitation generates $18 billion in economic activity annually and supports over 74,000 jobs, with 75 per cent of economic benefit occurring in regional areas.
https://www.sydneytimes.net.au/magnificent-new-multiday-walk-puts-nsw-on-global-ecotourism-map/
For more information, visit https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/parks-reserves-and-protected-areas/park-management/community-engagement/walking-tracks-and-trails-in-national-parks/dorrigo-great-walk
Rewarding “sustainable” farming:
Under a $206 million program to be revealed in Tuesday’s state budget, farmers will access up to $135,000 if they voluntarily opt in to the scheme to reduce their carbon emissions and protect biodiversity under a green accreditation scheme.
This on top of the $106.7 million over three years for the Biodiversity Credits Supply Fund that will reward landholders who generate and boost the supply of biodiversity offset credits.
The budget will also see $598 million invested over the next 10 years into the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which will see critical infrastructure and fleet upgrades and 250 permanent jobs generated, 200 of which will be firefighters.
This will be part of further investments into NSW’s parks, that will boost the economy through tourism. Such as $56.4 million over four years into a new Arc Rainforest Centre and Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk in the Dorrigo National Park.
Northern Rivers Times June 23 2022
At the same time the Government is trying to increase logging of private forests by giving $28 million to “facilitate and expand” Farm Forestry (Private Native Forestry), including gaining certification.
This investment will also fund a pilot certification scheme to support landholders seeking certification for their timber products under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification standards. This will increase market access, improve social licence and incentivise the production of sustainable timber in Australia.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/record-28-million-boost-for-farm-forestry
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/28m-farm-forestry-package-for-nsw/
https://monaropost.com.au/grassroots/boost-for-farm-forestry
Northern Rivers Times June 23 2022
AUSTRALIA
Protesting protest laws:
Extinction Rebellion brought out 'Blinky' the burning koala to protest against Victoria’s proposed tougher punishments (12 months jail time, $21,000 fines) for those who interrupt logging sites.
Tasmania following suit:
The Tasmanian upper house passed changes to the Police Offences Act, mainly the offence of trespass, to significantly increase penalties for protestors (of any kind), with fines for a person obstructing a business doubled up to $8,650 or up to 12 months jail, causing "a serious risk" to the safety of themselves or someone else goes up to $12,975 or 18 months jail (do it again and its up to $21,625 or two-and-a-half years jail), and public nuisance, increases from $519 to $1,730. These have yet to go through the formality of being passed by the lower house.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-24/anti-protest-laws-a-step-closer-in-tasmania/101173690
Forests part of the solution:
A report ‘Tasmania’s Forest Carbon: From Emissions Disaster to Climate Solution’ by forest ecologist Jennifer Sanger, in collaboration with The Wilderness Society and the Tasmanian Climate Collective, has found greenhouse gas emissions from native forest logging are equivalent to about 4.65 million tonnes of carbon each year, making it the state's highest emitting industry, while if native forest logging was ended 75 million tonnes of carbon could be absorbed by the state's production forests by 2050.
Dr Sanger's report, which has not been formally peer-reviewed, argues almost two-thirds of the carbon from a logged native forest is released into the atmosphere within two years — 30 per cent from slash burning, 10 per cent in mill waste, and 24 per cent from paper products with a short life span.
Some of the forest carbon has a much longer life span — 30 per cent is woody debris left onsite which breaks down over 50 years, while five per cent is stored long-term as engineered timber, and one per cent as sawn timber.
Dr Sanger said if Tasmania followed Victoria and Western Australia's lead and ended native forest logging, 75 million tonnes of carbon could be absorbed by the state's production forests by 2050.
https://www.thetreeprojects.com/forestcarbon
Forestry Australia has refuted claims that native forest harvesting in Tasmania has impacted negatively on the climate.
“With young trees absorbing more carbon and old trees storing more carbon, a diverse multi-age managed forest provides a holistic solution to climate change.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/forestry-australia-refutes-claims-native-forestry-harms-climate/
Logging Victorian parks in waiting:
Controversy over logging in Wombat State Forest in Victoria continues, with the forest slated for conversion to a national park, its being logged under the pretence of “forest recovery” and “salvage logging”, conservationists are outraged and traditional owners divided.
Last month, as bushwalkers ascended Babbington Hill, on Dja Dja Wurrung Country north-west of Melbourne, they were shocked by what they encountered. Hectares of Wombat State Forest had been razed. A vital ecosystem of trees had vanished, leaving no understorey of ferns and sedges, no rare fungi. Debris sat in piles on the denuded forest floor, cut through with compressed tyre tracks.
Months earlier, the Andrews government had approved the area for national park status. This would give it protection from logging. But a convoy of heavy machinery – a bulldozer, two Traxcavators, a log hauler, 30-tonne CAT trucks and a Tigercat harvester – had moved in before the protective status took effect
… diminishing Greater Gliders:
The finding of a population of Greater Gliders in Wombat State Forest in a Victorian National Parks Association survey has intensified efforts to stop the logging.
“Many threatened species including the greater glider depend on large hollow-bearing trees for nesting,” says Blake. “Logging operations remove trees, which if undisturbed, would formulate the next generation of hollow-bearing trees in the landscape. Ultimately logging promotes severe long-term declines of species like the greater glider, it isolates and fragments animal populations, and risks localised extinctions of our threatened fauna.”
“VicForests are attempting to fulfil native timber shortfalls with Wombat Forest habitat, mainly because the supply of timber from forest areas in the east of Victoria has been cut due to landscape scale fires in 2019/2020, community legal actions, and the over commitment of dwindling native timber resources by the government,” says Jordan. “Securing protection of the habitat of some of Victoria’s most threatened plant and animal life within Wombat Forest can’t come soon enough.”
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2022/06/greater-gliders-left-out-on-a-limb/
Cautious action on environment:
Tanya Plibersek says the damning 5 year national environmental report card suppressed by the former Coalition government, tells an “alarming story” of decline, native species extinction and cultural heritage loss, will be released on July 19, though is making cautious progress in her new role.
“[It] tells a very alarming story about environmental decline in Australia, and about lost cultural heritage, including shocking events like the Juukan Gorge destruction,” she said. “It tells a damning story of neglect by the previous government, and we’ve got a lot of work to do to fix that up
She would formally respond to a review of the EPBC Act, completed in the previous term of parliament by former consumer watchdog chief Graeme Samuel, after speaking with Samuel and consulting with environment, business and First Nations groups and state, territory and local governments.
Ms Plibersek – who is the longest serving woman in the House of Representatives – said while she wasn’t expecting to be shifted to the new portfolio, she was “delighted” to be serving as Environment and Water Minister and would remain in parliament “for the long haul”.
“We saw at the last election that the environment is a huge issue for a lot of Australian voters and (we need to) make sure that we tackle the big outstanding issues, the things that have gotten worse over the last decade, not better,” she said in a wide-ranging interview.
“We need to make sure we are explaining to Australia that we can have both – we can actually have a strong, growing economy and better protect our environment,” she said. “We also need to make sure we’re not allowing the perfect to become the enemy of the good. We want to progress.
“I’m going to take my time and do proper consultation to make sure we’re talking to stakeholders and bringing them with us. I don’t want to start putting timeframes on it just yet,” Plibersek said in an interview.
More action needed to save our species:
Aljazeera has an interview with former Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews who has warned Australia’s biodiversity is the “worst it’s ever been” and more needs to be done if Australia is to save its unique flora and fauna, such as addressing climate change, stopping logging of native forests, and stopping land clearing.
The second is habitat degradation… We’ve already degraded, deforested and reduced the habitat of our wildlife significantly for farming and agriculture and urban development. If we want to keep our wildlife… we need to stop logging native forests, and we need to stop land clearing.
Labor definitely has stronger policy platforms, but not strong enough to prevent extinction and protect nature to the extent that’s needed.
Funding is really important, but it’s been used as a ‘greenwashing’ exercise by governments, and particularly by the former government. Whenever they were asked, for example, about a particular species, they would just say “Oh, we’ve provided $50 million for koalas.” … Funding alone won’t fix the problem, we also need to deal with climate change and habitat degradation, and have stronger institutions.
For example, with koalas, we’re providing funding to plant more trees, but we’re chopping down the trees in the first place …
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/15/australias-first-threatened-species-commissioner
Queensland park expansion welcomed:
The World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia has welcomed the Queensland Government’s budget commitment of $262.5 million, including $200 million for property purchases, for expanding Queensland’s national parks and protected areas.
“Queensland has the least developed network of protected areas of any state or territory in Australia, despite being home to amazing wildlife and ecosystems that support more than 1,000 threatened species.
“The 2020 national assessment of protected areas found only 8.71% of Queensland is within protected or conserved areas. This figure pales in comparison to the 42.3% in Tasmania, 24.9% in the Northern Territory and 23.3% in Western Australia.
“Today’s funding is a massive step in the right direction. It will move the Queensland Government closer to achieving its protected area target of 17%.
Privatising parks:
The Guardian has an article about the growing number of commercial developments in national parks across Australia, including a proposal to construct hut accommodation along the Light to Light Walk, south of Eden, with further developments proposed for the Great Southern Walk and Gardens of Stone.
Along with the Light to Light Walk, NSW has proposed cabins and “glamping” sites for the Great Southern Walk near Sydney, as well as the construction of Australia’s longest zipline and accommodation at the Gardens of Stone walk near Lithgow.
It’s Tasmania, though, that is the most advanced in this space, with 138 commercial leases granted to tourism providers in national parks and reserves. Thirty of these, including private accommodation sites, complement the state’s extensive public hut network.
Buckley says there are fewer than 250 individual examples of private tourism accommodation or infrastructure in public protected areas in the entire world.
“These kinds of developments proposed … I don’t think they’re good for conservation, I don’t think it’s good for equitable public access to parks and I don’t think it’s good for the tourism industry.”
SPECIES
Koalas again dominate the media … with a documentary launched:
Simon Reeve has produced a film called “Koalas the Hard Truths” which looks in documentary fashion at the plight of koalas and the humans who care for them, with its first screening at Parliament House on June 22 for NSW politicians and members of the public.
https://southwestvoice.com.au/koalas-film/
… worldwide Koala concern:
The Guardian has an article about the decline of Koalas, identifying habitat loss as the primary threat and that the IFAW petition calling for the status of koalas to be uplisted to endangered garnered more than 250,000 signatures globally.
… disease ridden Koalas:
The ABC has a podcast on the combination of retro virus and chlamydia on koalas, both of which may be aggravated by stress – such as chopping and bulldozing their trees.
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/what-the-duck/koalaaids/13928290
… a plea for national Koala laws:
The Australian Koala Foundation has sent their Koala Protection Act to the new environment minister Tanya Plibersek in the hope of getting interest in national laws to stop cutting down koala feed trees, though they are not optimistic.
The foundation's chair, Deborah Tabart, said she had lobbied 14 federal environment ministers over 33 years for change, to the point where her group drafted its own legislation to give to the government.
Ms Tabart sent new Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek a copy of the proposed changes last week, but was not overly confident much would change.
"To be frank, I think it scares both sides of politics because it really gets to the nub of the issue," Ms Tabart said.
"The act automatically says, 'If this is koala habitat then you can't touch it' — and the only way you can touch it is if you prove that your activity is benign, which I think if you are a responsible industry you could do."
https://www.laprensalatina.com/australian-activists-urge-govt-to-adopt-koala-protection-act/
… continuing coverage of defeat of Great Koala National Park:
The Clarence Valley News has a story about the defeat of the Great Koala National Park Bill after the ALP voted it down.
https://clarencevalleynews.com.au/politics-wins-over-koalas-great-koala-national-park-bill-defeated/
… Lismore dithering over Koala killing:
Lismore voted in June to request a more Koala friendly design for a housing development in Goonellabah after the council’s ecologist had found the designs submitted put the local koala population at risk of extinction, with Koala feed trees proposed for removal and a road in an ecologically protected zone, though a recent meeting created confusion with a decision to defer the matter until July instead of requesting a Koala friendly design.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/06/lismore-council-flirts-with-koala-killer-status/
… Koala grants:
Until 15 July expressions of interest are sought for Koala Conservation and Protection – Community Grants – Round 1 which provides grants from $50,000 to up to $200,000 for small-scale community projects and local activities that support the recovery and protection of the Koala.
… fixing a black spot:
As the 20 year anniversary of the Port Stephens Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management nears closer, Port Stephens Council has secured $845,000 from the NSW Government to construct fencing and an underpass at their worst Koala black spot.
https://www.miragenews.com/koala-funding-marks-20-years-of-conservation-in-803857/
https://insidelocalgovernment.com.au/port-stephens-expands-koala-polan/
… Forestry getting more PR:
Forestry Corporation of NSW has delivered 25,000 koala food tree seedlings to the Friends of the Koala and Bangalow Koalas to establish habitat on private land – it’s interesting that they regard Blackbutt as a feed tree.
The mix of koala-preferred species this year includes Forest Red Gum, Tallowwood, Swamp Mahogany, Grey Gum, Dunn’s White Gum and Black Butt. These will be distributed between Friends of the Koala Lismore and Bangalow Koalas to areas of highest priority across current and future projects.
The seedlings were grown at Forestry Corporation’s Grafton nursery, which last year produced 3.2 million seedlings for plantation reestablishment. This year the Grafton nursery is on track to deliver 3.5 million seedlings for forest reestablishment in support of sustainable timber production.
Captive Tasmanian Devils genetically diverse:
A genetic study has found that insurance populations of the endangered Tasmanian devil, in zoos and on Maria Island off the east coast of Tasmania, are as genetically diverse as wild populations.
At their height, Tasmanian devils – which are only found in their namesake state – were found at densities of 1.3 devils per km2. Populations across most of the state have declined by an estimated 80 percent since 1996 due to a contagious cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). The disease is not the only issue facing devils: they are also threatened by roadkill, habitat destruction, and climate changes. Although there have been no local extinctions as a result of DFTD, populations remain sparse.
Making Endangered Emus genetically diverse:
A genetic study of the small Endangered Northern Rivers emu population has confirmed that they are genetically distinct from other populations from which they have been isolated for centuries, though their low genetic variation has led to proposals to introduce emus from elsewhere.
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2022/06/nsw-north-coast-emus-in-dire-need-of-a-saviour/
And now Pookila mice:
With fewer than 3,000 Pookila mice thought to be left in the wild in Victoria they have become the latest target of a captive breeding program aimed at improving their genetics.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-21/pookila-mouse-captive-breeding-program-begins/101169946
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Why south-east Australia is drying:
Due to changes in high-altitude winds (jet stream) resulting from climate change, in both the northern and southern hemispheres, the paths of the weather systems that bring rain in the middle latitudes have been moving away from the equator and towards the poles, causing a decrease in the number of low-pressure systems bringing rain and the drop in rainfall during April and May in southeast Australia, which combine with the air over parts of inland southeast Australia becoming significantly drier since the 1990s and areas of strongly rotating air moving further east and south (over the Tasman Sea) resulting in a significant decrease in late autumn rainfall in southeast Australia.
The drought periods since 1997 have killed huge numbers of river fish, reduced the viability of broad acre and pastoral farming and other economic industries, and reduced river flows and sustainable access to water in many areas. In a future warming climate, these drought periods are expected to continue.
… while La Niña may be becoming more frequent:
An ongoing La Niña event that has contributed to flooding in eastern Australia and exacerbated droughts in the United States and East Africa could persist into 2023, according to the latest forecasts. A ‘triple dip’ La Niña — lasting three years in a row — has happened only twice since 1950. Some researchers are warning that climate change could make La Niña-like conditions more likely in future, contrary to current climate models.
Population and economic growth the problem:
Pearls and Irritations has an article by David Shearman welcoming action on climate change but lamenting the rapid demise of biodiversity and its ecological services not being addressed and acted on, particularly the elephant in the room that unlimited population and economic growth is possible on a finite planet.
Our western societies live under the illusion that unlimited economic growth is possible on a finite planet; until we understand this fallacy, there is little hope that the planet can sustain us.
As noted more than 50 years ago by the pioneer of Evolutionary Biology, E.O. Wilson “We are in a bottleneck of overpopulation and wasteful consumption that could push half of Earth’s species to extinction in this century.” “The raging monster upon the land is population growth” We have ignored the recommendations of the Earth Charter (2000) and failed to produce a population policy in Australia.
Within the community the environmental organisations have a considerable following and many achievements for example in preventing biodiversity loss through action on iconic and threatened species. However the increasing number of extinctions represents the tip of the iceberg of thousands of other species moving to extinction. Their organisational mission should also surely relate to educating on the fundamental causes, population and economic growth; in general these are absent from their platforms.
https://johnmenadue.com/ecological-services-sustainable-future/
Cost of ecological destruction:
The world’s first biodiversity-adjusted sovereign credit ratings show how ecological destruction affects public finances across 26 countries, these downgrades would increase the annual interest payment on debt by up to US$53 billion a year, leaving many developing nations at significant risk of sovereign debt default (in effect, bankruptcy), with the assessment only covering fisheries, timber and pollinators.
The world’s first biodiversity-adjusted sovereign credit ratings show how ecological destruction affects public finances – driving downgrades, debt crises and soaring borrowing costs, according to a team of economists led by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge.
Loss of plant and animal species may already be set to cause major sovereign downgrades, with China and Indonesia on course to drop two notches as early as 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario.
If parts of the world see a “partial ecosystems collapse” of fisheries, tropical timber production and wild pollination – as simulated by the World Bank – then more than half the 26 nations studied would face downgrades, with India falling four notches and China plummeting by six on the 20-notch scale.
Across the 26 countries, these downgrades would increase the annual interest payment on debt by up to US$53 billion a year, leaving many developing nations at significant risk of sovereign debt default – in effect, bankruptcy.
“As nature loss reduces economic performance, it will become harder for countries to service their debt, straining government budgets and forcing them to raise taxes, cut spending, or increase inflation. This will have grim consequences for ordinary people.”
The report is published today by the Finance for Biodiversity Initiative, and will be discussed at a public webinar in September 2022.*
“Economies reliant on ecosystems face a choice: pay now, by investing in nature, or pay later through higher borrowing costs and spiraling debt,” said study co-author Dr Matt Burke, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.
“The ‘pay now’ option generates long-term returns for people, business and nature. The ‘pay later’ option has significant downside risks, with little or no upside.”
“Developing countries are already saddled with crippling debt burdens driven by Covid-19 and soaring prices, and loss of nature will push these nations closer to the edge,” said co-author Dr Patrycja Klusak, affiliated researcher at Cambridge’s Bennett Institute and Associate Professor at the University of East Anglia.
Read the report: Nature Loss and Sovereign Credit Ratings
https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/biodiversity-loss-sovereign-credit-ratings/
Fertilisation breaks down fungal symbiosis with trees:
A study in Boreal forests found that increasing soil nutrition by fertilisation makes trees more hostile to their fungal partners, restructuring the root-associated fungal community from being dominated by specialist myccorhyzal fungal species that are highly dependent on the carbon-containing sugars from the trees to more versatile species.
The researchers from Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå University and Science for Life Laboratory compared a forest that was fertilized continuously over 25 years with a non-fertilized forest. They analyzed the gene activity in tree roots and in more than 350 fungal species over the course of a growing season and revealed that the fertilized trees changed their communication strategy and became more hostile to their fungal partners. As a result, the fungal community shifted from being dominated by specialist to more versatile species.
"In nutrient-poor boreal forests, trees are reliant on root-associated myccorhyzal fungi for their nutrient supply and maintain this partnership through the exchange of valuable sugars," says Simon Law, first author of the study and former postdoc in Vaughan Hurry's group at Umeå Plant Science Center. "Soil fertilization disrupts this sensitive trading relationship, causing trees to divert these sugars to their own growth and defense, with profound implications for the fungal community."
https://phys.org/news/2022-06-fertilization-reshapes-tree-fungi-relationship-boreal.html
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2118852119
American national parks threatened:
American national parks are being increasingly affected by fire, flood, melting ice sheets, rising seas and heat waves, as climate change gathers momentum, threatening some of their core values.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/15/us/yellowstone-national-park-floods.html?unlocked_
TURNING IT AROUND
The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to meet again in December:
The next meeting of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will now run from 5 to 17 December in Montreal in Canada, with the aim of finalising COP15.
Renewable Energy Certificates more greenwashing:
A study reported in Nature concludes that companies use of renewable energy certificates (RECs) to report reductions in emissions from purchased electricity purchases are unlikely to lead to additional renewable energy production, leading to an inflated estimate of the effectiveness of mitigation efforts.
Current greenhouse gas accounting standards allow companies to use renewable energy certificates (RECs) to report reductions in emissions from purchased electricity (scope 2) as progress towards meeting their science-based targets. However, previous analyses suggest that corporate REC purchases are unlikely to lead to additional renewable energy production. Here we show that the widespread use of RECs by companies with science-based targets has led to an inflated estimate of the effectiveness of mitigation efforts. When removing the emission reductions claimed through RECs, companies’ combined 2015–2019 scope 2 emission trajectories are no longer aligned with the 1.5 °C goal, and only barely with the well below 2 °C goal of the Paris Agreement. If this trend continues, 42% of committed scope 2 emission reductions will not result in real-world mitigation. Our findings suggest a need to revise accounting guidelines to require companies to report only real emission reductions as progress towards meeting their science-based targets.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01379-5
Scientists fight against European bioenergy:
38 scientists have written a public letter to EU governments and the European Parliament over concerns around the Bioenergy Provisions of the Fit for 55 Plan, warning that promoting biomass leads to additional wood harvest for bioenergy that is likely to increase global warming for decades to centuries, while increasing the extensive use of agricultural land for bioenergy.
Unfortunately, the bioenergy provisions of the Fit for 55 plan, by treating biomass as “carbon neutral,” encourage Europe not just to burn waste biomass but to harvest and burn more wood from forests and to devote millions of hectares of agricultural land to bioenergy. Doing so would increase Europe’s global carbon footprint substantially. Although burning biomass releases even more carbon than burning fossil fuels, the greenhouse gas rules in these proposed laws ignore this loss of carbon. As a result, those who burn biomass are credited with reducing carbon emissions regardless of these emissions, of reduced carbon storage from increased wood harvest, and of the carbon lost in native habitats as farmland expands globally to replace foregone food production in Europe. As hundreds of scientists have previously cautioned the European Parliament, this approach leads to additional wood harvest for bioenergy that is likely to increase global warming for decades to centuries even if forests are harvested “sustainably” and allowed to grow back.
Forest Media 17 June 2022
New South Wales
The Land and Environment Court imposed fines and costs totalling $285,600 on the Forestry Corporation for illegally logging a Koala High Use Area, rainforest and a rainforest buffer in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest. Justice Robson found the removal of 4 feed trees and construction of logging tracks within a Koala High Use Area would “beyond reasonable doubt… likely to have had an adverse impact” causing “actual harm”, and the logging of 2 trees in a Warm Temperate Rainforest buffer “resulted in ecological impacts and environmental harm … which exacerbates the potential for bushfire penetration into the warm temperate rainforest”. This led to a media flurry, with conservationists call for Koala habitat to be protected.
ASIC contacted the NCC to advise that following preliminary enquiries it had decided to refer Hunter-based Sweetman Renewables’ claim it had signed a $90 million contract to supply woodchips to the Japanese energy company Sinanen as part of its fundraising campaign, to a specialist team from Australia's Corporate Watchdog to consider allegations that engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct. Sinanen denied the deal and described the claim as "deplorable". Sweetmans were intending to supply Redbank with woodchips, with media coverage of Redbank’s court loss continuing.
The announcement of a $1.2 billion investment by the NSW govt in renewable energy was welcomed by the North Coast Environment Council’s Vice-President Susie Russell, provided it does not come at the expense of nature, identifying the need to immediately rule out wood-fired power stations as a renewable energy source, and ensure native vegetation is not cleared for windfarms, pumped-hydro or power lines.
“Fridays4Forest” had its first gathering outside NSW Parliament House to highlight the plight of koalas and native forests. News of the Area has an article about the extension of the Wood Supply Agreements, citing Justin Field and NCC. The Echo has an article citing NEFA.
The 2022-23 NSW Budget will deliver a major boost to fire management in national parks through a $598 million investment, delivering 250 permanent jobs and critical infrastructure upgrades. Treasurer Matt Kean has committed $32.9 million in Tuesday's budget to deliver a biosecurity regime to protect the Lord Howe Island from rats and other invasive species. The NSW government has reached an $8.9 million deal with Bush Heritage Australia and South Endeavour Trust to make annual payments through the Biodiversity Conservation Trust to fund conservation works on two properties they own in the Paroo River catchment.
Jerry Vanclay argues for relocating Lismore out of harms way, though identifies reforestation of catchments above Lismore (and deforestation below Lismore) as the most effective way of mitigating flood damage.
Across NSW, Regional Landcare Networks have been funded to develop networking, education and communication activities with private landholders as part of the Partnering in Private Land Conservation Program, which aims to work collaboratively to build understanding and skills regarding biodiversity, educate private landholders on conservation efforts, and increase participation in private land conservation. Founder the Dunbogan Bush Care Group on the Mid North Coast, Sue Baker, has been awarded an OAM for her rehabilitation of degraded bushland.
Australia
Mona has an installation by Fiona Hall and AJ King ‘Exodust – Crying Country’ showing the devastation wrought on forests by logging and post-logging burns.
Alinta CEO Jeff Dimery is off to Europe to investigate using biomass to replace brown coal to burn in the Loy Yang B power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.
The Queensland Government is equivocating over its commitment to end native forest logging on public land throughout the South East Queensland Planning Area by 2024, with the Queensland Conservation Council providing a report identifying 68,543 hectares across 19 state forests for protection.
A new report by Dr Sanger, in collaboration with The Wilderness Society and the Tasmanian Climate Collective, has found greenhouse gas emissions from Tasmania’s native forest logging are equivalent to about 4.65 million tonnes of carbon each year, making it the state's highest emitting industry, whereas if they stop logging 75 million tonnes of carbon could be absorbed by the state's production forests by 2050.
Environment Groups are calling on the Federal Government for urgent action on their promised environmental reforms, including the creation of an Environmental Protection Agency, a National Water Commission, and an overhaul of federal environmental protection laws by issuing a full response to the Samuel Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Former Cabinet Minister and long serving Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon has joined the Australian Forest Products Association board as an independent non-executive director, which will facilitate their access to the new Government.
In a soon to be published interview, Queensland Chief Scientist Hugh Possingham is very annoyed with his fellow scientists as well as environmentalist and conservationists – and some of us are annoyed with him for his naïve recommendations on private land conservation in NSW.
Species
A study of the critically endangered southern bent-wing bat, whose populations are centred around 3 maternity caves, found that they will be near extinct within 36 years, with declines of up to 97%, due to clearing of natural vegetation, drying of wetlands and increasing droughts due to climate heating. Heatwaves can cause the death of animals en masse, and can weaken the survivors with long-term consequences. A study of Purple-crowned Fairy Wrens found that heatwaves can damage the DNA of nestling young, meaning they age earlier, die younger and produce less offspring.
Last winter, thousands of dead and dying frogs were found across Australia, and it seems to be happening again, with the amphibian chytrid fungus a likely contributor.
The finding of eight endangered Dunnarts in the stomachs of feral cats after the fires on Kangaroo Island has worried researchers that they are targeting the survivors in fire refuges, leading them to establish a feral cat exclusion area, and increase their effort to eradicate cats from the island. Leeton residents have called for great responsibility by cat owners and the local council to limit the impact of freely roaming cats, citing new Canberra rules to keep cats indoors or in enclosures at all times.
It is estimated the Tasmania's native animal roadkill of marsupials, birds and reptiles reaches 500,000 annually, with calls for greater mitigation measures. Meanwhile conditions placed on the Riley Creek mine in the Tarkine wilderness to prevent vehicles from operating between dusk and dawn to reduce roadkill of species such as the Tassie Devil and quolls, were quietly lifted by the EPA with no public consultation, with legal action threatened.
Sue Arnold calls on the new Commonwealth Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to take meaningful action for Koalas, starting with requesting the Auditor General undertake an audit of taxpayer-funded grants for koalas by the Morrison Government given the lack of visible results ensuring their ongoing survival. CNA (Channel News Asia) has a lengthy article about the compounding threats faced by Koalas, focussing on south-east Queensland. The Victorian Conservation Regulator is investigating after 13 koalas were found dead from unknown causes in a blue gum plantation near Hamilton, no logging was happening.
About 120 Greater Glider nest boxes, with improved insulation, have been installed in fire-affected forests in NSW’s Tallaganda National Park, and another 120 in East Gippsland, in response to a third of their habitat being burnt and a housing crisis caused by the loss of mature hollow trees.
In a questionable move, Aussie Ark is proposing to translocate captive Koalas into their fenced predator-proof 1500-hectare Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in the Northern Rivers region, with the claim that the protected enclosure will ‘rewild’ them. As part of The Wild Deserts project a group of golden bandicoots have been transferred from the Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara Indigenous Protected Area in the central Western Australian desert to the Stuart National Park feral animal exclusion area in far-west New South Wales.
A combined wild dog 1080 aerial baiting program between the Local Lands Services and the National Parks and Wildlife Service is distributing 165,000 baits over national parks, state forests and private properties in an area ranging from Niangala through to Glen Innes, Tenterfield, Emmaville and Nullamanna districts on the Northern Tablelands.
The Deteriorating Problem
Sixty five million people in the western USA are facing “severe to extreme drought” conditions as the worst megadrought in a millennium continues to decimate river flows, spawn intense fires, kill people and result in record temperatures, which will get worse as the world heats.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
Forestry Corporation fined $285,600:
The Land and Environment Court imposed fines and costs totalling $285,600 on the Forestry Corporation for illegally logging a Koala High Use Area, rainforest and a rainforest buffer in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest. For the removal of 4 feed trees and construction of logging tracks within a Koala High Use Area, Justice Robson states:
“I find beyond reasonable doubt that the felling of the large Eucalyptus trees and the construction or operation of snig tracks were highly likely to have had an adverse impact by reducing the size and the quality of the habitat available to the breeding female and offspring. As such, I accept the position adopted by the prosecutor and find that there has been actual harm.”
“… I accept Dr Crowther’s evidence that the harm is related to the size of the removed trees, their significance for food and shelter, and the fact that koalas often revisit trees within their home range”.
For logging 3 trees in mapped rainforest and 2 trees in a 20m exclusion zone around it, Justice Robson stated:
I find in accordance with Dr Kooyman’s evidence that the exclusion zone was dominated by warm temperate rainforest (as Mr Peake conceded), and I consider that the removal of the two trees and the disturbance of an area at least of 120m² resulted in ecological impacts and environmental harm. I accept Dr Kooyman’s evidence that this would have a deleterious effect on the rainforest in that it causes disruption, opens the edges of the forest, causes changes in microclimates and causes drying, which exacerbates the potential for bushfire penetration into the warm temperate rainforest (Bentley at [174]-[175]).
https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18145ef040e3b57a3d583217
[Mark Graham] "It's confirmation of what we've known for a long while, which is that the Forestry Corporation systematically and flagrantly breaches the few safeguards that it operates under," he said.
The Nature Conservation Council is calling on the government to conduct a comprehensive independent review of the Forestry Corporation to ensure it acts lawfully and sustainably.
In a statement, a FCNSW spokesperson said they acknowledge the organisation had made some mapping and marking errors during an operation in Wild Cattle Creek State Forest in 2018.
Nature Conservation Council of NSW chief executive Chris Gambian said the corporation was a repeat offender that had been fined six times since April 2020 for various breaches,
“Fines, no matter how large, can never replace critical koala habitat destroyed by (the) forestry corporation,” he said, adding that the government should establish a review of the corporation.
Greens MLC and former environmental lawyer Sue Higginson called the forestry corporation a serial offender, adding it should no longer be controlling public native forest estates.
“(The) Forestry Corporation has proved it can not be trusted and its cavalier attitude to threatened species and their habitats must end,” she said.
The fine was also welcomes by the North East Forest Alliance, which urged the government to reinstate no-logging buffer zones around rainforests.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/environment/2022/06/16/logging-koala-habitat-did-harm/
https://www.juneesoutherncross.com.au/story/7783582/logging-in-koala-habitat-did-actual-harm/
https://www.beagleweekly.com.au/post/more-fines-for-forestry-corporation-nsw
https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/7783582/logging-in-koala-habitat-did-actual-harm/?cs=9676
https://www.portnews.com.au/story/7783582/logging-in-koala-habitat-did-actual-harm/?cs=12
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7783582/logging-in-koala-habitat-did-actual-harm/?cs=14264
https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/7783582/logging-in-koala-habitat-did-actual-harm/
EPA Executive Director Regulatory Operations Carmen Dwyer said this is a clear message to the forestry industry.
"Strict operating rules are in place to protect precious wildlife, such as the Koala Exclusion Zones, which are a critical part of preserving the habitat of koalas to ensure their survival in this forest," he said.
"Disregarding the rules and harvesting trees in these areas can put animals under increased stress."
FCNSW Fines
May 2022 – $138,000 – Wild Cattle Creek State Forest
Apr 2022 – $45,000 – Mogo State Forest
Feb 2021 – $15,000 – Olney State Forest
Feb 2021 – $30,000 – Ballengarra State Forest
Mar 2021 – $33,000 – Boyne, Bodalla and Mogo State Forest
Apr 2020 – $31,100 – Tantawangalo and Bago State Forest
https://www.miragenews.com/fines-will-never-replace-critical-koala-habitat-801984/
[Dailan Pugh] “To log the highest quality Koala habitat is no longer an offence so the Forestry Corporation can continue to cause actual harm to Koalas unchecked.
“The evidence is clear that Koala habitat must be protected from logging, the Ministers for Forestry and Environment must immediately restore the need to look before they log and protect Koala High Use Areas.
“With a third of NSW’s rainforests burnt in the 2019-2020 wildfires, this finding emphasises the need to exclude logging from wide buffers around all rainforests (not just warm temperate rainforest) to reduce the threat of their being burnt in future fires.
Were Sweetmans misleading investors?
ASIC contacted the NCC on June 2 to advise that following preliminary enquiries it had decided to refer Hunter-based Sweetman Renewables’ claim it had signed a $90 million contract to supply woodchips to the Japanese energy company Sinanen as part of its fundraising campaign, to a specialist team from Australia's Corporate Watchdog to consider allegations that engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct. Sinanen denied the deal and described the claim as "deplorable".
Sweetmans were intending to supply Redbank with woodchips, with media coverage of Redbank’s court loss continuing.
Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said: "The court's decision is very welcome but this project still poses a very live threat to native forests and wildlife.
"Biomass from native forest timber has no social license in NSW, and never will. The community campaign against this proposal will be relentless - we will not rest until this proposal is withdrawn."
https://www.singletonargus.com.au/story/7777617/redbank-appeal-dismissed/
Renewables must not cost the earth:
The announcement of a $1.2 billion investment by the NSW govt in renewable energy was welcomed by the North Coast Environment Council’s Vice-President Susie Russell, provided it does not come at the expense of nature, identifying the need to immediately rule out wood-fired power stations as a renewable energy source, and ensure native vegetation is not cleared for windfarms, pumped-hydro or power lines.
There is no point saving the climate if we have sacrificed nature to get there.
“The government must also specify that the components of the projects that receive government funding are fully recyclable in a form that can be reused. No more burying wind turbine blades in landfill or shredding solar panels. If they are to benefit from public funding then they must not create another environmental problem when it is time to replace them.
https://clarencevalleynews.com.au/renewables-must-not-come-at-natures-expense/
Friday for forests goes to Sydney:
“Fridays4Forest” had its first gathering outside NSW Parliament House to highlight the plight of koalas and native forests.
North East Forests campaigner Sean O’Shannessy said the government’s mismanagement of the logging industry and development “has put our koalas at risk of imminent extinction”.
“We are living in a climate crisis and we are seeing more extremes every day causing destruction to our way of life.
“Our forests are the lungs of our earth. They hold the ground together in a flood and cool the ground in a heat wave.”
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/fridays4forests-protest-comes-nsw-parliament
Reaction to extending Wood Supply Agreements continues:
News of the Area has an article about the extension of the Wood Supply Agreements, citing Justin Field and NCC.
The Echo has an article citing NEFA.
‘Extending Wood Supply Agreements at pre-fire levels is clearly unsustainable in multiple ways and an act of gross irresponsibility’ Mr. Pugh said.
Echo June 15 2022
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/06/nsw-government-irresponsible-in-extending-logging/
More funding for fire fighting on national parks:
The 2022-23 NSW Budget will deliver a major boost to fire management in national parks through a $598 million investment, delivering 250 permanent jobs and critical infrastructure upgrades.
[Mr Griffin] “This will ensure NPWS can increase hazard reduction activity, strengthen remote area firefighting capability, and is supported to continue its critical work protecting communities and the environment from the threat of bushfires.”
The funding boost will deliver:
- 250 permanent jobs from July 2023, including 200 firefighters and 50 roles to meet new statutory requirements for protecting Assets of Intergenerational Significance (AIS) across the national parks estate
- $27.7 million over four years to upgrade the radio network
- $4.5 million over four years for safety upgrades to the NPWS fleet
“With more than 200 Assets of Intergenerational Significance already declared, this dedicated funding will deliver fire management, feral animal control and other measures needed to protect the most important natural and cultural assets in our national parks estate,” Mr Griffin said.
For more information on the Strategy, visit https://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/nsw-climate-change-adaptation-strategy.
More funds for Lord Howe Island:
Treasurer Matt Kean has committed $32.9 million in Tuesday's budget to deliver a biosecurity regime to protect the Lord Howe Island from rats and other invasive species.
Before a $15.5 million aerial-baiting rodent control program was introduced to the island in 2019, large rat populations had pushed multiple plant species to near-extinction.
The pest control program had already led to a doubling of the population of Lord Howe Woodhens and supported the regeneration of other native animal and plant species.
The funding will upgrade rat-prevention infrastructure and support quarantine programs including detector dogs and other methods used to inspect boats and planes arriving at Lord Howe.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-10924535/33m-Lord-Howe-Island-biosecurity.html
Funding conservation on private properties:
The NSW government has reached an $8.9 million deal with Bush Heritage Australia and South Endeavour Trust to make annual payments through the Biodiversity Conservation Trust to fund conservation works on two properties they own in the Paroo River catchment.
The government’s Biodiversity Conservation Trust has 2180 conservation agreements with private landowners to protect 2.3 million hectares of land, a commitment of $160 million so far.
“Without private conservation, we are not going to be able to overcome the extinction crisis that we’re facing,” Higginson said.
“We are losing species, we’re losing ecosystems or ecosystems are becoming diminished and they’re deteriorating, and the public land conservation network can only achieve so much.”
Higginson, who negotiated conservation agreements for landowners in her former career as an environmental lawyer, said in-perpetuity agreements were preferable but called for more transparency about where public funds were going.
Trees best flood mitigation:
Jerry Vanclay argues for relocating Lismore out of harms way, though identifies reforestation of catchments above Lismore (and deforestation below Lismore) as the most effective way of mitigating flood damage.
What would work is restoring vegetation on the floodplains above Lismore, and clear vegetation on the floodplains below Lismore. Why? Because vegetation can make a five-fold difference in water velocity. If we reforest floodplains to the north through projects like tree plantations for koalas, horticulture and rainforest restoration, we would slow the floods significantly. If we clear more areas on the floodplains below Lismore, we would also speed up the clearance of floodwaters from the river. These two methods combined would lower the height of the flood peak. These interventions are also tolerant of imprecise assumptions and extreme situations, and are not prone to sudden failure.
Landowner education:
Across NSW, Regional Landcare Networks have been funded to develop networking, education and communication activities with private landholders as part of the Partnering in Private Land Conservation Program, which aims to work collaboratively to build understanding and skills regarding biodiversity, educate private landholders on conservation efforts, and increase participation in private land conservation.
Key objectives of the project include:
- Building understanding and capacity between the BCT and local Landcare groups to complement each other's knowledge and skills and plan how to work together.
- Building biodiversity conservation knowledge with landholders through communication and education initiatives. This will be delivered through grant funding to eligible groups who wish to participate.
- Increase the participation of landholders in private land conservation programs.
https://www.forbesadvocate.com.au/story/7781146/landcare-have-a-look-at-conservation/
Gong for bushcare:
Founder the Dunbogan Bush Care Group on the Mid North Coast, Sue Baker, has been awarded an OAM for her rehabilitation of degraded bushland.
AUSTRALIA
Artful interpretation:
Mona has an installation by Fiona Hall and AJ King ‘Exodust – Crying Country’ showing the devastation wrought on forests by logging and post-logging burns.
Over three weeks, they gathered the burnt soil, Eucalyptus regnans stumps and branches, and lakri (man ferns), bringing them to the gallery and piecing the wrecked country back together. It’s a multisensorial recreation of the trauma that the forestry industry continues to wreak across lutruwita: first by the logging, and then by the high intensity burns that are ignited to devour the aftermath.
“These trees had suffered significantly over multiple generations, from the time white men first stepped on that country,” King says. “So for us to be on this country that had been just desecrated, not just once but consistently – burnt in ways that permanently scarred the landscape – we felt that pain every day we went down there.”
Hall, who moved to Tasmania seven years ago, says “forest genocide is in the Tasmanian psyche”.
“A lot of visitors from elsewhere may be aware of the logging, but not of the post-logging burning; the funeral pyre that happens after the logging. It’s like rubbing salt into a wound.”
Burning biomass in Victoria:
Alinta CEO Jeff Dimery is off to Europe to investigate using biomass to replace brown coal to burn in the Loy Yang B power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.
“We have to have an alternative. Some might say nuclear and I sort of say well, good luck to you, people. That’s, you know, pie in the sky. But there are other alternative fuels like biomass that have been successfully integrated overseas.”
RE asked if it was a similar proposal to that of Drax in the UK, the best known of the coal generators that have turned to biomass, albeit with much questioning about whether it has an impact on actually cutting emissions, and on forests in the US, where much of its feedstock is sought.
Queensland equivocating over policy to end logging public forests by 2024:
A report by the Queensland Conservation Council was provided to the Queensland Government in support of policy commitments to end native forest logging on public land throughout the region by 2024, it identifies 68,543 hectares across 19 state forests in the South East Queensland Planning Area for protection.
Tasmanian native forests can make a difference to climate heating:
A new report by Dr Sanger, in collaboration with The Wilderness Society and the Tasmanian Climate Collective, has found greenhouse gas emissions from Tasmania’s native forest logging are equivalent to about 4.65 million tonnes of carbon each year, making it the state's highest emitting industry, whereas if they stop logging 75 million tonnes of carbon could be absorbed by the state's production forests by 2050.
Dr Sanger's report, which has not been formally peer-reviewed, argues almost two-thirds of the carbon from a logged native forest is released into the atmosphere within two years — 30 per cent from slash burning, 10 per cent in mill waste, and 24 per cent from paper products with a short life span.
Dr Sanger said if Tasmania followed Victoria and Western Australia's lead and ended native forest logging, 75 million tonnes of carbon could be absorbed by the state's production forests by 2050.
She said that would be equivalent to taking every car off the road in Australia for a year, shutting down Australia's dirtiest power plant, Yallourn, eight years early, or converting 236,000 homes to solar.
"If we protected our forests, especially the forests that are re-growing from previous logging, they're drawing down significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, and if we protect them that means the carbon is going to be stored long-term," Dr Sanger said.
Environmental action requested:
Environment Groups are calling on the Federal Government for urgent action on their promised environmental reforms, including the creation of an Environmental Protection Agency, a National Water Commission, and an overhaul of federal environmental protection laws by issuing a full response to the Samuel Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Plibersek said one of the “big messages” from the federal election was that Australians want to see more action on the environment and climate change.
“I’ve only just got my feet under the desk, but I’ll say this: the environment is back under Labor - we are going to do some great things.
“When the prime minister offered me this portfolio, he said the environment and water will be top priorities for our government – what a refreshing change after a decade of the Liberal party not giving a stuff about either,” she said.
Gaining clout with ALP:
Former Cabinet Minister and long serving Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon has joined the Australian Forest Products Association board as an independent non-executive director, which will facilitate their access to the new Government.
AFPA chairman Greg McCormack said.
“Joel brings to our organisation two extremely important attributes. He is a passionate supporter of forest industries right around Australia and understands intimately how we can assist the new Albanese Government deliver both greater climate change initiatives and more timber for our builders and renovators.”
Mr McCormack said that Mr Fitzgibbon’s experience in both strategic vision and policy development would provide valuable input for the AFPA Board and in dealings with all levels of the Government and the Public Service in the delivery of the $300 million in new initiatives Labor committed to during the election.
“As a respected figure in Australian politics, his expertise will be an invaluable addition to the depth of knowledge on the Board at a time we are engaging with the new Parliament, striving to deliver on policy commitment,” Mr McCormack said.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/former-labor-cabinet-minister-fitzgibbon-joins-afpa-board/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-10917671/Ex-Labor-MP-joins-forest-industry-board.html
https://www.gloucesteradvocate.com.au/story/7780905/ex-labor-mp-joins-forest-industry-board/
Possingham lambasts conservationists:
In a soon to be published interview, Queensland Chief Scientist Hugh Possingham is very annoyed with his fellow scientists as well as environmentalist and conservationists – and some of us are annoyed with him for his naïve recommendations on private land conservation in NSW.
They are too conservative, don’t debate respectfully, are too obsessed with growing their own organisations and can’t compromise a bit.
SPECIES
Microbat threatened by clearing and climate:
A study of the critically endangered southern bent-wing bat, whose populations are centred around 3 maternity caves, found that they will be near extinct within 36 years, with declines of up to 97%, due to clearing of natural vegetation, drying of wetlands and increasing droughts due to climate heating.
Our new research has found the critically endangered southern bent-wing bat is continuing to decline. Its populations are centred on just three “maternity” caves in southeast South Australia and southwest Victoria, where the bats give birth and raise their young.
Unfortunately, 90% of natural vegetation in the southern bent-wing bat’s range has been cleared and most of the region’s wetlands have either been drained and converted to agricultural land, or are drying out due to a combination of groundwater extraction and a drying climate.
Climate heating threatening birds survival:
Heatwaves can cause the death of animals en masse, and can weaken the survivors with long-term consequences. A study of Purple-crowned Fairy Wrens found that heatwaves can damage the DNA of nestling young, meaning they age earlier, die younger and produce less offspring.
Our study, published today, describes how exposure to hot and dry conditions can damage the DNA of nestling birds in their first few days of life. This can mean they age earlier, die younger and produce less offspring.
Nestlings exposed to hot, dry conditions during their first days of life had shorter telomeres. This suggests surviving heat stress may shorten their protective DNA buffer and make the birds age more quickly. Indeed, our previous research demonstrated nestlings with shorter telomeres tend to die younger, and subsequently have fewer offspring.
Keeping cool is also costly for parent birds. Like us, birds often seek out shade and become less active in extreme heat. Instead of sweating, they open their beaks to pant and spread their wings to cool off.
But these behaviours leave a parent bird with less time to forage, defend the nest or feed offspring – activities required for the population to survive. We are investigating whether this exacerbates the effects of telomere shortening.
[Professor Peters] “I would say that in terms of the sensitivity of the telomeres to stress, mammals certainly are also known to do that, humans as well,” she told Yahoo News Australia.
“We can be born with shorter telomeres if our mother had a very hard time in pregnancy.
“Mammals of course, are a little bit more buffered because they do quite a lot of the growing, more of the growing inside the mother.
“But there's nothing that makes me want to say: No, this wouldn't happen in mammals, it's unique to birds.”
https://au.news.yahoo.com/climate-change-causing-endangered-aussie-birds-die-early-044945587.html
Frogs dying out:
Last winter, thousands of dead and dying frogs were found across Australia, and it seems to be happening again, with the amphibian chytrid fungus a likely contributor.
Right from the very first frog deaths last year, our number one suspect has been the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis). This pathogen is a known frog killer, responsible for causing frog population declines and species extinctions around the world, including in Australia.
The fungus attacks the skin of frogs, which is their Achilles heel – frogs use their skin to breathe, drink and control electrolytes. Deaths of frogs due to this pathogen are often at cooler temperatures.
Our testing has revealed the amphibian chytrid fungus is certainly involved in this mass death event. Most of the hundreds of dead frogs tested so far have tested positive for the pathogen.
To help us understand the scale and cause of any frog deaths this winter, please send any reports of sick or dead frogs to the Australian Museum’s citizen science project FrogID via [email protected]
Please include your location and, if possible, photos of the frog(s).
Cats threaten animals survival:
The finding of eight endangered Dunnarts in the stomachs of feral cats after the fires on Kangaroo Island has worried researchers that they are targeting the survivors in fire refuges, leading them to establish a feral cat exclusion area, and increase their effort to eradicate cats from the island.
A study of the stomach contents of cats trapped on the island in the months following the fires found the remains of eight dunnarts from the 86 cats sampled, according to a study published in Scientific Reports today.
"We have to see that as a screenshot basically, because from the mouth of the cat to the other end takes about 24 hours," Dr Lignereux said.
"So eight dunnarts in seven cats doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a massive pressure."
A total of 263 different prey items were found in the cats' stomachs altogether, including an endangered southern brown bandicoot.
"The cats that are already there, they're just killing the last remaining dunnart in the refuge areas after the fire."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-06-17/feral-cats-killing-kangaroo-island-dunnarts/101156628
Leeton residents have called for great responsibility by cat owners and the local council to limit the impact of freely roaming cats, citing new Canberra rules to keep cats indoors or in enclosures at all times.
From July 1 2022, new cats in all Canberra suburbs must be kept in doors or enclosures at all times to reduce their impact on native species and the environment.
Owners will also have to leash and accompany their cats when outside.
https://www.irrigator.com.au/story/7783020/calls-to-control-our-cats/
Vehicles need curfews too:
It is estimated the Tasmania's native animal roadkill of marsupials, birds and reptiles reaches 500,000 annually, with calls for greater mitigation measures. Meanwhile conditions placed on the Riley Creek mine in the Tarkine wilderness to prevent vehicles from operating between dusk and dawn to reduce roadkill of species such as the Tassie Devil and quolls, were quietly lifted by the EPA with no public consultation, with legal action threatened.
"We see more calls every single year than we've seen the year before. And unfortunately, that number shows no sign of going backwards," Greg says.
It's not just the number of wildlife dying that is startling, but the suffering they endure.
"What they don't realise is how hearty our animals are. So these animals can survive for weeks in that condition," says Greg.
Commonwealth asked to act on Koalas:
Sue Arnold calls on the new Commonwealth Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to take meaningful action for Koalas, starting with requesting the Auditor General undertake an audit of taxpayer-funded grants for koalas by the Morrison Government given the lack of visible results ensuring their ongoing survival.
However, in the political framework of major parties, it would appear the koala is useful for promotion and propaganda purposes but a significant barrier to urban development and the ongoing wipe-out of native forests and coastal forest ecosystems to supply the timber, building and woodchip industries.
Both the L-NP and Labor voted against the creation of the [Great Koala] park. The vote was 30-7. A complete reversal of Labor’s policy. In 2015, NSW Labor Leader Luke Foley promised to establish the park, saying his party had a clear plan to protect koalas.
Industrial logging of remaining native forests in the state is the death knell for primary koala hubs. Communities in the south and north coast forests have exhaustively campaigned in an Olympic effort to stop the slaughter.
Koala decline:
CNA (Channel News Asia) has a lengthy article about the compounding threats faced by Koalas, focussing on south-east Queensland.
[Tabart] “If we don't just do the simple thing of stopping the cutting down of trees now, then I just can't see a secure future. And so that's why I want better legislation. None of the legislation in our country is sufficient to stop that simple chainsaw,” she said.
“Most of the things that are happening to koalas now are because their trees are cut down. They end up being homeless, they starve to death, they get sick and then they die ... The decline is massive.”
More Victorian Koalas die:
The Victorian Conservation Regulator is investigating after 13 koalas were found dead from unknown causes in a blue gum plantation near Hamilton, no logging was happening.
Re-homing Greater Gliders:
About 120 Greater Glider nest boxes, with improved insulation, have been installed in fire-affected forests in Tallaganda National Park, and another 120 in East Gippsland, in response to a third of their habitat being burnt and a housing crisis caused by the loss of mature hollow trees.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/environment/2022/06/15/fire-hit-gliders-new-forest-homes/
https://www.northernriversreview.com.au/story/7781872/fire-hit-gliders-offered-new-forest-homes/
Is this really necessary?:
Aussie Ark is proposing to translocate captive Koalas into their fenced predator-proof 1500-hectare Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in the Northern Rivers region, with the claim that the protected enclosure will ‘rewild’ them.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/environment/2022/06/15/project-rewild-koalas/
https://www.southernriverinanews.com.au/national/project-aims-to-rewild-protected-koalas/
Another translocation:
As part of The Wild Deserts project a group of golden bandicoots have been transferred from the Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara Indigenous Protected Area in the central Western Australian desert to the Stuart National Park feral animal exclusion area in far-west New South Wales.
165,000 aerial 1080 baits dropped over Northern Tablelands:
A combined wild dog 1080 aerial baiting program between the Local Lands Services and the National Parks and Wildlife Service is distributing 165,000 baits over national parks, state forests and private properties in an area ranging from Niangala through to Glen Innes, Tenterfield, Emmaville and Nullamanna districts on the Northern Tablelands.
https://www.tenterfieldstar.com.au/story/7777584/165000-wild-dog-baits-spread/
https://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/story/7777584/165000-wild-dog-baits-spread/
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
The drying, dying west:
Sixty five million people in the western USA are facing “severe to extreme drought” conditions as the worst megadrought in a millennium continues to decimate river flows, spawn intense fires, kill people and result in record temperatures, which will get worse as the world heats.
More than a dozen states all across the West, making up nearly half of the Lower 48, have at least some areas in severe, extreme and even “exceptional drought”—the agency’s highest rating for severity.
Federal forecasters warned over the weekend that “dangerous heat” was contributing to a slew of wildfires in California, New Mexico and Arizona. And many officials worry it’s a sign of another intense summer fire season ahead.
The [Colarado] river’s flow has declined at least 20 percent since 2000 and is expected to decline more than 9 percent for every degree Celsius of warming, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In February, scientists published a study that found that global warming has exacerbated the region’s dry conditions so much that the last two decades are now the driest the region has seen in 1,200 years.
https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?e=6624c72df8&u=7c733794100bcc7e083a163f0&id=a8a9aae260
Forest Media 10 June 2022
New South Wales
Catherine Cusack has twitted texts between her and Gladys Berejiklian over the Koala Kill Bill to prove she had no knowledge of a deal brokered between then Environment Minister Matt Kean and former Nationals leader John Barilaro, whereby she claimed his energy policy was traded for Koalas – Koalas may have the distinction of being a physical victim of climate inaction and an early political victim of climate action. Matt Kean was quick to deny any deal.
The state’s Upper House this week debated the Greens bill to establish a Great Koala National Park, Greens MP Cate Faehrmann saying the bill was crucial in protecting the now endangered Koalas. While the Government and opposition speakers in the upper house were effusive about the need to protect Koalas they wouldn’t support the bill, with the ALP claiming it was because it would require finances which the Government wouldn’t commit to - but the ALP wouldn’t commit to the park. Catherine Cusack gave an impassioned speech in support, deriding her party’s Koala conservation efforts while doubling-down on her accusations that the Koala Kill Bill was the result of an underhanded deal done by Matt Kean.
The Northern Rivers Times has a lengthy article about how delighted Big Rivers Timbers and Notaras & Sons were to be given the certainty of 5 extra years of resources so they can now invest in upgrading their equipment - who wouldn’t be delighted with being given millions of dollars worth of timber for nothing? NCC and NEFA labelled it “reckless” and “an act of gross irresponsibility”, respectively. The ABC also gave the story a good run, with less emphasis on the loggers.
In response to the extension of WSAs Catherine Cusack has launched a change.org petition calling on Bunnings to stop buying NSW Native Timber product and help save koalas; https://www.change.org/p/bunnings-stop-buying-nsw-native-timber-and-save-koala-habitat? Sign up and pass on now!
The NSW Government has announced new forestry regulations which are open for consultation until 1 July. The penalties have doubled for most protest and green policing activities, for example entering a closed forest, failure to comply with directions of an authorised officer, damage or interfere with a sign, will increase from $2000 to $4000 while approaching within 100m of an operating machine will stay the same at $20,000:
An article focuses on the values of the mid north coast forests and the need for citizen science to hold the Forestry Corporation to account and protect forests, referencing proposed training by Bob Brown Foundation in July.
Coastwatchers have obtained more than half a million dollars of funding over the next three years for projects on the south coast to heal and regenerate the region through a variety of grants provided to Great Eastern Ranges.
State Environment Minister James Griffin announced the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust has signed a partnership with Telstra to offset roughly two million tonnes worth of greenhouse gas emissions a year while creating a new income stream for landholders and support for natural habitats.
Australia
Concerns are growing over a bill before the Victorian parliament to impose whopping 12 months’ jail, or $21,000 in fines to deter “dangerous” protesters from stopping “workers going home to their families each day”, or indeed undertaking forest audits.
After a decade of attrition, the Federal Government’s decision to establish a new super-department covering climate change, energy, the environment and water, responsible to 2 ministers, in itself will make it a challenge to follow through on their environmental and climate promises.
West Australia’s ending of logging of public native forests seems far from settled, with the loggers waiting to find out in the 10-year Forest Management Plan, expected to be released in October, how much logging under the guise of thinning will be allowed for firewood and other products.
The chair of the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee (ERAC), David Byers, defended the design of the Emissions Reduction Fund and rejected claims by his predecessor Andrew Macintosh that most of the carbon offset units issued under the scheme were not backed by actual emissions reductions, but Macintosh refused to back down and awaits the promised review by the new Federal Government.
Species
In the Snowy Mountains many hollows used by Turquoise Parrots were burnt in the Dunns Road fire, though the species was able to survive in small unburnt sections of bushland, now artificial hollows are being used to aid their recovery so they can repopulate the burnt areas.
A contentious wind farm is proposed for Robbins Island off Tasmania's north-western tip, within the known migration pathway for the orange-bellied parrot, with just 70 adult breeding birds left in the wild, leading to conflict between State and Federal environment agencies, with the State EPA supporting the proposal.
A $1.5 million trial funded by WIRES and Landcare, with in-kind support from the Queensland University of Technology, will give drones to 5 landcare groups to undertake surveys, with the data collected later sent to the QUT to be scanned by an AI algorithm to identify Koalas, and the results returned to the groups. On June 4 the Far South Coast Landcare Association hosted a meeting of 70 people to hear the results of recent koala monitoring efforts, as well as learning about cultural burning and other environmental works to try and recover the grossly depleted remaining Koalas.
Large numbers of koalas are being routinely euthanised in Victoria’s southwest by industry, government, and veterinarians as habitat loss, mostly plantation logging, impacts their health. Koalas feeding on leaves coated in fluoride in plantations surrounding Alcoa’s Portland Aluminium are suffering from fluoride poisoning which causes tooth and jaw deformities and weakened bones.
The Queensland government’s announcement that they have allocated almost $40 million to protect native animals across the state, with most to be spent on koalas, was welcomed by some, though the Australian Koala Foundation's Deborah Tabart said the new funding was a "band-aid solution" that did not address the real reason the koalas were endangered – cutting down their feed trees.
The Victorian wildlife watchdog is investigating the deaths of more than 100 long-billed corellas, likely from poison (either intentionally or indirectly through rodenticides) which were found near Barmah on the Murray River. This follows the death of more than 300 Corellas between Tocumwal and Cobram along the Murray River reported in Forest Media on 29 April.
The Deteriorating Problem
One of the world’s primary ocean currents is the “Atlantic meridional overturning circulation” that moves warmer tropical waters to Europe, warming them and cooling tropical areas, though the current is weakening which scientists assess could result in more retention of heat in this region with a more La Niña-like state which would mean more flooding rains over eastern Australia and worse droughts and bushfire seasons over southwest United States.
In 2009, the influential Stockholm Resilience Centre first published its planetary boundaries framework and now scientists have applied it to Australia for 5 boundaries, finding we have already overshot three of these - biodiversity, land-system change and nitrogen and phosphorus flows – while also approaching the boundaries for freshwater use and climate change.
A study in Queensland’s tropical rainforests has confirmed the world-wide trend of increasing dominance of lianas as a result of climate change, leading to structural degradation.
There is a scary video about America’s ghost forests, one of the consequences of rising sea-levels.
Turning it Around
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has released its 2022 State of the World’s Forests, identifying that we are still losing forests at a rate of about 10 million ha per year, halting deforestation could reduce CO2 emissions by 14 percent of what is needed up to 2030 to keep planetary warming below 1.5 °C while safeguarding more than half the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity, and restoring degraded land through afforestation and reforestation could cost-effectively take 0.9–1.5 GtCO2 e per year out of the atmosphere between 2020 and 2050. The emphasis remains on sustainable use and there is still no focus on what could be achieved by protecting remnant forests and transitioning to plantations.
A study published in Science estimated the minimum land area to secure important biodiversity areas, ecologically intact areas, and optimal locations for representation of species ranges and ecoregions would require 44% of earth’s terrestrial area being the focus of conservation attention ranging from protected areas to land-use policies.
In India a recent Supreme Court order stated that every protected forest, national park and wildlife sanctuary across the country should have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of minimum one-km starting from their demarcated boundaries, within which commercial mining, setting up of sawmills and industries causing pollution, the establishment of major hydroelectric projects, production of any hazardous substances, undertaking activities related to tourism like flying over the national park area by aircraft and hot air balloons, discharge of effluents and solid waste in natural water bodies or terrestrial areas have been proposed to be made prohibited activities.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
Koalas victims of climate action:
Catherine Cusack has twitted texts between her and Gladys Berejiklian over the Koala Kill Bill to prove she had no knowledge of a deal brokered between then Environment Minister Matt Kean and former Nationals leader John Barilaro, whereby she claimed his energy policy was traded for Koalas – Koalas may have the distinction of being a physical victim of climate inaction and an early political victim of climate action. Matt Kean was quick to deny any deal.
[Catherine Cusack tweet] Was a great energy policy. The cost was koalas and that’s unacceptable. Was secret and makes it even greater disgrace. Idk what happened to him I can only state my position.
Ms Cusack said on Twitter she was posting the messages to prove she “had no knowledge of the disgusting deal (then-environment minister Matt Kean) did with the Nationals".
She said the agreement "virtually condemns NSW koalas to extinction”.
“I grasped it last weekend when (Mr Kean) bragged about his deal with Barilaro,” she wrote, also accusing him of having "traded koalas".
Ms Faehrmann commended Ms Cusack for putting koalas "over the self-interest of the Liberal Party".
“If the Liberals did a dirty deal with the National Party to get the ‘koala wars’ off the front page, a deal which threw koalas under a bus, then the public has the right to know," she told Yahoo News Australia in a statement.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-08/wednesday-am-briefing/101132312
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2022/06/08/liberal-mps-koala-fight-texts/
NSW Treasurer Matt Kean has denied claims from an outgoing Liberal colleague that he did a political deal that "virtually condemns NSW koalas to extinction".
"I think it's a matter of public record that my relationship with (former NSW Nationals Leader) John Barilaro nearly broke the government over the stance I took to protect koalas."
https://www.gleninnesexaminer.com.au/story/7771842/nsw-treasurer-denies-claims-on-koala-deal/?cs=12
https://www.perthnow.com.au/politics/liberal-mps-koala-fight-revealed-in-texts-c-7090461
https://www.forbesadvocate.com.au/story/7771842/nsw-treasurer-denies-claims-on-koala-deal/?cs=12
https://www.greatlakesadvocate.com.au/story/7771842/nsw-treasurer-denies-claims-on-koala-deal/?cs=12
"And I said, 'Why did Gladys even send you up here?' [Mr Kean] pretty much shrugged. He asked me what I was offered in exchange for my vote and I said, 'nothing'.
"And he said. 'Well no wonder you won't vote for it, what do you want?' and I said 'Well you can't do deals on koalas,' and he said 'Catherine, how else do decisions get made?' — like I was some kind of stupid little two-year-old."
Mr Kean, who is now Treasurer, in question time on Thursday rejected Ms Cusack's account of their conversation.
"I wholeheartedly reject the recollection of events by Ms Cusack, I think it is clearly some wild fantasy dreamed up at night," he said.
A rogue Liberal MP has criticised the NSW government's koala policy as "sheer madness" but the premier says the coalition has done "more to protect koalas than any government before us".
Outgoing Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack told parliament's upper house on Wednesday the government's koala policy is accelerating the destruction of their habitat.
"The NSW Koala Strategy is based on the idea that we can buy our way out of the problems created by private native forestry, native forest and native vegetation clearing -- which is accelerating destruction by a factor of three," Ms Cusack said.
"The plan sees volunteers and wildlife funds planting and revegetating areas for the future, while across the road established trees that are being used by koalas are being cut down--and it is subsidised by taxpayers.
"This is sheer madness."
https://www.hepburnadvocate.com.au/story/7773487/perrottet-defends-koala-plan-amid-fallout/?cs=12
https://www.perthnow.com.au/politics/perrottet-defends-koala-plan-amid-fallout-c-7104460
Great Koala National Park goes down:
The state’s Upper House this week debated the Greens bill to establish a Great Koala National Park, Greens MP Cate Faehrmann saying the bill was crucial in protecting the now endangered Koalas. While the Government and opposition speakers in the upper house were effusive about the need to protect Koalas they wouldn’t support the bill, with the ALP claiming it was because it would require finances which the Government wouldn’t commit to - but they wouldn’t commit to the park. Catherine Cusack gave an impassioned speech in support, deriding her party’s Koala conservation efforts while doubling-down on her accusations that the Koala Kill Bill was the result of an underhanded deal done by Matt Kean.
https://www.nbnnews.com.au/2022/06/06/great-national-koala-park-bill-to-be-debated-this-week/
‘Politics has once again won out over the future of koalas in NSW with the government and opposition voting against a Greens bill to establish a Great Koala National Park on the mid-north coast to protect koala habitat at threat from logging,’ said Cate Faehrmann Greens MP and koala spokesperson.
‘As a result of Ms Cusack, once again, crossing the floor to vote in support of koalas we had an opportunity to get some of the best protection for koalas in place that this state has ever seen. But it wasn’t to be.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/06/nsw-labor-and-coalition-vote-against-great-koala-park/
"As we stand here today in NSW now, koalas that live in the wild are on track to be extinct by 2050," Ms Sharpe said.
She said Labor was committed to improving koala numbers and would deliver a fully costed plan ahead of the 2023 state election.
https://www.denipt.com.au/national/perrottet-defends-koala-plan-amid-fallout-2/
Redbank on the ropes:
The Newcastle Herald had an article on Redbank’s knockback by the Court, citing Justin Field and Chris Gambian (NCC).
[Justin Field] "There needs to be a clear regulatory statement by the NSW Environment Minister James Griffin that native forests will not be allowed to be burnt for energy.
[Chris Gambian] "Biomass from native forest timber has no social license in NSW, and never will. The community campaign against this proposal will be relentless - we will not rest until this proposal is withdrawn."
[Susie Russell. NCEC] “It is now up to the NSW and Commonwealth Governments to make the regulatory changes to prohibit native forest wood being classed as a renewable energy source, and thus remove the perverse incentive introduced by Tony Abbott, that called burning trees ‘green’.”
North East Forest Alliance spokesperson Dailan Pugh said: “In this climate emergency, cutting down the trees we urgently need to capture and store our carbon emissions, and burning them to release their stored carbon, is sheer madness.
https://www.miragenews.com/courts-redbank-ruling-is-reprieve-for-native-796527/
Loggers delighted with present:
The Northern Rivers Times has a lengthy article about how delighted Big Rivers Timbers and Notaras & Sons were to be given the certainty of 5 extra years of resources so they can now invest in upgrading their equipment - who wouldn’t be delighted with being given millions of dollars worth of timber for nothing? NCC and NEFA labelled it “reckless” and “an act of gross irresponsibility”, respectively.
Northern Rivers Times, 9 June 2022
The ABC also gave the story a good run, with less emphasis on the loggers.
"We thought they would at least reduce the amount of timber volumes, because they know the trees aren't there and yet they've just rolled the contracts over to continue logging at pre-fire levels," Mr Pugh said.
We're in a dire situation that we need to start addressing right now, not wait another five years."
"We're putting millions of dollars into maintaining this industry but we can make more money out of forests through carbon sequestration and storage, tourism and increasing water yields as older forests get more water into dams and urban water supplies."
Tell Bunnings to stop it:
Catherine Cusack has launched a change.org petition calling on Bunnings to stop buying NSW Native Timber product and help save koalas; https://www.change.org/p/bunnings-stop-buying-nsw-native-timber-and-save-koala-habitat?
The NSW Government has extended all North Coast Native Forest Timber licenses for 5 years, including koala habitat to make power poles, pallets and tomato sticks. Bunnings is a major customer fuelling demand that is vicariously killing koalas by destroying their habitat.
Please support NSW Nature Council’s call on Bunnings to stop buying NSW Native Timber product and help save koalas.
Protesting fines to be doubled:
The NSW Government has announced new forestry regulations which are open for consultation until 1 July. The penalties have doubled for most protest and green policing activities, for example entering a closed forest, failure to comply with directions of an authorised officer, damage or interfere with a sign, will increase from $2000 to $4000 while approaching within 100m of an operating machine will stay the same at $20,000:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/proposed-forestry-regulation-2022
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forestry/proposed-forestry-regulation
The penalties have increased, the fines are set at 20 penalty units though the value of the units depends on the offence. These include failure to comply with directions of an authorised officer or enter a forest area contrary to a sign (5.1, 6.3 penalty units increased from $100 to $200), approaching within 100m of equipment (68.1. penalty unit $1,000), damage or interfere with a sign or road (10.2 penalty unit $200), risk to safety (9.1 penalty unit $200).
A land manager may delegate their functions to a Public Sector employee
Citizens to the rescue:
An article focuses on the values of the mid north coast forests and the need for citizen science to hold the Forestry Corporation to account and protect forests, referencing proposed training by Bob Brown Foundation in July.
Local communities are responding to the increased logging in various ways – through forming “friends” groups to protect the forests, and through proposing ecologically, socially and economically viable alternatives to native forest logging, including the Great Koala National Park, the Gumbaynggirr Good Koala Country plan, and a smaller, overlapping plan at the Kalang River Headwaters. The case for such plans is all the more compelling given that industrial native forest logging in NSW operates at a loss of millions of dollars a year.
Concerned citizens on the Mid North Coast and beyond are also using popular online mapping platforms and verifying activities on the ground to hold forestry companies, agencies and contractors to account. These “citizen scientists” are saving forests through their interventions by identifying illegal logging and preventing the clearing of remnant native vegetation. The technology is simple but powerful. Using satellite imagery, citizens overlay forestry logging plans and historical imagery and determine land use change over time, sometimes within days. Collaborating online and in the forest, city dwellers and local residents are coming together to stop the destruction. Anybody can help after a few brief lessons, wherever they live.
https://southsydneyherald.com.au/citizen-scientists-protect-biodiversity-in-nsw/
Fixing the south-east:
Coastwatchers have obtained more than half a million dollars of funding over the next three years for projects on the south coast to heal and regenerate the region through a variety of grants provided to Great Eastern Ranges.
Projects have been specially crafted to complement and build-on existing conservation efforts in the region. These include:
- Restoration of habitat on burnt and unburnt private properties such as the planting of trees and shrubs, traditional burning to manage weeds, and the installation of nest boxes to replace lost trees hollows.
- The creation of wildlife corridors to help local animals to recover and reestablish themselves in the region. This includes the South Coast’s dwindling koala population which is sliding towards local extinction.
- Engaging landholders to record the animals and plants that share their land to help inform conservation priorities and needs.
- Surveys of spotted-tailed quolls and Congo’s threatened greater glider population.
- Encouraging landholders to get involved in Land for Wildlife to help protect important habitat.
NSW helps Telstra offset carbon:
State Environment Minister James Griffin announced the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust has signed a partnership with Telstra to offset roughly two million tonnes worth of greenhouse gas emissions a year while creating a new income stream for landholders and support for natural habitats.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-10891531/Telstra-dials-nature-offset-carbon.html
https://www.sconeadvocate.com.au/story/7770479/telstra-dials-into-nature-to-offset-carbon/
AUSTRALIA
Stopping terrorizing of forestry workers:
Concerns are growing over a bill before the Victorian parliament to impose whopping 12 months’ jail, or $21,000 in fines to deter “dangerous” protesters from stopping “workers going home to their families each day”, or indeed undertaking forest audits.
As president for Lawyers for Forests, I have handled dozens of cases involving protest activity in Victoria’s native forests for over a decade and I am not aware of a single instance of protesters preventing forestry workers from going home safely to their families.
This bill has nothing to do with forest worker safety and everything to do with preventing public scrutiny of VicForests’ activities while further criminalising legitimate community protest and citizen science surveying.
Rather than shutting down their rogue logging agency, the state government has chosen to introduce these extraordinary penalties, to stop concerned citizens from surveying for endangered species. If this bill is passed, we have to ask whether the Victorian government is really working for the community interest in protecting public forests and the right to public assembly, or the interests of the logging industry.
Is the super environment department too big?
After a decade of attrition, the Federal Government’s decision to establish a new super-department covering climate change, energy, the environment and water, responsible to 2 ministers, in itself will make it a challenge to follow through on their environmental and climate promises.
Even if Plibersek’s move from education in opposition to environment in government was a political demotion for her, as some have suggested, placing the environment portfolio in the hands of someone so senior and well-regarded is a boon for the environment.
Having the environment in the broadest sense represented in Cabinet by two experienced and capable ministers is doubly welcome. It signifies a return to the main stage for our ailing natural world after years of relative neglect under the Coalition government.
Both ministers have a packed policy agenda, courtesy of Labor’s last minute commitment to creating an environmental protection agency, as well as responding to the urgent calls for change in the sweeping [2020 review] of Australia’s national environmental law (https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/resources/final-report).
That’s not half of it. Bowen is also tasked with delivering the government’s high-profile 43% emissions cuts within eight years, which includes the Rewiring the Nation effort to modernise our grid. He will also lead Australia’s bid to host the world’s climate summit, COP29, in 2024, alongside Pacific countries.
Plibersek also has to tackle major water reforms in the Murray Darling basin and develop new Indigenous heritage laws to respond to the parliamentary inquiry into the destruction of ancient rock art site Juukan Gorge by Rio Tinto.
West Australian logging unresolved:
West Australia’s ending of logging of public native forests seems far from settled, with the loggers waiting to find out in the 10-year Forest Management Plan, expected to be released in October, how much logging under the guise of thinning will be allowed for firewood and other products.
Despite the end to large-scale harvesting, some timber will still be taken from forests.
Native timber that is a by-product of "forest management activities" — such as thinning for fire protection or clearing for energy and mining projects — will still be logged.
Ms Farina said planning for many businesses had stalled while they waited for the report.
"We can't get a clear indication from government as to what its commitment is with respect to ensuring there is sufficient [native] product going forward," she said.
There is expected demand for 100,000 tonnes of firewood per year, and another 150,000 tonnes is needed to power manufacturing plants that rely on it, Ms Farina says.
"It's difficult to see where that's going to come from if we're only thinning small-diameter trees and only doing small-scale thinning," she said.
Emissions offsets OK?:
The chair of the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee (ERAC), David Byers, defended the design of the Emissions Reduction Fund and rejected claims by his predecessor Andrew Macintosh that most of the carbon offset units issued under the scheme were not backed by actual emissions reductions, but Macintosh refused to back down and awaits the promised review by the new Federal Government.
But on Thursday, Macintosh doubled down on his criticisms, saying both ERAC and the CER had “shown a fundamental lack of understanding” of the human-induced regeneration method and the two bodies were “clearly afraid of scrutiny on this issue.”
“The main integrity issue associated with the method is that the CER is allowing projects to be credited for growing trees that were already there when the projects commenced,” Macintosh said.
Macintosh was replaced by Byers, who previously served as the interim CEO and deputy CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia, and as CEO of the oil and gas lobby group APPEA.
SPECIES
Recreating hollows for Turquoise Parrots lost in fires:
In the Snowy Mountains many of hollows used by Turquoise Parrots were burnt in the Dunns Road fire, though the species was able to survive in small unburnt sections of bushland, now artificial hollows are being used to aid their recovery so they can repopulate the burnt areas.
"It's a hollow-nesting species, and often these hollows are less than 3 metres off the ground, which would have been the first things to burn in the bushfires," Mr Gunn said.
"Breeding for the species in some areas will now be incredibly difficult or non-existent, and this could take decades to recover without human intervention."
"The animals would have sought shelter there during the fires, and then those populations will radiate out from those unburnt areas after the fires to repopulate the burnt areas.
Threatening wind farm:
A contentious wind farm is proposed for Robbins Island off Tasmania's north-western tip, within the known migration pathway for the orange-bellied parrot, with just 70 adult breeding birds left in the wild, leading to conflict between State and Federal environment agencies, with the State EPA supporting the proposal.
Documents prepared by Tasmania's orange-bellied parrot (OBP) program last August found the wind farm could create migration barriers, kill birds that collide with the infrastructure, reduce critical habitat, modify or destroy habitat to the extent that the species is likely to decline and interfere with recovery of the species
Finding Koalas remotely:
A $1.5 million trial funded by WIRES and Landcare, with in-kind support from the Queensland University of Technology, will give drones to 5 landcare groups to undertake surveys, with the data collected later sent to the QUT to be scanned by an AI algorithm to identify Koalas, and the results returned to the groups.
https://www.standard.net.au/story/7767171/drones-and-tech-keeping-track-of-koalas/
Talking south coast Koalas:
On June 4 the Far South Coast Landcare Association hosted a meeting of 70 people to hear the results of recent koala monitoring efforts, as well as learning about cultural burning and other environmental works to try and recover the grossly depleted remaining Koalas.
According to the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), in Eden-Monaro 61.6 per cent of original koala habitat remains, yet the population in the entire region is estimated to be down to 175-250 koalas.
Ms O'Connell said a small, low density koala population spanned the upper reaches of Dignams Creek near Gulaga Mountain, in Biamanga National Park, and there were clusters of known koalas there and in Murrah Flora Reserve.
Killing Koalas directly:
Large numbers of koalas are being routinely euthanised in Victoria’s southwest by industry, government, and veterinarians as habitat loss, mostly plantation logging, impacts their health.
She’s exhausted from ferrying koalas to the vet, as well as rescuing and caring for the animals, which she finds displaced after logging.
Frustrated and feeling like she’s not receiving any support from authorities, she's shared a series of heartbreaking images of recent rescues. Almost all of the koalas pictured were euthanised.
“I feel that nobody wants to address the issue in the southwest because of the timber industry, and the jobs it brings,” she said.
"Logging coups keep coming down and koalas they've got nowhere to go."
Killing Koalas indirectly:
Koalas feeding on leaves coated in fluoride in plantations surrounding Alcoa’s Portland Aluminium are suffering from fluoride poisoning which causes tooth and jaw deformities and weakened bones.
"When you take in a large amount of fluoride over an extended period of time, what happens is the fluoride deposits in mineralised tissues in the body … things like bones and teeth, typically," Dr Hufschmid said.
"The fluoride builds up in those tissues and the body can't excrete them at the same rate they're building up."
She said fluorosis in animals caused teeth to deteriorate badly over time, while in bones the mineral slowly replaced calcium.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-09/koalas-fluorosis-aluminium-smelter-portland-study/101126398
Another Koala cash splash:
The Queensland government’s announcement that they have allocated almost $40 million to protect native animals across the state, with most to be spent on koalas, was welcomed by some, though the Australian Koala Foundation's Deborah Tabart said the new funding was a "band-aid solution" that did not address the real reason the koalas were endangered – cutting down their feed trees.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-05/qld-koala-rescue-funding/101127140
Another mass bird poisoning:
The Victorian wildlife watchdog is investigating the deaths of more than 100 long-billed corellas, likely from poison (either intentionally or indirectly through rodenticides) which were found near Barmah on the Murray River. This follows the death of more than 300 Corellas between Tocumwal and Cobram along the Murray River reported in Forest Media on 29 April.
“These birds are dropping dead out of trees, in mid air and falling into the Murray River and puddles due to excessive thirst which is again, a symptom of poisoning,” she said.
In 2019, sixty corellas fells from the sky in Adelaide after a suspected poisoning event.
Little corellas are also culled by some local governments in Western Australia, where they are considered a pest. The City of Rockingham, on Perth’s southern fringe, has rolled out specially designed wheelie bin traps which it says have aided in the capture and euthanasia of more than 1,000 of the birds.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
A wetter future?
One of the world’s primary ocean currents is the “Atlantic meridional overturning circulation” that moves warmer tropical waters to Europe, warming them and cooling tropical areas, though the current is weakening which scientists assess could result in more retention of heat in this region with a more La Niña-like state which would mean more flooding rains over eastern Australia and worse droughts and bushfire seasons over southwest United States.
A collapse of the North Atlantic and Antarctic overturning circulations would profoundly alter the anatomy of the world’s oceans. It would make them fresher at depth, deplete them of oxygen, and starve the upper ocean of the upwelling of nutrients provided when deep waters resurface from the ocean abyss. The implications for marine ecosystems would be profound.
Crossing boundaries:
In 2009, the influential Stockholm Resilience Centre first published its planetary boundaries framework and now scientists have applied it to Australia for 5 boundaries, finding we have already overshot three of these - biodiversity, land-system change and nitrogen and phosphorus flows – while also approaching the boundaries for freshwater use and climate change.
In around 50% of our river catchments, we already have concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus past the safe level for the health of the environment.
Unfortunately, biodiversity is among the boundaries Australia has already overshot. The number of species threatened by our activities is growing, and many of our endangered animals are at risk of extinction.
Agriculture, forestry and other land use industries also have a critical role to play in reducing emissions and sequestering carbon. But the land use sector is under increasing pressure from growing populations, the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events.
https://www.climateworkscentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LUF_PB-summary-report_FINAL.pdf
A viney future:
A study in Queensland’s tropical rainforests has confirmed the world-wide trend of increasing dominance of lianas as a result of climate change, leading to structural degradation.
Lianas are increasing in abundance in many tropical forests. This increase can alter forest structure and decrease both carbon storage and tree diversity via antagonistic relationships between lianas and their host trees. Climate change is postulated as an underlying driver of increasing liana abundances, via increases in dry-season length, forest-disturbance events, and atmospheric CO2 concentrations; all factors thought to favour lianas. … These results suggest that liana reproduction and abundance are likely to increase under predicted future climate regimes, with potentially important impacts on the survival, growth, and reproduction of resident trees and thus the overall health of Australian tropical rainforests.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.787950/full
Scary ghosts:
There is a scary video about America’s ghost forests, one of the consequences of rising sea-levels.
TURNING IT AROUND
State of Forests:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has released 2022 State of the World’s Forests, identifying that we are still losing forests at a rate of about 10 million ha per year, halting deforestation could reduce CO2 emissions by 14 percent of what is needed up to 2030 to keep planetary warming below 1.5 °C while safeguarding more than half the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity, and restoring degraded land through afforestation and reforestation could cost-effectively take 0.9–1.5 GtCO2 e per year out of the atmosphere between 2020 and 2050. The emphasis remains on sustainable use and there is still no focus on what could be achieved by protecting remnant forests and transitioning to plantations.
Forests are resources of global significance.
� They cover 31 percent of the Earth’s land surface (4.06 billion ha) but the area is shrinking, with 420 million ha of forest lost through deforestation between 1990 and 2020. The rate of deforestation is declining but was still 10 million ha per year in 2015–2020.
Forests are crucial for mitigating climate change.
� Trees and forests are major means for combating climate change. Forests contain 662 billion tonnes of carbon, which is more than half the global carbon stock in soils and vegetation. Despite a continued reduction in area, forests absorbed more carbon than they emitted in 2011–2020 due to reforestation, improved forest management and other factors.
Three pathways involving forests and trees offer means by which societies, communities and individual landowners, users and managers can derive more tangible value from forests and trees while addressing environmental degradation, recovering from crises, preventing future pandemics, increasing resilience and transforming economies:
-
Halting deforestation and maintaining forests could avoid emitting 3.6 +/- 2 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2 e) per year between 2020 and 2050, including about 14 percent of what is needed up to 2030 to keep planetary warming below 1.5 °C, while safeguarding more than half the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity.
2. Restoring degraded lands and expanding agroforestry – 1.5 billion ha of degraded land would benefit from restoration, and increasing tree cover could boost agricultural productivity on another 1 billion ha. Restoring degraded land through afforestation and reforestation could cost-effectively take 0.9–1.5 GtCO2 e per year out of the atmosphere between 2020 and 2050.
3. Sustainably using forests and building green value chains would help meet future demand for materials – with global consumption of all natural resources expected to more than double from 92 billion tonnes 2017 to 190 billion tonnes in 2060 – and underpin sustainable economies.
https://www.fao.org/3/cb9360en/cb9360en.pdf
44% of earth needs protection to conserve biodiversity:
A study published in Science estimated the minimum land area to secure important biodiversity areas, ecologically intact areas, and optimal locations for representation of species ranges and ecoregions would require 44% of earth’s terrestrial area being the focus of conservation attention ranging from protected areas to land-use policies.
In this study, we estimate the minimum land area to secure important biodiversity areas, ecologically intact areas, and optimal locations for representation of species ranges and ecoregions. We discover that at least 64 million square kilometers (44% of terrestrial area) would require conservation attention (ranging from protected areas to land-use policies) to meet this goal. More than 1.8 billion people live on these lands, so responses that promote autonomy, self-determination, equity, and sustainable management for safeguarding biodiversity are essential. Spatially explicit land-use scenarios suggest that 1.3 million square kilometers of this land is at risk of being converted for intensive human land uses by 2030, which requires immediate attention.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl9127
A pre-print version is at:
Buffering parks in India:
In India a recent Supreme Court order stated that every protected forest, national park and wildlife sanctuary across the country should have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of minimum one-km starting from their demarcated boundaries, within which commercial mining, setting up of sawmills and industries causing pollution, the establishment of major hydroelectric projects, production of any hazardous substances, undertaking activities related to tourism like flying over the national park area by aircraft and hot air balloons, discharge of effluents and solid waste in natural water bodies or terrestrial areas have been proposed to be made prohibited activities.
Forest Media 3 June 2022
New South Wales
News of the Area gave good coverage to the launch of NEFA’s Save Oldgrowth Trees campaign, running our full media release and a photo of the action at Coffs Harbour.
Good News: a win in the Land and Environment Court - Verdant Technology's appeal against Singleton Council's refusal to accept their burning biomass in their Redbank power plant has been lost, principally because the judge considered that the disposal of coal tailings was a fundamental element of the original proposal, whereas the revised proposal is to replace this with biomass. Now they have to do a new DA and EIS. Muswellbrook and Singleton have been identified as having some of the most polluted air in the country, while a GP blames coal-fired power stations the Mineral’s Council blames domestic woodheaters – it seems to me that the Redbank wood fired power station will exasperate breathing problems.
Wood Supply Agreements for State forests set to expire in 2023 have been extended until 2028, effectively entrenching them for a further 5 years, or at least requiring massive payouts to get them out earlier. To add to this free multi-million dollar gift, the NSW Government has announced another $60 million to fix roads on State forests for logger’s access, while claimed to also benefit beekeepers and tourists.
Australia
The Victorian government has introduced its Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment (Timber Harvesting Safety Zones) Bill 2022 into Parliament with the aim of deterring logging protest activities by imposing fines of up to $21,000 or 12 months’ jail.
About 220,000 hectares of previously logged West Australian forest could still be subject to tree removal beyond the 2024 logging ban “for environmental health” as trees compete for water in a drying climate, and loggers push for government subsidised commercial thinning.
In March, Ley signed off on decisions to remove the requirement for recovery plans for 176 plants, animals and habitats with the move quietly published by the environment department after the election was called in April.
Australian Forest Products Association say they look forward to working with the Albanese Government to implement their ambitious forest policy agenda to deliver more than $300 million in new investment to grow and innovate the sector.
In Victoria Bayside City Council is planting more than 2,200 trees a year on Council land while increasing and protecting other forms of vegetation to create a cooler, greener and more wildlife-friendly suburbs.
A recent case in the Massachusetts Supreme Court which found that an attempt by ExxonMobil to use anti-SLAPP legislation does not apply to lawsuits brought by the government, has prompted Greenpeace Australia to call for governments in Australia that haven’t done so, to get on with enacting anti-SLAPP laws.
Species
Scientists are concerned that platypus are declining due to cattle trampling stream banks, inadequate environmental flows, droughts, floods, erosion following wildfires, yabby traps (opera house), discarded fishing lines and plastic (ie six pack holders), and while they have been recommended as listing as vulnerable, there is not the data on population decline to support the listing.
A "Significant" population of koalas has been discovered in Kosciuszko National Park at higher elevations than previously known. The Cores, Corridors and Koalas project is led by Great Eastern Ranges (GER) with funding from WWF-Australia, with support from Aussie furniture company Koala and Aussie Hair, with the aim of planting 150,000 trees to restore and connect vital habitat for koalas and other forest-dependent wildlife across four fire-devastated landscapes in the NSW South Coast, Border Ranges, Greater Blue Mountains and Coffs Coast Hinterland.
A Victoria Government planned “low-intensity burn” in state’s south-west incinerated at least two koalas and left two so severely dehydrated and burnt they had to be euthanised, despite it being evident from high density of scats that Koalas were present and DELWP inspectors being on hand “to mitigate impacts on wildlife”, with the Koalas not found until days later by bushwalkers. DELWP described it as ‘disappointing’, while a local described it as 'Bloody disgusting'. A paper identifying a June 2020 assessment of the number of Koalas that were rescued from the 2019/20 fires identified that 209 koalas came into care due to the bushfires, and of these, 106 were either euthanised or died, 74 were released, and the remainder were still in care, but due for release soon – I question whether some of the multi-millions pumped into wildlife rescue after the fires would have been better spent on habitat protection.
CNET has a detailed article about Koalas and their plight, identifying that modern Koalas only date back 350,000 years but are the last survivors of an evolutionary branch dating back 20 million years, including postulations about what their ecological role is and what would happen if we lost them, one theory is that when they were more plentiful their consumption of eucalypt leaves may have reduced the threat of wildfires.
Tweed Council has a project began in October last year to restore 6ha of high-conservation value foraging habitat for the grey-headed flying-fox on six private properties at Tomewin, Urliup and Numinbah.
The Deteriorating Problem
Amid a climate change induced enduring drought in the American West, two fires merged to create the largest wildfire in the New Mexico’s history, so far burning 1,300 square kilometers and destroying at least 330 homes, with both fires traced back to planned burns set by U.S. forest managers.
Man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCFs), mostly made from eucalypts, are the new product being touted by the fashion industry as a sustainable product, set to grow from 6 to 10 million tonnes per annum over the next 15 years, though questions are being asked as to whether they are now wearing oldgrowth trees.
Since 1977 researchers have been mist-trapping rainforest understorey birds in the 22,000-hectare Soberanía National Park in the Republic of Panama, finding 40 out of 57 bird resident species (70%) declined in abundance over 44 years, with 35 species losing more than 50% of their initial abundances. Scientists consider that some declines could be related to the increasing isolation of the reserve, though consider the principal cause may be climate change.
Turning it Around
An article by Geoffrey Lean in the Guardian gives a potted history of the long and slow struggle to agree global solutions to emerging global environment problems since the UN’s first-ever international environmental conference in Sweden on 5 June 1972, whose 50th anniversary is on World Environment Day. The Bulletin has an article extolling the multitude of values of America’s olgrowth trees, along with the need to retain and restore them.
The Prince of Wales has been supporting SUPERB (Systemic solutions for upscaling of urgent ecosystem restoration for forest-related biodiversity and ecosystem services) involving more than 100 forest science and practice organizations in 20 countries and including 12 large-scale forest restoration demonstration sites across Europe.
A one hour doco tells the story of the planetary movement to bring Rights Of Nature legislation into law.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
Save Oldgrowth Trees:
News of the Area gave good coverage to the launch of NEFA’s Save Oldgrowth Trees campaign, running our full media release and a photo of the action at Coffs Harbour.
THE North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) launched its ‘Save Oldgrowth Trees’ campaign last Friday to pressure the NSW Government to implement its own scientific advice to protect and restore old growth trees throughout State Forests in response to the widespread losses of tree hollows in the 2019/20 wildfires.
To launch the campaign NEFA supporters gathered outside the electoral offices of Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh at 10am to publicise their support for the immediate implementation of the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) recommendations.
Redbank Loses:
Good News: a win in the Land and Environment Court - Verdant Technology's appeal against Singleton Council's refusal to accept their burning biomass in their Redbank power plant has been lost, principally because the judge considered that the disposal of coal tailings was a fundamental element of the original proposal, whereas the revised proposal is to replace this with biomass. Now they have to do a new DA and EIS. The judge stating:
- In this case, for the reasons I have found, the disposal of coal tailings was a fundamental element of the proposal, which if altered to a material degree would have the potential to alter an essential or material component of the development the subject of the 1994 DC. The replacement of the fuel source of coal tailings with biomass would be such a change. However, that is not what the Modification Application proposes in this case. The fundamental question here is whether the change proposed is so material that the modified development as proposed in the Modification Application is no longer substantially the same development.
… Accordingly, notwithstanding the retention of the physical capacity to burn coal tailings as fuel, the Modification Application in the form proposed alters the development in such a fundamental manner that it loses the essential and material relationship to the disposal of coal tailings and the associated mine operations that it cannot be characterised as being substantially the same development as the 1994 DC.
For the reasons outlined above, I am not satisfied that the development to which the Modification Application relates is substantially the same development as the development for which the development was originally granted. Accordingly, I have no power to grant the approval sought pursuant to s 4.56 of the EP&A Act and the appeal must be dismissed.
https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/18121985286fdbe1d758652c
Redbank to add to chronic air pollution:
Muswellbrook and Singleton have been identified as having some of the most polluted air in the country, while a GP blames coal-fired power stations the Mineral’s Council blames domestic woodheaters – it seems to me that the Redbank wood fired power station will exasperate breathing problems.
THE Hunter Valley is breathing in "extreme" levels of air pollution which consistently breach international health standards and are driving the nation towards a climate change "health emergency", scientists and medicos say.
Muswellbrook and Singleton have been subjected to air quality that has consistently breached international guidelines for safe levels of pollution every year for the past seven years, since 2015.
The NSW Minerals Council disputes the relative value of the data, and the direct links being made to coal mining-related activity, saying that air quality is also affected by rain and smoke from woodsmoke heaters.
"The data also shows that for PM2.5 - the smallest particles of greatest health concern - another primary driver of exceedences is smoke from domestic woodheaters. The CSIRO Upper Hunter Fine Particle Characterisation study found that woodsmoke was the biggest contributor to PM2.5 in Muswellbrook, averaging 62 per cent of PM2.5 in the winter months."
Wood Supply Agreements extended:
Wood Supply Agreements for State forests set to expire in 2023 have been extended until 2028, effectively entrenching them for a further 5 years, or at least requiring massive payouts to get them out earlier.
Timber processors on the flood-affected NSW North Coast have been given certainty to invest in their businesses and equipment, following the NSW Government’s announcement of a five-year extension to existing wood supply agreements.
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the additional five-year deal has aligned the expiry date for all timber supply contracts right across the region, and confirmed the government’s support for the hardwood timber sector.
“Most agreements on the North Coast were due to end in 2023, while others run through to 2028, but now these critical timber mills have all been put on the same timeline to help provide investment and business certainty,” Mr Toole said.
Yet more support for loggers:
The NSW Government has announced another $60 million to fix roads on State forests for logger’s access, while claimed to also benefit beekeepers and tourists.
“We have seen first-hand the impact the floods have had on the timber industry in the North Coast, which contributes significantly to the local economy and provides hundreds of jobs to locals,” Mr Saunders said.
“This funding will mean our timber producers will have access to more logs for processing, and, at the same time, will ensure community access for a range of activities like bee-keeping, four-wheel driving, camping and mountain biking.”
https://www.nswnationals.org.au/boost-for-north-coast-forest-roads/
AUSTRALIA
Victorian logging protestors targeted:
The Victorian government has introduced its Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment (Timber Harvesting Safety Zones) Bill 2022 into Parliament with the aim of deterring logging protest activities by imposing fines of up to $21,000 or 12 months’ jail.
“Protests are becoming increasingly dangerous – particularly for workers – which is why this legislation will support them to get on with their job and minimise disruption to the industry,” [Minister for Agriculture, Mary-Anne Thomas] said.
Meanwhile, the Victorian Greens have accused the government of trying to boot peaceful and non-violent protesters out of the way so it could log more, and have vowed to fight the Bill.
https://midlandexpress.com.au/latest-news/2022/05/31/government-moves-on-national-parks/
The Devil’s in the detail:
About 220,000 hectares of previously logged West Australian forest could still be subject to tree removal beyond the 2024 logging ban “for environmental health” as trees compete for water in a drying climate, and loggers push for government subsidised commercial thinning.
The recently released report on the scientific and practical aspects of managing forests and woodlands that will underpin the next 10-year forest management plan says “ecological thinning” should be focused on 220,000 hectares of previously logged forest.
“As far as the next forest management plan is concerned, unless ‘ecological thinning’ is embraced and pushed on a landscape scale, backed by commercial utilisation of the felled trees, we might as well turn the whole of our South West native forests into a national park,” [Forestry Australia WA branch committee member John Clarke] said.
WA Forest Alliance convener Jess Beckerling said the group was happy thinning had been ruled out for national parks but concerned logging could occur under the guise of ecological thinning.
The Devil doesn’t need a plan:
In March, Ley signed off on decisions to remove the requirement for recovery plans for 176 plants, animals and habitats with the move quietly published by the environment department after the election was called in April.
“On what sort of planet does the commonwealth think they don’t need a recovery plan for a Tasmanian devil, one of the ecologically most important species in existence or the critically endangered Christmas Island flying fox, a species entirely under commonwealth control and one of Australia’s most likely next extinctions,” [Wilderness Society, Tim Beshara] said.
Responding on Thursday to Ley’s decision, Plibersek said: “This is alarming. I have asked my new department for an urgent briefing.”
Among the 176 are the critically endangered nightcap oak, which was affected by the 2019-20 bushfires, the critically endangered Cumberland Plain woodland, regularly cleared for development in western Sydney, and several Christmas Island species, including the critically endangered Christmas Island flying fox.
Loggers welcome Albanese:
Australian Forest Products Association say they look forward to working with the Albanese Government to implement their ambitious forest policy agenda to deliver more than $300 million in new investment to grow and innovate the sector.
During the election campaign, Federal Labor matched the Coalition’s pledge to deliver:
- $100 million for a National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) to be headquartered in Launceston
- $86 million in grants to support the establishment costs of new timber plantations
- $112.9 million in innovation grants for timber processors to make the most of our existing resource and create new manufacturing jobs
“On top of this, Labor also committed $10 million for skills and training programs for our sector, and backed native forestry jobs with a commitment to no more forest lock-ups. We look forward to working with the Albanese Government to realise the full potential of Australia’s renewable forest industries.
https://www.alp.org.au/policies/better-future-for-our-regions
Reforesting Suburbia:
In Victoria Bayside City Council is planting more than 2,200 trees a year on Council land while increasing and protecting other forms of vegetation to create a cooler, greener and more wildlife-friendly suburbs.
There are many reasons to love trees. Trees and vegetation make an important contribution to the liveability of our suburbs, encouraging outdoor activity and interaction and playing a crucial role in creating a healthy environment.
Trees draw carbon from the atmosphere, remove air pollutants, improve the look of our streets and provide shade. They and other vegetations are crucial habitat for wildlife, help to purify water, decrease salinity in soils and limit the effects of erosion.
https://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/news/baysides-urban-forest
Need for more anti-SLAPP laws:
A recent case in the Massachusetts Supreme Court which found that an attempt by ExxonMobil to use anti-SLAPP legislation does not apply to lawsuits brought by the government, has prompted Greenpeace Australia to call for governments in Australia that haven’t done so, to get on with enacting anti-SLAPP laws.
Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) are a legal tactic utilised by larger corporations to silence critics and hinder freedom of expression. Anti-SLAPP legislation involves protections against corporate bodies from undertaking expensive and time-consuming litigation to force a smaller party to cease their activities, including the threat of such litigation.
Lawyers Weekly has written extensively on the issue of SLAPP, stating that to protect freedom of expression and to deter such malicious acts, some states of Australia, Canada and the US have enacted anti-SLAPP legislation. This enables the court to rule certain findings of larger corporations as frivolous, leading to the subsequent dismissal of the lawsuit unless there has been good faith.
[Brooke Dellavedova, general counsel for Greenpeace Australia Pacific] “There has been a growing trend of strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPP suits, which are bought by powerful entities against advocacy organisations or activists, to intimidate and censor them,” she said.
SPECIES
Platypus decline not a priority:
Scientists are concerned that platypus are declining due to cattle trampling stream banks, inadequate environmental flows, droughts, floods, erosion following wildfires, yabby traps (opera house), discarded fishing lines and plastic (ie six pack holders), and while they have been recommended as listing as vulnerable, there is not the data on population decline to support the listing.
"Droughts and floods that have a long sequence can really push populations beyond tipping points. Say you have a massive drought and then a bushfire, a local platypus population might go extinct.
"Because there is no capacity for platypuses to recolonise that area from other areas, then we'll see these populations that just disappear.
Fragmentation of the environment with dams, weirs and roads also threaten the freshwater species, which live in burrows that they build in the banks of creeks, rivers and ponds.
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7755088/platypus-bill-of-health-faces-troubled-waters/
Koalas getting high:
A "Significant" population of koalas has been discovered in Kosciuszko National Park at higher elevations than previously known.
Ms Marsh said the higher altitude made the habitat "a little bit different" to where koalas were usually found and meant they could be climate change resilient.
"Some of the lower areas might end up a little bit too hot for koalas because they are quite heat-sensitive.
"So having koalas living at higher elevations, hopefully those populations are going to be a bit of a stronghold for koalas."
Planting Koala corridors:
The Cores, Corridors and Koalas project is led by Great Eastern Ranges (GER) with funding from WWF-Australia, with support from Aussie furniture company Koala and Aussie Hair, with the aim of planting 150,000 trees to restore and connect vital habitat for koalas and other forest-dependent wildlife across four fire-devastated landscapes in the NSW South Coast, Border Ranges, Greater Blue Mountains and Coffs Coast Hinterland.
Control burning Koalas:
A Victoria Government planned “low-intensity burn” in state’s south-west incinerated at least two koalas and left two so severely dehydrated and burnt they had to be euthanised, despite it being evident from high density of scats that Koalas were present and DELWP inspectors being on hand “to mitigate impacts on wildlife”, with the Koalas not found until days later by bushwalkers.
DELWP described it as ‘disappointing’, while a local described it as 'Bloody disgusting'
Koala fire rescues:
A paper identifying a June 2020 assessment of the number of Koalas that were rescued from the 2019/20 fires identified that 209 koalas came into care due to the bushfires, and of these, 106 were either euthanised or died, 74 were released, and the remainder were still in care, but due for release soon – I question whether some of the multi-millions pumped into wildlife rescue after the fires would have been better spent on habitat protection.
Koalas the last of their kind:
CNET has a detailed article about Koalas and their plight, identifying that modern Koalas only date back 350,000 years but are the last survivors of an evolutionary branch dating back 20 million years, including postulations about what their ecological role is and what would happen if we lost them, one theory is that when they were more plentiful their consumption of eucalypt leaves may have reduced the threat of wildfires.
https://www.cnet.com/science/climate/features/a-world-without-koalas/
Planting Flying Fox forage:
Tweed Council has a project began in October last year to restore 6ha of high-conservation value foraging habitat for the grey-headed flying-fox on six private properties at Tomewin, Urliup and Numinbah.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/flying-fox-habitat-project-is-soaring-in-the-tweed/
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Drought fires ravage America’s west:
Amid a climate change induced enduring drought in the American West, two fires merged to create the largest wildfire in the New Mexico’s history, so far burning 1,300 square kilometers and destroying at least 330 homes, with both fires traced back to planned burns set by U.S. forest managers.
"The pain and suffering of New Mexicans caused by the actions of the U.S. Forest Service – an agency that is intended to be a steward of our lands – is unfathomable," New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
Making trees fashionable
Man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCFs), mostly made from eucalypts, are the new product being touted by the fashion industry as a sustainable product, set to grow from 6 to 10 million tonnes per annum over the next 15 years, though questions are being asked as to whether they are now wearing oldgrowth trees.
MMCFs include viscose, lyocell, modal, and acetate. Around 98% of these fibers are made from wood (usually eucalyptus), 1% is from bamboo, and less than 1% are from cellulose-rich waste (but Evrnu, Renewcell, Infinited Fiber, and others are working hard to raise that percentage). While the innovators forge this path, the MMCF market is set to grow from 6 to 10 million tonnes within 15 years, with recycled MMCFs (rMMCFs) likely to reach only a fraction of this volume.
So what types of MMCFs will hoover up this growth opportunity? Right now 40-45% will come from “conventional/unknown sources/processes”, which is shorthand for possibly toxic production methods and using ancient/endangered forest wood. And here exists a critical paradox: while next-gen MMCFs offer huge potential to replace damaging incumbent materials, stakeholders risk emboldening a market that is not ready to deliver on its low-impact promises, and may cause more harm before it realizes its potential for good.
Birds declining in parks:
Since 1977 researchers have been mist-trapping rainforest understorey birds in the 22,000-hectare Soberanía National Park in the Republic of Panama, finding 40 out of 57 bird resident species (70%) declined in abundance over 44 years, with 35 species losing more than 50% of their initial abundances. Scientists consider that some declines could be related to the increasing isolation of the reserve, though consider the principal cause may be climate change.
These findings add to a “small but growing body of evidence for significant long-term declines in biodiversity in undisturbed tropical forests—replicating previous findings from the Ecuadorian and Brazilian Amazon,” said Alexander Lees …
TURNING IT AROUND
World Environment Day:
An article by Geoffrey Lean in the Guardian gives a potted history of the long and slow struggle to agree global solutions to emerging global environment problems since the UN’s first-ever international environmental conference in Sweden on 5 June 1972, whose 50th anniversary is on World Environment Day.
Value of oldgrowth trees.
The Bulletin has an article extolling the multitude of values of America’s olgrowth trees, along with the need to retain and restore them.
Large deeply rooted trees also tap groundwater resources unavailable to shallow-rooted plants. During drier months, roots lift deep soil water up to shallow, drier portions of soil and release it, sharing water to the ecosystem, including neighboring plants of different species.
A study in old growth ponderosa pine found that during July and August this process accounted for approximately 35% of total daily water usage from the upper soil, adding weeks of water during drought. This allows the ecosystem to continue photosynthesis, storing more carbon and cooling the forest canopy as water evaporates from foliage.
Large trees are cornerstones of diversity and resilience for the entire forest community, and they provide many services important to society. We would do well to protect large trees where we can, and a sufficient supply of those that will soon reach large diameter.
Reforesting Europe:
The Prince of Wales has been supporting SUPERB (Systemic solutions for upscaling of urgent ecosystem restoration for forest-related biodiversity and ecosystem services) involving more than 100 forest science and practice organizations in 20 countries and including 12 large-scale forest restoration demonstration sites across Europe.
The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance was established by the Prince of Wales in 2020. It provides “knowledge-informed support as well as a learning and networking platform to connect the dots between investors, companies, governmental and non-governmental organizations and local communities to advance the circular bioeconomy while restoring biodiversity globally.”
https://www.romania-insider.com/prince-charles-forest-restauration-ro-may-2022/
Rights of Nature:
A one hour doco tells the story of the planetary movement to bring Rights Of Nature legislation into law.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuFNmH7lVTA
Forest Media 27 May 2022
After the depressing Morrison Government, the election of the Albanese Government, and good showing for the Greens and Teals, have generated a sense of optimism, and an expectation for real action on climate heating and threatened species (amongst many other issues). The challenge for us is to get political recognition of forests as part of the solution for addressing climate heating and saving species, and if we want to influence the March NSW elections and formative period of the Albanese Government we have to do this in the next 6 months.
New South Wales
NEFA has launched its Save Oldgrowth Trees campaign to convince the NSW Government to implement the Natural Resources Commission’s advice to protect and restore oldgrowth trees throughout State forests in response to the widespread losses of tree hollows in the 2019/20 wildfires that 174 of NSW’s animal species depend on for dens, nests and roosts. NEFA held small gatherings outside the offices of local members for Tweed, and Coffs Harbour to launch the campaign, which is aimed at getting members of parliament and the public to write to the Ministers for Environment and Forestry to implement the NRC’s advice. Join the campaign at https://www.nefa.org.au/hollow_housing_crisis
The Echo interviewed Sue Higginson after her first week in parliament, in which she identified protecting “our native forests once and for all” as one of her principal goals.
The state government has announced a $10 million subsidy as part of its Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program, to cover transport at $30 per tonne of timber, to help the flood-affected timber industry in 18 NSW LGAs declared disaster zones in northern NSW. Until 30 June the community are invited to review and provide feedback on updated forest management plans for the softwood plantations and coastal hardwood forests managed by Forestry Corporation of NSW. To view the forest management plans, ask questions, or make a submission, visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au.
The results of the Federal election have north shore State Liberals worried about the rise of independents. Matt Kean has spoken out on the need to take climate change and women seriously - we just need to get forests up there. Justin Field reminds us that despite Matt Kean, the NSW Government is not really progressive, with terrible records on new gas and coal mines, Murray-Darling water, land clearing and wars against Koalas, thanks to being under the control of the National Party
On the mid-north coast the Uniting Church has started a Faith Ecology Network aimed at stopping the logging of native forests, which they hope will spread throughout north-east NSW.
Australia
There has been so much commentary on the Federal election, including relating to climate heating and threatened species, that I have not attempted to do it justice.
While we now undoubtedly have an Albanese Government, the exact makeup has yet to be decided. At the time of writing the ABC identified ALP had 75 seats in the house of reps, needing 76 for a majority so they may well make it, though they have a pool of at least 3 Greens and 12 independents to seek support from for legislation.
In the Senate there are 76 members, and it’s likely that the Greens will be in a balance of power position with the ALP needing their support to get legislation through:
- the ALP have 23 with 3 more likely, the Greens have 9 with 3 more likely, and the green independent David Pocock is also likely – giving 32, and likely 39
- Jackie Lambie is in there with 1 and 1 more likely.
- the Coalition have 30 with 1 more likely and 2 possible, One Nation have 1 and one more likely, UAP have one possible – giving 31, and likely 33, and possibly 36
On the north coast
- It appeared for a while that Richmond may be won by the Greens, though at this stage ALP have a clear lead and will get in with National preferences, the Greens are running second but the Nationals may come second with a number of anti-vax and right wing candidates preferencing them ahead of the Greens.
- In Cowper it was touch and go for a while with Teal independent Caz Heise (with Green and ALP preferences) almost beating the Nationals.
On the South Coast the seat of Gilmore is line-ball between ALP and Coalition and is likely to require a recount.
There can be no doubt that the underlying issue of this election was climate change, and that this can be considered the primary issue responsible for the great showing by The Greens, Teal candidates and the election of a Labor federal government. An exit poll conducted by YouGov for Farmers for Climate Action found around two thirds of people interviewed across the seats of Gilmore, Page and Eden-Monaro said "effective climate change policies" were important to their vote.
Another good outcome was the poor showing of Pauline Hanson and Clive Palmer, Hanson may just scrape back in Queensland as the sole One Notion to get up this time, and Palmer will miss out despite his $100 million in advertising, but UAP may get one up in Victoria thanks to being second on the Coalition’s ticket.
Species
Researchers have identified the 63 Australian birds, mammals, fish, frogs and reptiles most likely to go extinct in the next 20 years, of these five reptiles, four birds, four frogs, two mammals and one fish are likely already extinct, though the other 21 fish, 12 birds, six mammals, four frogs and four reptiles still have a chance.
The NRC have released their ‘NSW Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program, Final Report, Project 2: Baselines, drivers and trends for species occupancy and distribution’, I have only had a quick look, though it’s great to see that they have collated the extensive survey data from the 1990’s as a baseline, developed a number of distribution models and used these to project the significant impacts of climate change – identifying that “Climate projections suggest that potential occupancy of 54 of 78 threatened fauna species … will decline by 2070” and “For 81 climate-sensitive flora species 59% of species … will have less medium to high-suitability habitat by 2070”. It is concerning that they have compared data from different decades that used different methods, and, like Forestry did in the 1990s, failed to account for the fact that most remaining oldgrowth is on steeper and poorer sites when comparing it with more productive logged forests.
Tweed Council is calling for people to record where Albert’s Lyrebirds are by undertaking call surveys on their properties during June, an active breeding time for the birds when they are known to call vigorously.
Lithgow was chosen as a site to rehome the critically endangered mountain pygmy-possum under the belief that pre-historically they roamed through the region’s forests and became trapped in their current alpine habitats by past climate upheavals, where they now have poor prospects of survival due to climate change.
Koala retrovirus appears to be causing immunosuppression in some Koala populations, with some subtypes of the virus increasing their susceptibility to chlamydia by more than 200 per cent. The Gloucester Environment Group (GEG) is holding the Gloucester Koala Habitat Workshop at Barrington Hall on September 3, about their program KoalaWays, which has resulted 1000 tree and understory plantings, in partnership with council, on private properties in the Gloucester area.
The release of another 50 Eastern Quolls into Aussie Arks 400 hectare protected Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary has received lots of attention, with statements such as “returned to the wilderness”.
In a move likely to fail, the Victorian Greens are seeking to outlaw the general sale of second generation rodent poisons in supermarkets and hardware stores in a proposed amendment to the Agriculture Legislation Amendment Bill, poised to be debated in Victoria's upper house.
Bird Flu is adapting fast to infect native species and spread itself around the world, having variable effects on native bird species while killing hundreds of thousands, causing particular concern for vulnerable bird species with smaller populations. It’s likely to be on its way to Australia.
The Deteriorating Problem
David Spratt and Ian Dunlop have released a report Climate Dominoes warning us that the “severity of human influence on our planetary ecosystems is leading us toward a range of irreversible tipping points; uncertainties about which we have limited knowledge”, identifying that we may have already passed some (Arctic, Greenland, West Antarctica and coral systems) and are getting perilously close to others, including for forests where, like the east Amazon, they are increasingly passing their temperature limits, resulting in “a near halving of the land sink strength by as early as 2040”.
Mongabay has another article focussing on where Japan and Korea are obtaining their biomass from to burn for electricity as the industry ramps up under the guise of non-polluting renewable energy, though the good news is that a lot of their biomass has come from Acacia plantations in Vietnam and palm kernel shells, though Drax and Enviva are moving into the market with wood pellets from Canada and America respectively. No mention of Australia.
Turning it Around
Carbon capture and storage has long been lauded as the solution to fossil fuel production, and is central to the business plans of the two biggest Australian-owned fossil fuel producers (Santos, and Woodside), the trouble is that it still isn’t working and at best only offsets a portion of the emissions released in production – more reason to get forests identified as an ancient technology for carbon capture and storage.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
NEFA launches Save Oldgrowth Trees campaign:
NEFA has launched its Save Oldgrowth Trees campaign to convince the NSW Government to implement the Natural Resources Commission’s advice to protect and restore oldgrowth trees throughout State forests in response to the widespread losses of tree hollows in the 2019/20 wildfires that 174 of NSW’s animal species depend on for dens, nests and roosts. NEFA held small gatherings outside the offices of local members for Tweed, and Coffs Harbour to launch the campaign, which is aimed at getting members of parliament and people to write to the Ministers for Environment and Forestry to implement the NRC’s advice. Join the campaign at https://www.nefa.org.au/hollow_housing_crisis
In the hope of making the New South Wales government take its own good advice, the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) is today launching its Save Old-growth Trees campaign.
NEFA wants to convince the NSW Government to implement its own scientific advice to protect and restore old-growth trees throughout State forests in response to the widespread losses of tree hollows in the 2019/20 wildfires that 174 of NSW’s animal species depend on for dens, nests and roosts.
[Dailan Pugh] ‘The NRC recommended that where there are not eight hollow-bearing trees per hectare, retaining the next largest trees to make up the balance of the eight trees, and for each of these trees retaining two ‘recruitment’ trees that have the potential to become the hollow-bearing trees of the future.
‘Almost a year later the NSW Government has done nothing to implement the NRC recommendations and address the urgent housing crisis for hollow-dependent animals.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/saving-old-growth-tree-on-nsws-own-good-advice/
Higginson identifies forests as a priority:
The Echo interviewed Sue Higginson after her first week in parliament, in which she identified protecting “our native forests once and for all” as one of her principal goals.
Higginson believes that the recent classification of the status of koalas to endangered will add leverage in the fight to save forests. ‘It has to. Having our national icon listed as endangered – only a step away from extinction – the science is on the table and the evidence is there. There is the legal acknowledgement that we are at the end of the road for koalas.
‘If we don’t pull out all the stops and do everything we can, we know what that means. We have to protect koalas where they live and their habitat right now. Part of that is our public native forests. And we’re still logging the crap out of them. We’ve got to stop.’
I’m a mature woman on fire and I’ve got nothing to lose. I’ve got a five year plan and that plan is about improving action on climate and it is to protect our native forests once and for all. It’s to try to stop the absurdity of the extinction crisis and to level up the playing field in this inequality crisis that we experience, and all the things that that means.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/a-woman-on-fire-with-nothing-to-lose/
More taxpayer subsidies to loggers:
The state government has announced a $10 million subsidy as part of its Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program, to cover transport at $30 per tonne of timber, to help the flood-affected timber industry in 18 NSW LGAs declared disaster zones in northern NSW.
The NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said many plantations remain inaccessible due to wet conditions, and much of the machinery used to harvest timber can not be operated in the wet.
"Access roads to forests in NSW may take many months to repair, resulting in low or no harvesting activity and a critical lack of supply of hardwood resources that timber processing facilities would normally rely on."
Mr Hurford said he hoped the subsidy would be enough to hold on until spring, a time of year when forests usually dried out.
"We're coming into winter now and the ground is wet," he said.
"We just need to try to get through the next few months to spring, when the weather warms up and the cycle generally dries out."
Last month, the NSW Inquiry heard continuous breaches of native forest regulations by Forestry Corporation show a systemic pattern of noncompliance despite the lack of profits from the industry.
Chance to comment on forest management plans:
Until 30 June the community are invited to review and provide feedback on updated forest management plans for the softwood plantations and coastal hardwood forests managed by Forestry Corporation of NSW. To view the forest management plans, ask questions, or make a submission, visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/feedback-requested-on-updated-forest-management-plans-by-forestry-corp/
https://monaropost.com.au/grassroots/community-invited-to-review-updated-forest-management-plans
North Shore Liberals worried:
The results of the Federal election have north shore State Liberals worried about the rise of independents. Matt Kean has spoken out on the need to take climate change and women seriously, we just need to get forests up there.
Climate change risks an environmental catastrophe. It won’t just be future generations who will judge our leaders on the action we take – a pretty clear judgment was handed down on Saturday night.
Some will say we can’t go further on these issues because of the “base”. Let’s be clear, the traditional Liberal party base watches more ABC than Sky After Dark.
Not a single one of the Morrison government’s lost seats went to a rightwing party or candidate. One Nation and Clive Palmer’s United Australia party performed poorly while Labor and the Greens snatched seats.
It also means adopting science-aligned emissions reduction targets of between 45% and 60% by 2030 and developing the policies to achieve it. The science says that the black summer bushfires were the beginning, not the end. The fact is that, until the federal Liberal party’s policy position responds commensurately to the climate challenge, every record-breaking natural disaster over coming years will make that policy seem out of touch with the challenge at hand.
Justin Field reminds us that despite Matt Kean, the NSW Government is not really progressive, with terrible records on new gas and coal mines, Murray-Darling water, land clearing and wars against Koalas, thanks to being under the control of the National Party
The NSW Nationals control of natural resources policy for the last 12 years has been a disaster for the climate and environment and the Liberals consistently turn a blind eye, desperate to avoid a split in the Coalition agreement which underpins their ability to hold Government.
In just the last term of this Liberal and National Government (since 2019) ten new major coal and gas projects have been approved. …
… the state-owned forestry corporation is still today logging prime koala habitat in the North of the state with sign-off from successive Liberal Environment Ministers. This stands in stark contrast to decisions recently taken in Western Australia and Victoria where those State Governments have moved to end native forest logging.
… Leaving the Nationals to dictate natural resource management is destroying our rivers and landscape and fuelling climate change.
Faith in forests:
On the mid-north coast the Uniting Church has started a Faith Ecology Network aimed at stopping the logging of native forests, which they hope will spread throughout north-east NSW.
The International Day for Biological Diversity takes place every year on May 22.
The day celebrates biological diversity, also called biodiversity – the variety of life forms that exist. At a time when the world faces an extinction crisis of massive proportions, it also highlights the critical importance of biodiversity for human flourishing, sustainability and the climate. For example, forests are arks of biodiversity and are critical to maintaining the Earth’s life support systems. They regulate the climate, store carbon, produce oxygen, play a key role in supplying clean water, and lessen flooding, landslides and other natural disasters.
Local communities are responding to the increased logging. “Friends” groups have sprung up to protect the forests – such as Friends of Kalang Headwaters, Friends of Pine Creek and Friends of Tuckers Nob. The communities have also proposed several ecologically, socially and economically viable alternatives to native forest logging, including the Great Koala National Park, the Gumbaynggirr Good Koala Country plan, and a smaller, overlapping plan at the Kalang River Headwaters. Their case is all the more compelling given that industrial native forest logging in NSW operates at a loss of millions of dollars a year.
The Uniting Church affirms that God’s Creation is good in and of itself, as well as in sustaining human life, and is committed to “identify and challenge all structures and attitudes which perpetuate and compound the destruction of creation”.
We attribute rights to Nature, including ecosystems, because all creatures, not just humans, are in a covenantal relationship with God: “We believe that God loves the divine creation and wills the development of its life. No creature is indifferent in the eyes of God. Each has its dignity and thereby also its right to existence… The Holy Scriptures attest to God’s covenant with the Creation.”
There is a calling and opportunity to develop a Christian voice and presence in the struggle for forest protection. In a wonderful new initiative that addresses these issues, a committee set up by the Mid North Coast Presbytery and now with members from multiple presbyteries is working to establish a forest advocate ministry role, starting on the Mid North Coast and expanding to the Queensland border in the north and the Hunter River in the south.
The vision for the ministry is, first, to build a vibrant Christian presence – prophetic, pastoral, and through relationship – in efforts for forest protection. This includes various ways for Christians to work within and alongside community groups who are advocating for the forests.
https://www.insights.uca.org.au/hear-creation-groaning-and-help-to-heal-gods-green-earth-2/
AUSTRALIA
Election hope:
There has been so much commentary on the Federal election, including relating to climate heating and threatened species, that I have not attempted to do it justice.
While we now undoubtedly have an Albanese Government, the exact makeup has yet to be decided. At the time of writing the ABC identified ALP had 75 seats in the house of reps, needing 76 for a majority so they may well make it, though they have a pool of at least 3 Greens and 12 independents to seek support from for legislation.
In the Senate there are 76 members, and it’s likely that the Greens will be in a balance of power position with the ALP needing their support to get legislation through:
- the ALP have 23 with 3 more likely, the Greens have 9 with 3 more likely, and the green independent David Pocock is also likely – giving 32, and likely 39
- Jackie Lambie is in there with 1 and 1 more likely.
- the Coalition have 30 with 1 more likely and 2 possible, One Nation have 1 and one more likely, UAP have one possible – giving 31, and likely 33, and possibly 36
On the north coast
- It appeared for a while that Richmond may be won by the Greens, though at this stage ALP have a clear lead and will get in with National preferences, the Greens are running second but the Nationals may come second with a number of anti-vax and right wing candidates preferencing them ahead of the Greens.
- In Cowper it was touch and go for a while with Teal independent Caz Heise (with Green and ALP preferences) almost beating the Nationals.
On the South Coast the seat of Gilmore is line-ball between ALP and Coalition and is likely to require a recount.
There can be no doubt that the underlying issue of this election was climate change, and that this can be considered the primary issue responsible for the great showing by The Greens, Teal candidates and the election of a Labor federal government, as observed by Bob Carr in the Sydney morning Herald.
The urgency was confirmed by international climate diplomacy galvanised around COP26 in Glasgow last November. And it accorded with the local evidence on the ground. The fires and the floods were ominous proof that a climate shift was upon us. Human activity had warmed the land surface bringing fires earlier and making them bigger; and changing our hydrology. Solid polling commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation from YouGov last year and in March this year confirmed a strong co-relation between electorates that rated high the need for more action on climate and strong shifts on Saturday to Labor and climate friendly independents and Greens.
These 20 seats include Ryan, Chisholm, Boothby, Hasluck and Reid. By tomorrow the ACF will be able to match this with exit polling data but the voting figures on Saturday confirm the message: climate shifted votes beyond the Teal seats.
… Nationals now have to defend Cowper and Nichols as marginal seats because they were savaged by 9 per cent and 15 per cent swings respectively.
… But Saturday’s shift was overwhelmingly about what Martin Luther King called “a fierce urgency of now” and the urgency was about one issue. It was only possible because the country boasts a higher civic IQ than Scott Morrison or Barnaby Joyce had calculated.
Candidates campaigning on climate change played a crucial role in toppling the Morrison government, and now advocacy groups are pushing incoming prime minister Anthony Albanese to act decisively.
Several 'teal' candidates backed by billionaire Simon Holmes a Court's Climate 200 fund, along with the Greens, reaped sizeable election gains by concentrating on clean energy and tackling climate change.
https://www.northernbeachesreview.com.au/story/7748472/climate-pressure-follows-greens-teal-swing/
Australia has granted the Greens a mandate to push the new Labor government to greater climate action and a phase-out of fossil fuels, Adam Bandt says, with the minor party on track to gain enough seats in the Senate to hold the balance of power in its own right.
While the Greens appear to have affected a relatively modest 1.6 per cent swing of votes to them across the country, the “Greensland” voting plunge is expected to add up to three seats in Brisbane to the party’s lone Melbourne seat, which is held by Bandt, the party leader. He said the gains were the result of a three-year strategy to target Brisbane electorates.
An exit poll conducted by YouGov for Farmers for Climate Action found around two thirds of people interviewed across the seats of Gilmore, Page and Eden-Monaro said "effective climate change policies" were important to their vote.
Dr Davis said it was also clear rural Coalition MPs who backed strong climate policy were rewarded.
She pointed to nationals MP Kevin Hogan receiving a five per cent swing on preferences in the seat of Page, and Liberal candidate Andrew Constance insulating himself against a big anti-coalition swing in Gilmore.
https://www.innerwestreview.com.au/story/7752302/climate-a-priority-in-nsw-regional-seats/
Another good outcome was the poor showing of Pauline Hanson and Clive Palmer, Hanson may just scrape back in Queensland as the sole One Notion, and Palmer will miss out despite his $100 million in advertising, but UAP may get one up in Victoria thanks to being second on the Coalition’s ticket.
SPECIES
Looming extinctions:
Researchers have identified the 63 Australian birds, mammals, fish, frogs and reptiles most likely to go extinct in the next 20 years, of these five reptiles, four birds, four frogs, two mammals and one fish are likely already extinct, though the other 21 fish, 12 birds, six mammals, four frogs and four reptiles still have a chance.
The hardest to save will be five reptiles, four birds, four frogs, two mammals and one fish, for which there are no recent confirmed records of their continued existence.
Four are almost certainly extinct: the Christmas Island shrew, Kangaroo River Macquarie perch, northern gastric brooding frog and Victorian grassland earless dragon. For example, there have only ever been four records of the Christmas Island shrew since it was found in the 1930s, with the most recent in the 1980s.
We know the other 47 highly imperilled animals we looked at still survive, and we ought to be able to save them. These are made up of 21 fish, 12 birds, six mammals, four frogs and four reptiles.
Monitoring decline:
The NRC have released their ‘NSW Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program, Final Report, Project 2: Baselines, drivers and trends for species occupancy and distribution’, I have only had a quick look, though its great to see that they have collated the extensive survey data from the 1990’s as a baseline, developed a number of distribution models and used these to project the significant impacts of climate change – identifying that “Climate projections suggest that potential occupancy of 54 of 78 threatened fauna species … will decline by 2070” and “For 81 climate-sensitive flora species 59% of species … will have less medium to high-suitability habitat by 2070”. It is concerning that they have compared data from different decades that used different methods, and, like Forestry did in the 1990s, failed to account for the fact that most remaining oldgrowth is on steeper and poorer sites when comparing it with more productive logged forests.
… Climate projections suggest that potential occupancy of 54 of 78 threatened fauna species and of seven species, in particular (i.e. Rufous Bettong Aepyprymnus rufescens, Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens, Stuttering Frog Mixophyes balbus, Barking Owl Nixox connivens, Powerful Owl Ninox strenua, Greater Glider Petauroides volans and Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa) will decline by 2070.
For 81 climate-sensitive flora species, the global climate model, MIROC3.2 (version RCM1), in the NARCliM suite predicted that will have less medium to high-suitability habitat by 2070 due to climate change, whereas 37% will have more …
Modelling showed that the extent of ‘Candidate Old Growth’ (COG) Forest was significantly associated with the occurrence of priority flora and fauna species in the 1990s …
Species occupancy modelling showed that COG was associated with the distribution of seven priority fauna species. In the northern forests, four priority species were positively associated with COG: Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami), Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula), Mountain Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus caninus) and Varied Sittella; and two species were negatively associated with COG in the north: Koala and Powerful Owl. One species was negatively associated with COG in southern forests: Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis). The counter-intuitive results for the hollow-dependent Yellow-bellied Glider and Powerful Owl may be partly due to the large home-ranges of these two species, such that required nesting and denning hollows may be available within unlogged riparian reserves retained within harvested landscapes.
Climate projections revealed the potential of climate change to drastically reduce the capacity of NSW forests to support valued fauna and flora. Modelling of 78 fauna species, including seven priority species, and of 81 climate-sensitive priority flora species indicated that most species will suffer a reduction in landscape capacity or habitat suitability by 2070 simply due to changing climate. It is strongly recommended that any future design, monitoring and analysis includes a significant climate projection component.
Listening to Albert:
Tweed Council is calling for people to record where Albert’s Lyrebirds are by undertaking call surveys on their properties during June, an active breeding time for the birds when they are known to call vigorously.
Call observations are being collected online via the iNaturalist website or app at inaturalist.org/projects/listening-for-lyrebirds-project-page.
More information on the project, how to listen for Lyrebirds and examples of their calls can be found at tweed.nsw.gov.au/alberts-lyrebird.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/keep-your-eyes-and-ears-open-for-alberts-lyrebird/
Reintroduction into prehistorical habitats a chance for survival?:
Lithgow was chosen as a site to rehome the critically endangered mountain pygmy-possum under the belief that pre-historically they roamed through the region’s forests and became trapped in their current alpine habitats by past climate upheavals, where they now have poor prospects of survival due to climate change.
“We think the mountain pygmy-possums moved into the alpine area during a warm, wet period during the Pleistocene, but when the climate changed, they became stranded there. They only just managed to survive by using the rock piles and snow cover to insulate themselves against the cold of winter. The rock piles also protect them from the lethal heat of summer.”
He added that climate change was threatening their alpine homes, with winter snowfalls decreasing and exposing the rock piles in which they seek refuge while they hibernate. “We decided to use these clues from their past to reintroduce them to the cool, lowland rainforest environments where their direct ancestors thrived,” he said.
Among the species was the iconic Australian bogong moth, which made its first appearance, as its population has plummeted in the past three years after record-breaking droughts. Australian zoology professor at Sweden’s Lund University Eric Warrant has observed the moth for decades and said they used to coat the walls of alpine caves, but this year there are only a handful of caves where the moths have been found.
Koala retrovirus worsens chlamydia:
Koala retrovirus appears to be causing immunosuppression in some Koala populations, with some subtypes of the virus increasing their susceptibility to chlamydia by more than 200 per cent.
“What we think is happening is koala retrovirus is causing immunosuppression, and that raises their susceptibility to chlamydia,” she said.
“There are other parts of Australia where koala retrovirus isn’t so much of a problem. They may contract chlamydia, but they are more likely to be asymptomatic, so it doesn’t have the same effect on the population as it does in Queensland and NSW.”
At least half the koalas in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales have chlamydia, with the disease recorded in up to 100 per cent of some koala populations.
The research has been published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
Now the molecular virologist has discovered an AIDS-like virus is plaguing koalas, leaving them extremely vulnerable to chlamydia and other life-threatening health conditions.
The retrovirus destroys the koala’s immune system, leaving them at a 200 per cent higher risk of other diseases.
Replanting Koala habitat:
The Gloucester Environment Group (GEG) is holding the Gloucester Koala Habitat Workshop at Barrington Hall on September 3, about their program KoalaWays, which has resulted 1000 tree and understory plantings, in partnership with council, on private properties in the Gloucester area.
https://www.gloucesteradvocate.com.au/story/7741173/can-we-save-the-koala/
More Quolls released into captivity:
The release of another 50 Eastern Quolls into Aussie Arks 400 hectare protected Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary has received lots of attention, with statements such as “returned to the wilderness”.
Controlling sale of rodent poisons:
In a move likely to fail, the Victorian Greens are seeking to outlaw the general sale of second generation rodent poisons in supermarkets and hardware stores in a proposed amendment to the Agriculture Legislation Amendment Bill, poised to be debated in Victoria's upper house.
https://www.blayneychronicle.com.au/story/7750500/push-to-ban-store-bought-rodent-poison/
Bird Flu adapting and approaching:
Bird Flu is adapting fast to infect native species and spread itself around the world, having variable effects on native bird species while killing hundreds of thousands, causing particular concern for vulnerable bird species with smaller populations. It’s likely to be on its way to Australia.
Since October, the H5N1 strain has caused nearly 3,000 outbreaks in poultry in dozens of countries. More than 77 million birds have been culled to curb the spread of the virus, which almost always causes severe disease or death in chickens. Another 400,000 non-poultry birds, such as wild birds, have also died in 2,600 outbreaks — twice the number reported during the last major wave, in 2016–17.
… Regions in Asia and Europe will probably continue to see large outbreaks, and infections could creep into currently unaffected continents such as South America and Australia.
The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain emerged in commercial geese in Asia in around 1996, and spread in poultry throughout Europe and Africa in the early 2000s. By 2005, the strain was causing mass deaths in wild birds, first in East Asia and then in Europe. Since then, the strain has repeatedly infected wild birds in many parts of the world, says Andy Ramey, a research wildlife geneticist at the US Geological Survey Alaska Science Center in Anchorage. Through repeated spillovers, Ramey says, H5N1 seems to have become more adapted to wild birds. It’s “now become an emerging wildlife disease”, he says.
In 2014, a new highly pathogenic H5 lineage — called 2.3.4.4 — emerged and started infecting wild birds without always killing them. This created opportunities for the virus to spread to North America for the first time. The lineage has since dominated outbreaks around the world, including the current ones.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Passing and approaching tipping points:
David Spratt and Ian Dunlop have released a report Climate Dominoes warning us that the “severity of human influence on our planetary ecosystems is leading us toward a range of irreversible tipping points; uncertainties about which we have limited knowledge”, identifying that we may have already passed some (Arctic, Greenland, West Antarctica and coral systems) and are getting perilously close to others, including for forests where, like the east Amazon, they are increasingly passing their temperature limits, resulting in “a near halving of the land sink strength by as early as 2040”.
As the planet continues to warm, a point of warming is reached — the “thermal maximum for photosynthesis” — after which a combination of the rate of photosynthesis decreasing, and the rate of respiration increasing, results in the net flux of CO2 from the atmosphere decreasing.
Together with more severe droughts and wildfires that also add to plant-based CO2 emissions, the total amount of carbon stored in the terrestrial biosphere (the land sink) then starts to fall. This may be understood as a tipping point, a threshold beyond which large change is initiated in the terrestrial biosphere.
In ground-breaking research published in January 2021, Katharyn Duffy and colleagues mapped the relationship between increasing temperatures and carbon uptake by analyzing more than 20 years of data from 250 sites that measure the transfer of CO2 between plants, land and the atmosphere. They found that in recent hot periods the thermal maximum for photosynthesis had been exceeded. The land sink is now approaching a tipping point, and the sink could halve in as soon as two decades:
“We show that the mean temperature of the warmest quarter (3-month period) passed the thermal maximum for photosynthesis during the past decade. At higher temperatures, respiration rates continue to rise in contrast to sharply declining rates of photosynthesis. Under business-as-usual emissions, this divergence elicits a near halving of the land sink strength by as early as 2040.” 53
When those hot periods become the norm — as they will within a decade or two, because further warming of half a degree or more is already in the system — a tipping point will have been reached (with just the current level of greenhouse gases enough to trigger that event).
Christopher Schwalm, an ecologist and earth system modeller at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, says the findings mark a tipping point at which “the land system will act to accelerate climate change rather than slow it down”. He said that “for my money, the results are conservative, because forest die-offs are not factored into this”, but he was “surprised that this tipping point would happen so soon, maybe in 15 to 25 years, and not at the end of the century.”
https://www.breakthroughonline.org.au/_files/ugd/148cb0_2a1626569b45453ebadad9f151e031b6.pdf
Asia’s booming biomass electricity production:
Mongabay has another article focussing on where Japan and Korea are obtaining their biomass from to burn for electricity as the industry ramps up under the guise of non-polluting renewable energy, though the good news is that a lot of their biomass has come from Acacia plantations in Vietnam and palm kernel shells, though Drax and Enviva are moving into the market with wood pellets from Canada and America respectively. No mention of Australia.
In 2018, the government excluded new co-fired projects (combining coal with biomass) from subsidies. Currently, biomass represents a little over 4% of Japan’s total electricity generation, a figure the country aims to increase to 5% by 2030, according to its latest energy plan. That’s roughly 14% of Japan’s so-called renewable energy target for that year — hardly comparable to the EU, where biomass already constitutes 60% of so-called renewables.
In 2020, [Korea] generated 19% of its renewable electricity from solid biomass, 70% of which came from wood pellets, according to environmental nonprofit SFOC. Most of the remaining solid biomass was palm kernel shells. In 2020, only 6% of South Korea’s total energy was generated by renewables.
TURNING IT AROUND
Industrial carbon capture and storage fails:
Carbon capture and storage has long been lauded as the solution to fossil fuel production, and is central to the business plans of the two biggest Australian-owned fossil fuel producers (Santos, and Woodside), the trouble is that it still isn’t working and at best only offsets a portion of the emissions released in production.
Chevron’s $3 billion-plus attempt at injecting CO2 underground was an odd example for Davies to choose to promote carbon storage. Operation began three years late and numerous technical hitches followed. The US giant is buying five million tonnes of carbon offsets to make up for failing to achieve what it promised the WA government.
There are two other main options - reduce the burning of fossil fuels even faster than planned or plant a lot of trees to absorb CO2. However, with Shell’s plan to reach net-zero estimated to need planting over an area almost the size of Brazil, carbon offsets can only do so much.
Chevron has been trying to learn how to bury CO2 on Barrow Island off the WA coast since it started studying it in 1998.
The failure at Gorgon is remarkable as it was a relatively simple application of CCS. Only the CO2 in the gas flowing from the offshore reservoirs is captured, not the majority of emissions that come from burning gas to run the LNG plant that are much more complex and expensive to capture.
Forest Media 20 May 2022
New South Wales
Due to the loss of the Rappville pine sawmill in the 2019/20 fires, the Forestry Corporation are seeking industry proposals to process 120,000 tonnes of plantation timber a year from around Grafton from 2025 to “build future homes” or “fencing, paper and packaging”, focussing their PR on how quickly they are replanting the plantations devastated in the 2019-20 fires as a future resource.
For more detail about what Sue Higginson intends to fight for as The Greens new member of the NSW Upper House, the Echo summarises her maiden speech.
The ABC has an article about the 1979 campaign, led by Yuin tribal elder Guboo Thomas, to protect sacred Aboriginal sites on Gulaga and Biamanga Mountains from woodchipping, highlighting the local and political antagonism. An Aboriginal place was declared over parts of the mountains in 1980, though Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks weren’t proclaimed until 1994 and 2001 respectively, and the surrounding State forests protected from logging for Koalas in 2016.
Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald has an op-ed by Christiana Figueres, previously the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (2010 to 2016), warning us that we are international laggards on climate heating, one of the worst countries, and can’t afford to re-elect climate fools. The Conversation has an article summing up the political parties environmental commitments, not unsurprising The Greens (with their policy to stop logging public native forests and keep global warming below 1.5oC) come out best, though Labor is still way ahead of the Coalition who seem hell bent on destroying the world as soon as they can.
Labor has announced it will establish an independent environment protection agency to enforce national conservation laws and collect data on the plight of the country’s wildlife, while also supporting a target to protect 30% of land and 30% of sea areas by 2030 if it wins the election. It was worrying when pro-logging Tasmanian Labor stalwart Dick Adams said Anthony Albanese in the past listened only to the Greens on forestry issues, though has now “matured” and won his support. Not unsurprisingly Anthony Albanese later wrote to ‘Workers and participants in the Tasmanian Forest and Forest Products Industry’ with a promise that Labor “will not shut down the native forest industry in Tasmania”, “that Federal Labor will support native forest harvesting” and that they will support the industry. And won accolades from the CFMEU for their promises.
Australian scientists are despondent ahead of the election next week due to cuts to research funding, low morale and job insecurity, and the lack of commitments from major parties to redress the growing science crisis.
In the rainforests of the wet tropics tree mortality has doubled since the mid 1980s, which the researchers attribute to the warming air having greater drying power, basically sucking the water out of the trees.
After seven years the Tasmanian Conservation Trust has won a Supreme Court battle against the state Liberal member for Lyons approval to clear more than 1800ha of native forest for cattle at Ansons Bay in the state’s North East.
In Western Australia, Chalice Mining has obtained permission to conduct exploration drilling inside Julimar State Forest, despite environmental campaigners urging the WA government to prevent access out of concern for biodiversity, including vulnerable species such as the chuditch or western quoll.
Species
Veterinarians for Climate Action (VfCA) are calling for people concerned by the ongoing loss of animals due to the rising temperature and severe weather events to vote for climate action.
The Koala has been listed as Endangered in NSW on the advice of the NSW Scientific Committee, citing its ongoing decline, that “deforestation and land clearance for grazing, agriculture, urbanisation, timber harvesting, mining and other activities have resulted in loss, fragmentation and degradation of koala habitats”, and the fact its range is declining due to climate heating - with increasing mortality from heatwaves, droughts and wildfires:
With a crash in Bogong Moths, increasing wildfires and rising temperatures the future for 3,000 critically endangered Mountain Pygmy-possums is pretty dire, so now it too is going into a captive breeding program. Animals raised in predator free enclosures quickly lose their adaptive behaviour for coping with predators, making them unable to survive in the real world, though some progress is being made in rewilding by gradual exposure over generations to predators.
On the south coast Waminda received $241,000 from the NSW Environmental Trust for a project to re-establish traditional agricultural practices in the region, with a focus on the magenta lilly pilly. Waminda is looking at a sustainable agriculture component where species can be used in its own Black Cede range of food products.
The Christmas Island Forest Skink was abundant in 1998, by 2008 it was only known from one site, they decided to catch them all for captive breeding and only found 3, two escaped and died, the last one died on May 2014, just four months after the Christmas Island forest skink was listed as endangered.
The Deteriorating Problem
Two studies found forests may not be able to be our saviours from climate heating as droughts, insect attacks (on stressed trees) and wildfires take an increasing toll as climate heating increases, emphasising the need to reign in atmospheric carbon as soon as possible.
A recently published paper by Oil Change International warns us that nearly 40% of the oil, gas, and coal now under development around the world will have to stay in the ground to give humanity a 50-50 chance of holding global warming to 1.5°C. It concludes that 90% of the “committed emissions” would come from 20 countries, with Australia ranked eighth for gas and sixth for coal. Ember compared emissions from coal use in countries across the G20 and the OECD, finding Australia was by far the worst for per capita coal power emissions, averaging more than 4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per person, around twice those of the United States and Japan. Federal Resources Minister Keith Pitt has refused to say he accepts climate science, and pledged to push for more oil and gas projects at a Perth mining conference where he was a rare speaker not to acknowledge the need to cut emissions.
Queensland forests are being cleared at almost twice the rate reflected in national greenhouse gas emissions, with a new analysis of Queensland’s land clearing identifying that in 2018/19 455,756 hectares of forests were cleared, rather than the 245,767 hectares claimed by the national carbon accounting system, meaning that Australia’s carbon emissions are far higher than admitted given that claimed reductions are primarily based on reduced landclearing.
The extreme heatwave that first began afflicting areas of central, south, and western Asia in March continues reaching over 50oC in places, resulting to increases in heat-related deaths, wheat crop failures, power outages, and fires. A study found that climate heating has made such extremes 100 times more likely, increasing their frequency from once every 312 years to once every 3 years, and they could become an annual event by the end of the century.
New Zealand obtains almost 20% of its electricity from renewable geothermal energy, now there are proposals to boost the power output by burning trees to make the water hotter, and then mixing the CO2 with water before injecting it underground.
The Evidence Project is a photography-led campaign focusing on the impact of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and the causes of viral pandemics. to provoke governments, businesses, opinion leaders and consumers to initiate the changes required for a safe and sustainable future for all life on Earth.
Turning it Around
The 15th World Forestry Congress ended with delegates signing the Seoul Forest Declaration which recognises the importance of forests, the urgency of implementing nature based solutions, and investing in forest and landscape restoration, but has a focus on sustainable use of wood. National Geographic has an article on assessing the benefits of tree planting schemes, highlighting that many are just for timber production and many fail, and advocating for the greater benefits of protecting existing forests and encouraging natural regeneration (provided it is protected).
Finally some traction on biomass as the European Parliament’s Environment Committee made strong, but nonbinding, recommendations to put a brake on the EU’s total commitment to burning forest biomass to produce energy, with recommendations for removal of government subsidies and not counting primary wood biomass as counting towards renewable energy targets.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
Forestry touting unused pine plantations:
Due to the loss of the Rappville pine sawmill in the 2019/20 fires, the Forestry Corporation are seeking industry proposals to process 120,000 tonnes of plantation timber a year from around Grafton from 2025 to “build future homes” or “fencing, paper and packaging”, focussing their PR on how quickly they are replanting the plantations devastated in the 2019-20 fires as a future resource.
The Grafton timber industry is hoping a 10 year supply of timber and wood products will attract wood processors to restore an industry devastated.
“A third of the region’s fire-affected plantations are already replanted and are rapidly regrowing,” Mr Froud said.
Remaining trees are to be replanted within the next four years, with a continued push for regrowth.
Mr Froud stressed the importance of softwood plantations for house building, fencing, paper and packaging.
“We‘ve been harvesting at up to four times the normal rate to salvage timber from the dying trees,” he said.
They aim to have 120,000 tonnes of timber a year ready for harvest by 2025.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/grafton-nursery-replanting-runs-ahead-of-schedule/
Sue Higginson’s maiden speech:
For more detail about what Sue Higginson intends to fight for as The Greens new member of the NSW Upper House, the Echo summarises her maiden speech.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/sue-higginson-mlc-begins-as-she-means-to-go-on/
Protecting sacred sites:
The ABC has an article about the 1979 campaign, led by Yuin tribal elder Guboo Thomas, to protect sacred Aboriginal sites on Gulaga and Biamanga Mountains from woodchipping, highlighting the local and political antagonism. An Aboriginal place was declared over parts of the mountains in 1980, though Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks weren’t proclaimed until 1994 and 2001 respectively, and the surrounding State forests protected from logging for Koalas in 2016.
"It was obvious that wood chipping, with a system of roads, stream crossings, and log dumps, was impacting Aboriginal sites," archaeologist and anthropologist Brian Egloff said.
"The opposition to reining in the Forestry Commission in Bega was very, very strong," said Jack Miller, who represented conservation interests on the Ashton committee.
"There was a lot of anger, bordering on dangerous anger, toward Aboriginal people."
Guboo Ted Thomas, Percy Mumbulla and other elders were not just confronting hostility and fierce resistance from the local community and the forestry industry. They were up against the more conservative members of the state government.
"One cabinet minister said he wouldn't take notice of a black fella who just clapped a couple of clap sticks together," said Terry Fox, who worked closely with Guboo Ted Thomas on the campaign.
AUSTRALIA
Make your vote count:
The Sydney Morning Herald has an op-ed by Christiana Figueres, previously the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (2010 to 2016), warning us that we are international laggards on climate heating, one of the worst countries, and can’t afford to re-elect climate fools.
There’s no gentle way to say this. Australia’s climate ambition has for years been well at the back of the pack globally. Since the unfortunate repeal of Australia’s last significant climate policy back in 2014, Australia’s decarbonisation efforts have languished, and its emissions reduction targets are broadly consistent with about 3 degrees of catastrophic global warming.
Australians are among the biggest per capita emitters in the world. Add to that Australia’s position as one of the world’s biggest exporters of high-polluting coal and gas, and you have a picture of a nature-blessed country that has not yet embraced its climate leadership potential. Australia is sleep-walking towards devastating bushfires, floods and coral bleaching events that will become more frequent and dangerous than those over the last two years.
To outside observers, Australia has been a paradox. It is a country seen as resistant to taking climate action, but one that is simultaneously incredibly vulnerable to escalating natural disasters. It is well poised to take advantage of the renewables’ revolution with its incredible solar and wind power potential, but sends billions of dollars to the dinosaurs of energy, fossil fuel companies. Government administrations have repeatedly stalled on climate action, while the Australian people overwhelmingly support environmental responsibility.
Voting for the environment:
The Conversation has an article summing up the political parties environmental commitments, not unsurprising The Greens (with their policy to stop logging public native forests and keep global warming below 1.5oC) come out best, though Labor is still way ahead of the Coalition who seem hell bent on destroying the world as soon as they can.
Given the Coalition has been in power for nine years, it has already shown its colours when it comes to caring for nature.
For example, it has approved the destruction of more than 200,000 hectares of threatened species habitat in the last decade, and cut funding to the environment department by over 40% since 2014.
One Nation, for example, state “we are the only political party to question climate science” and believe “Australia should withdraw from the United Nations Paris Agreement”. Katter’s Australian Party are “pro culling flying foxes” (of which some are endangered) and “aims to eliminate crocodiles from our waterways that pose a threat to human life”.
What will Labor do for the environment:
Labor has announced it will establish an independent environment protection agency to enforce national conservation laws and collect data on the plight of the country’s wildlife, while also supporting a target to protect 30% of land and 30% of sea areas by 2030 if it wins the election.
It was worrying when pro-logging Tasmanian Labor stalwart Dick Adams said Anthony Albanese in the past listened only to the Greens on forestry issues, though has now “matured” and won his support.
Not unsurprisingly Anthony Albanese later wrote to ‘Workers and participants in the Tasmanian Forest and Forest Products Industry’ with a promise that Labor “will not shut down the native forest industry in Tasmania”, “that Federal Labor will support native forest harvesting” and that they will support the industry.
I promise you that if I become Prime Minister, a Government I lead will not shut down the native forest industry in Tasmania.
Adding to my commitment to you that Federal Labor will support native forest harvesting, is that Labor will assist in growing the plantation estate and increasing Tasmania’s capacity in sawmilling, timber processing and pulping including more value adding and jobs in Tasmania.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Albanese-letter.pdf
And won accolades from the CFMEU for their promises.
Labor scored 4.5 stars out of five with the Coalition only making it to 2.5 stars. The Australian Forest Products Association gave the Opposition four stars, and the Coalition five stars.
“Workers are looking for initiatives that will address the national timber shortage, grow more plantations for the future and invest in skills and training,” CFMEU National Secretary, Manufacturing, Michael O’Connor said.
“Labor’s policies do that, and unfortunately, the Coalition have not,” Mr O’Connor said.
… Workers expected more from Mr Morrison but have instead received a strong series of commitments from Mr Albanese,” Mr O’Connor said.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/albanese-writes-a-promise-to-keep-tasmanian-native-forestry/
Australian scientists despondent:
Australian scientists are despondent ahead of the election next week due to cuts to research funding, low morale and job insecurity, and the lack of commitments from major parties to redress the growing science crisis.
“There’s a very dark mood in science in Australia at the moment,” says Darren Saunders, a biomedical scientist at the University of Sydney. “It’s pretty shocking actually. It’s pretty sad. A lot of people have had a really tough time of it.”
… Universities were dealt another blow in 2021, when the federal government implemented legislation that cut funding for science teaching and research. “The lack of funding has hit the road, and a lot of people have lost their jobs, a lot of people shut their labs,” says Saunders.
In the first year of the pandemic, about 9000 full-time-equivalent university jobs were lost, according to figures from the Australian Academy of Science. That’s equivalent to around one in 14 employees.
… surveys by Professional Scientists Australia in 2020 and 2021 found that around one in five respondents wanted to leave the scientific workforce permanently.
Rainforest bleaching:
In the rainforests of the wet tropics tree mortality has doubled since the mid 1980s, which the researchers attribute to the warming air having greater drying power, basically sucking the water out of the trees.
In new research, we and our co-authors found that mortality rates among these trees have doubled since the mid 1980s, most likely due to warmer air with greater drying power. Like coral reefs, these trees provide essential structure, energy and nutrients to their diverse and celebrated ecosystems.…
Until about the mid 1980s, the average annual mortality rate was around 1%. This means that any given year, each tree had about a one in 100 chance of dying.
This corresponds to an average tree lifespan of about 100 years.
However, beginning in the mid-1980s, the annual mortality rate began to increase. By the end of our dataset in 2019, the average annual mortality rate had doubled to 2%.
These results match a similar pattern in tree deaths in the Amazon rainforest at the same time, which suggests the increase in tropical tree mortality may be widespread.
A doubled annual mortality rate means that trees are only living half as long as they were, which means they are only storing carbon for half as long.
Air temperature has increased, relative humidity has remained approximately constant, and the air has become thirstier.
This means the drying power of the atmosphere (or “evaporative demand”) has increased. This is what we found best explained the increasing mortality rates in Australian tropical trees.
The study found that the rise in death rate occurred at the same time as a long-term trend of increases in the atmospheric vapour pressure deficit, which is the difference between the amount of water vapour that the atmosphere can hold and the amount of water it does hold at a given time. The higher the deficit, the more water trees lose through their leaves. “If the evaporative demand at the leaf level can’t be matched by water absorption in fine roots, it can lead to leaves wilting, whole branches dying and, if the stress is sustained, to tree death,” Bauman says.
Tasmanian landclearing stopped:
After seven years the Tasmanian Conservation Trust has won a Supreme Court battle against the state Liberal member for Lyons approval to clear more than 1800ha of native forest for cattle at Ansons Bay in the state’s North East.
Despite likening part of their legal argument to that put by bumbling fictional lawyer Dennis Denuto in The Castle, Justice Stephen Estcourt has ruled in favour of the Tasmanian Conservation Trust, which had applied to stop Lyons Liberal MP John Tucker from clearing 1,800 hectares of native forest at his Ansons Bay farm.
Justice Estcourt's decision agreed the FPA was "wrong to believe, as it evidently did, that it had no alternative but to certify the 2015 plan".
He described one aspect of Senior Counsel Lisa De Ferrari's argument as "not unlike that of Dennis Denuto" — but ultimately quashed the FPA's 2015 decision to certify Mr Tucker's landclearing plan.
Stop the logging and the miners move in:
In Western Australia, Chalice Mining has obtained permission to conduct exploration drilling inside Julimar State Forest, despite environmental campaigners urging the WA government to prevent access out of concern for biodiversity, including vulnerable species such as the chuditch or western quoll.
SPECIES
Saving animals by voting for climate action:
Veterinarians for Climate Action (VfCA) are calling for people concerned by the ongoing loss of animals due to the rising temperature and severe weather events to vote for climate action.
"So, we encourage anyone who loves or relies on animals to remember that climate change is an animal health and welfare problem, and [to] keep it in mind when they vote.
"[People should] know the climate policies of the candidates and look for the strongest, fastest emissions reductions. Let your candidates, and whoever wins, know that climate change is an important issue for you, because you love an animal."
Koala endangered again:
The Koala has been listed as Endangered in NSW on the advice of the NSW Scientific Committee, citing its ongoing decline, that “deforestation and land clearance for grazing, agriculture, urbanisation, timber harvesting, mining and other activities have resulted in loss, fragmentation and degradation of koala habitats”, and the fact its range is declining due to climate heating - with increasing mortality from heatwaves, droughts and wildfires:
The koala was found to be Endangered in accordance with section 4.14 of the Act and clauses 4.2(1)(b) and (2)(c) of the Biodiversity Conservation Regulation 2017. The main reason for the species’ eligibility is that the species has undergone a large reduction in population size due to a decline in its geographic distribution and habitat quality.
Human activities including deforestation and land clearance for grazing, agriculture, urbanisation, timber harvesting, mining and other activities have resulted in loss, fragmentation and degradation of koala habitats. Large areas of forest and woodland within the koala’s range were cleared between 2000 and 2017 (Ward et al. 2019) with clearing for grazing accounting for most of this loss of koala habitat (McAlpine et al. 2015; Evans 2016). …
Areas with a suitable climate for koalas are contracting (Adams-Hosking et al. 2011). Climate change predictions indicate drier, warmer conditions across the range of the koala, and a progressive eastward and southwards contraction in the suitable climate envelope and habitat for koalas is projected (Adams-Hosking et al. 2011). Modelled climatic suitability from 2010 to 2030 indicates a 38-52% reduction in available habitat for the koala and a 62% reduction in koala habitat by 2070 has been forecast (Adams-Hosking et al. 2011). The effects of climate change may result in an increase in koala mortality from heatwave events and droughts, decline in reproduction rates associated with changes in food quality and availability, changed movement patterns, exposure to diseases and other factors in addition to the influence of climate change on fire regimes. ‘Anthropogenic Climate Change’ is listed as a Key Threatening Process under the Act.
Ms Mumford said the Nature Conservation Council are calling on the NSW Government to immediately ban the destruction of koala habitat, on both public and private land; end native forest logging, and expand the National Parks estate to protect high quality koala habitat including the proposed Great Koala National Park.’
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/bittersweet-announcement-about-koalas/
https://www.edenmagnet.com.au/story/7747064/nsw-government-lists-koala-as-endangered/?cs=9676
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2022/05/20/nsw-government-lists-koala-endangered/
Breeding Mountain Pygmy-possums:
With a crash in Bogong Moths, increasing wildfires and rising temperatures the future for 3,000 critically endangered Mountain Pygmy-possums is pretty dire, so now it too is going into a captive breeding program.
https://www.northernbeachesreview.com.au/story/7739485/hope-for-mountain-pygmy-possums-survival/
Teaching naive wildlife:
Animals raised in predator free enclosures quickly lose their adaptive behaviour for coping with predators, making them unable to survive in the real world, though some progress is being made in rewilding by gradual exposure over generations to predators.
But Moseby says that conservation havens are “really a short-term solution, a band-aid solution.”
Wild species shouldn’t be confined to such havens indefinitely, according to Moseby, and indeed, an unexpected quirk of evolution means that the conservation havens could be undermining the long-term survival of the very species they’re trying to save.
“The long-term aim of conservation is to have these free populations of animals and that is not what [conservation havens] really are,” says Christopher Jolly, an ecologist at Macquarie University in Sydney. “They’re massive, massive areas, but they pale in comparison to the size of the species distribution traditionally.”
But putting these animals back in the wild is no easy task. Because these small mammals didn’t evolve alongside foxes and cats, they often don’t recognize or respond effectively to the threat posed by these introduced predators, a phenomenon known as prey naivete.
“We suspect that this is happening around Australia in these reserves, where the animals that are willing to forage against their better judgment in a highly risky scenario are actually being [evolutionarily] selected for,” Jolly says. “So, when you have strong selection against wariness and against avoiding predators that don’t exist, these traits will rapidly disappear.”
This means that in the short term, conservationists are saving these animals, but they may also be unwittingly creating an evolutionarily skewed population that will never be able to return to the wild.
In 2017, researchers also released some cat-exposed and cat-naive bilbies into another large paddock with higher cat densities and monitored them over the next 40 days. Bilbies that had been exposed to cats fared better than their naive cousins. While fewer than 30% of naive bilbies survived, 67% of cat-exposed bilbies made it through alive. Long-term survival still needs to be determined.
Planting endangered species as food crops:
On the south coast Waminda received $241,000 from the NSW Environmental Trust for a project to re-establish traditional agricultural practices in the region, with a focus on the magenta lilly pilly. Waminda is looking at a sustainable agriculture component where species can be used in its own Black Cede range of food products.
A lesson in extinction:
The Christmas Island Forest Skink was abundant in 1998, by 2008 it was only known from one site, they decided to catch them all for captive breeding and only caught 3, two escaped and died, the last one died on May 2014, just four months after the Christmas Island forest skink was listed as endangered.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Time is running out for forests to save us:
Two studies found forests may not be able to be our saviours from climate heating as droughts, insect attacks (on stressed trees) and wildfires take an increasing toll as climate heating increases, emphasising the need to reign in atmospheric carbon as soon as possible.
The first study, published in the journal Science, challenges thinking that rising carbon dioxide levels will spur forests to grow faster by fueling photosynthesis. A survey of tree ring data in the U.S. and Europe found no link between photosynthesis and growth. However, scientists found, trees were highly sensitive to drought, suggesting that more frequent and severe dry spells expected with climate change will slow forest growth, limiting how much carbon trees take up.
The second study, published in Ecology Letters, finds that rising emissions will lead not only to more intense dry spells, but also to more insects killing drought-afflicted trees, as is happening with bark beetles across the American West. More pernicious than either of these threats, however, is the risk of wildfires, which are expected to grow fourfold by the end of this century if temperatures rise by 3.6 degrees C (6.5 degrees F), the middle climate scenario explored in the study.
The results suggest that limiting emissions would have a sizable impact on how well forests survive this century and, consequently, how much carbon they absorb.
Leave it in the ground:
A recently published paper by Oil Change International warns us that nearly 40% of the oil, gas, and coal now under development around the world will have to stay in the ground to give humanity a 50-50 chance of holding global warming to 1.5°C. It concludes that 90% of the “committed emissions” would come from 20 countries, with Australia ranked eighth for gas and sixth for coal.
“Going beyond recent warnings by the International Energy Agency, our results suggest that staying below 1.5°C may require governments and companies not only to cease licencing and development of new fields and mines, but also to prematurely decommission a significant portion of those already developed,” the paper states. Burning all of those reserves would emit about 936 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, the paper concludes—47% of it from coal, 35% from oil, and 18% from gas—pushing far beyond an available carbon budget of about 580 gigatonnes as of 2018.
Oil Change concludes that 90% of the “committed emissions” it tracked would come from 20 countries, with China, Russia, and the United States showing up among the top emitters for all three fossil fuels. Canada places sixth for oil and 10th for gas; Saudi Arabia is first for oil and fifth for gas; Iran is fifth for oil and third for gas; Qatar ranks 12th for oil and fourth for gas; Australia is eighth for gas and sixth for coal; and India places fourth for coal.
Leading the pack of fools:
Ember compared emissions from coal use in countries across the G20 and the OECD, finding Australia was by far the worst for per capita coal power emissions, averaging more than 4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per person, around twice those of the United States and Japan.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/australia-ranks-as-worlds-worst-for-pollution-from-coal-power-stations/
We need them like a hole in the head:
Federal Resources Minister Keith Pitt has refused to say he accepts climate science, and pledged to push for more oil and gas projects at a Perth mining conference where he was a rare speaker not to acknowledge the need to cut emissions.
[Keith Pitt] “This concept that if you don’t prostrate yourself before the climate religion altar is just outrageous.”
“We need to make sure we continue to remind the Australian people that we need this ongoing pipeline of new projects,” Pitt said.
“They’ll generate billions in tax and billions in revenue by creating high-wage jobs, including construction and manufacturing.”
Five APPEA members – including US giants Chevron and ExxonMobil – have paid no income tax for the seven years to 2020 from $138 billion in income, according to an Australia Institute study released this week based on ATO corporate tax transparency data.
Australia’s emissions higher than admitted:
Queensland forests are being cleared at almost twice the rate reflected in national greenhouse gas emissions, with a new analysis of Queensland’s land clearing identifying that in 2018/19 455,756 hectares of forests were cleared, rather than the 245,767 hectares claimed by the national carbon accounting system, meaning that Australia’s carbon emissions are far higher than admitted given that claimed reductions are primarily based on reduced landclearing.
Asia suffers under extreme heatwave:
The extreme heatwave that first began afflicting areas of central, south, and western Asia in March continues reaching over 50oC in places, resulting to increases in heat-related deaths, wheat crop failures, power outages, and fires. A study found that climate heating has made such extremes 100 times more likely, increasing their frequency from once every 312 years to once every 3 years, and they could become an annual event by the end of the century.
“We are seeing many cases of heat exhaustion, dysentery, body ache—and the number of viral fever cases has increased too since the last two weeks,” Dr. Madhav Thombre, a general practitioner based in Mumbai, told the Financial Times.
In India, the national wheat crop is at severe risk of “terminal heat stress,” as the seasonal timing of temperatures near 50°C threatens to overtax wheat plants and prevent them from forming grain. Although it’s too early to know exactly to what extent the weather will diminish this year’s harvest, some Indian farmers had already estimated in early May that 10 to 15% of their crop has died
With its national food security threatened by domestic wheat prices rising and food stores thinning, India made the dramatic move to ban further wheat exports on Saturday.
As higher temperatures increase energy demand for cooling, India will need to ramp up power generation and will likely turn to its primary source—coal.
The region should now expect a heatwave that exceeds the record temperatures seen in 2010 once every three years.
Without climate change, such extreme temperatures would occur only once every 312 years, the Met Office says.
"Spells of heat have always been a feature of the region's pre-monsoon climate during April and May," says Dr Nikos Christidis, who led the team responsible for today's study.
"However, our study shows that climate change is driving the heat intensity of these spells making record-breaking temperatures 100 times more likely."
If climate change follows the Met Office's central predictions, by the end of the century India and Pakistan can expect similarly high temperatures virtually every year, today's study suggests.
Burning trees to boost thermal energy:
New Zealand obtains almost 20% of its electricity from renewable geothermal energy, now there are proposals to boost the power output by burning trees to make the water hotter, and then mixing the CO2 with water before injecting it underground.
Photographic evidence:
The Evidence Project is a photography-led campaign focusing on the impact of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and the causes of viral pandemics. to provoke governments, businesses, opinion leaders and consumers to initiate the changes required for a safe and sustainable future for all life on Earth.
TURNING IT AROUND
Seoul Forest Declaration
The 15th World Forestry Congress ended with delegates signing the Seoul Forest Declaration which recognises the importance of forests, the urgency of implementing nature based solutions, and investing in forest and landscape restoration, but has a focus on sustainable use for wood.
The Seoul Forest Declaration
We, the participants from 141 countries gathered in person and online at the 15th World Forestry Congress in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on 2–6 May 2022, assert that forests, forestry and forest stakeholders offer major nature-based solutions to climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, hunger and poverty, but we need to act now – there is no time to lose.
We convey the following urgent messages to encourage actions for a green, healthy and resilient future with forests, as a contribution to Sustainable Development Goals, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Post- 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and green recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.
- Forests transcend political, social and environmental boundaries and are vital for biodiversity and the carbon, water and energy cycles at a planetary scale. The responsibility over forests should be shared and integrated across institutions, sectors and stakeholders in order to achieve a sustainable future.
- Vast areas of degraded land require restoration. Investment in forest and landscape restoration globally must be at least tripled by 2030 to implement global commitments and meet internationally agreed goals and targets.
- There is no healthy economy on an unhealthy planet. Production and consumption need to be sustainable and policies should foster innovative green financing mechanisms to upscale investment in forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use.
- Wood is one of humanity’s most ancient raw materials but can take us into the future – it is renewable, recyclable and incredibly versatile. The full potential of legal, sustainably produced wood must be used to transform the building sector, provide renewable energy and innovative new materials, and move towards a circular bio-economy and climate neutrality.
- Forest degradation and destruction have serious negative impacts on human health and well-being. Healthy, productive forest must be maintained to reduce the risk of, and improve responsiveness to, future pandemics and provide other essential benefits for human physical and mental health.
- Innovative technologies and mechanisms are emerging for the provision of, and equitable access to, accurate information and knowledge on forests. These must be applied widely to enable evidence-based forest and landscape decision-making and effective forest communication.
Growing problems:
National Geographic has an article on assessing the benefits of tree planting schemes, highlighting that many are just for timber production and many fail, and advocating for the greater benefits of protecting existing forests and encouraging natural regeneration (provided it is protected).
There are many reasons to grow trees and support tree growing. But those reasons can contradict one another. For example, a 2021 study of 174 tree-planting groups in 74 countries showed that the majority planted just a few types of trees designed to help landowners produce food, timber, or firewood. Those tree species may help rural communities in the near term, but planting in this way is far less likely to increase biodiversity or maximize the potential to store carbon and reduce climate change.
Other studies have shown similar things. The Bonn Challenge, sponsored by the German government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, wants to reforest 865 million acres around the world by 2030. But a huge chunk of the commitments toward that goal, according to one study, included plans for growing single-species tree plantations to provide products—even though plantations do little to restore wildlife and absorb only a fraction of the CO2 of a wild forest.
In fact, the cheapest and most successful way to protect or enhance CO2 storage and biodiversity may not involve planting trees at all. It’s often about protecting existing forests or allowing native forests a chance to come back on their own. “Natural regeneration works really well in many cases”—especially in the fast-growing tropics, Brancalion says. And yet it’s a far less common approach, in part because planting a tree sounds easier than restoring a real forest.
A lot can go wrong with tree planting. Mass tree-growing operations in Turkey, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines have resulted in millions of dead seedlings because the wrong species were planted, or trees were planted in poor soils, or there was too little water, or no one cared for the trees after they were planted. A campaign on China’s Loess Plateau actually reduced farmland by a quarter and reduced the amount of water available for people; that ultimately led to a decrease in nearby native forest cover.
Biomass losing traction:
Finally some traction on biomass as the European Parliament’s Environment Committee made strong, but nonbinding, recommendations to put a brake on the EU’s total commitment to burning forest biomass to produce energy, with recommendations for removal of government subsidies and not counting primary wood biomass as counting towards renewable energy targets.
- The European Parliament’s Environment Committee this week made strong, but nonbinding, recommendations to put a brake on the EU’s total commitment to burning forest biomass to produce energy. While environmentalists cautiously hailed the decision, the forestry industry condemned it.
- A key recommendation urges that primary woody biomass (that made from whole trees) to produce energy and heat no longer receive government subsidies under the EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED).
- Another recommendation called for primary woody biomass to no longer be counted toward EU member states’ renewable energy targets. Currently, biomass accounts for 60% of the EU’s renewable energy portfolio, far more than zero-carbon wind and solar.
- The Environment Committee recommendations mark the first time any part of the EU government has questioned the aggressive use of biomass by the EU to meet its Paris Agreement goals. A final decision by the EU on its biomass burning policies is expected in September as part of its revised Renewable Energy Directive.
Forest Media 13 May 2022
New South Wales
The Echo has run a story on the PNF Codes, citing NEFA and NCC, with Justin Field calling for State forests to be protected to offset increased logging on private lands.
Camp Ourimbah spokesperson, Ursula Da Silva, says she was surprised by the positive outlook to their position of stopping native forest logging, when she and Chairperson of the Gugiyn Balun Aboriginal Corporation, Brett Duroux, addressed the parliamentary inquiry into long-term sustainability and the future of timber and forest products.
The Dirt Witches have launched a I VOTE FOR THE TREES campaign to raise awareness about climate justice and the importance of the environment this election, with any monies raised going to NCC for forest campaigns.
Sue Higginson has succeeded outgoing Greens MLC David Shoebridge in NSW Parliament's upper house.
As part of its purchases for Koalas, the government has purchased 1052 hectares adjoining Macanally State Conservation Area near Monaro, 752 hectares adjoining Bundjalung National Park near Yamba, and 200 hectares adjoining Killabakh Nature Reserve in the ranges north of Taree. It is also proposing to fence in around 2,000 hectares of the South East Forest National Park, Nungatta, to exclude feral animals, with the aim of reintroducing the long-footed potoroo, eastern bettong, smoky mouse and eastern quoll.
Wildlife surveys are taking a different tact as community groups assist in taking water samples throughout the Manning River catchment, which will be analysed for Environmental DNA (or eDNA) to identify species living in or near streams.
Australia
Lindenmayer et. al. have an article in the Conversation arguing that because native forest logging is (at best) economically marginal, emits CO2 and reduces CO2 sequestration, makes forests prone to more severe bushfires, and damages biodiversity, that rather than Morrison subsidising it they would be better enhancing manufacturing and markets for high-value wood products from plantation timber. Meanwhile the peak national forestry body has backed the Coalition as having the best plan for it.
The Greens have announced their $24 billion environmental policy which aims to have zero extinctions by 2030, through investments in mass greening and restoration, stronger environmental laws, ending native logging and ensuring mines are assessed on their climate impacts before approval. In a mix of new and previously announced funding, Labor has promised $224.5m over the forward estimates for a national threatened species program that will include addressing the backlog of almost 200 overdue and outdated species recovery plans, develop a national conservation strategy, as well as $194.5m for the Great Barrier Reef.
Victoria’s auditor-general found the state has the most native vegetation cleared proportional to land mass of any Australian state and it is failing to offset the damage caused, with about 10,380 habitat hectares of native vegetation removed from Victorian private properties each year, often illegally. Protestors have been disrupting logging, claimed to be salvage of windblown trees, in Victoria’s Wombat State Forest, with conservationists claiming it is the return of commercial logging under the guise of salvage logging in a state forest that was earmarked to be declared a national park. Fear of logging the unroaded and unburnt Little Dargo River catchment by VicForests has united high country graziers and conservationists to fight for its protection. Meanwhile Midway Limited has signed an agreement to sell its existing 17,000 hectare plantation estate in south-west Victoria to German company Munich Re for A$154.1 million.
The exit from Western Australia’s public native forests has begun with the Greenbushes karri and marri mil, one of Western Australia's biggest sawmills, announcing it will close and lay off 50 workers as the deadline for the state government's native forest logging ban draws closer. The McGowan Labor Government is providing an additional $30 million boost to its $50 million Just Transition Plan to assist regional communities' transition to new industries when native forest logging ends in 2024.
Species
Scientists are still pushing that our growing extinction crisis should be a political issue, and getting media interest, but the Coalition are ignoring their pleas because of the National Party, and Labor because of the CFMEU.
The National Wildlife Parks Service has launched an investigation into conservation group Aussie Ark after it allegedly trapped six broad-toothed rats in the World Heritage Barrington Tops National Park for captive breeding without obtaining approval. The Victorian government is claiming success in its captive breeding of Eastern Barred Bandicoot in a fenced 100-hectare predator-free site.
While only being discovered in 2000, about 20% of the Critically Endangered Nightcap Oak were killed in the 2019/20 fires, now 20 seedlings are being planted at four secret sites in the Nightcap, north of Lismore.
The new $10M Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary is touting for business, with its immersive educational Sanctuary Story Walk (including a tree top canopy walk) Fat Possum café, deluxe 4-star guest glamping accommodation, and chance to see inpatients at the hospital. Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is making a final plea to voters to realise that their political leaders and an incoming Government needs to support the Koala Protection Act, as the Government’s recently released Koala Recovery Plan does not go far enough! National Wild Dog Management co-ordinator Greg Mifsud is claiming that wild dogs are the biggest threat to Koalas and thinks the federal government's $74 million commitment to protecting koalas should be used to control them.
An article in the Conversation identifies that female Stick-nest Rats have a matrilineal society where females maintain control of the nests, and likely inherit them, while males wander around looking for sex. This is apparently a trait shared with many small mammals, such as Broad-toother rat (where the males settle down with females for winter), Ash Grey Mouse (where groups of females share a burrow and raise their young together), and Brush-tailed Phascogale.
Cats are spreading Toxoplasma throughout the wild and human populations, both by direct contamination and by cattle ingesting cat faeces and people eating rare meat, infecting 30-66% of Australians and causing ocular toxoplasmosis in one in 150 people, which can affect vision and cause blindness in 25% of cases.
LLS is undertaking a trial using infrared drones to help western NSW farmers ascertain grazing pressures caused by kangaroo numbers so they can better plan how to control them.
The Deteriorating Problem
Remember when the goal was to limit atmospheric concentrations of CO2 to 350 ppm to avoid the worst of climate heating, it doesn’t seem long ago, well this year we have passed 420 ppm and are still going strong. The World Meteorological Organisation has warned the world faces a 50:50 chance of exceeding 1.5°C of warming within the next five years, albeit temporarily, and has pleaded for rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Yet another United Nation’s report, this one on disaster risk, says the situation is spiralling out of control, warning us the number of disasters per year globally may increase from around 400 in 2015 to 560 per year by 2030 (a projected increase of 40%), with the number of extreme temperature events per year almost tripling between 2001 and 2030. We have a lot to look forward to.
We don’t need nuclear submarines, we already have enough carbon bombs to destroy the world. Research by the Guardian has identified 195 carbon bombs, gigantic oil and gas projects that would each result in at least a billion tonnes of CO2 emissions over their lifetimes, in total equivalent to about 18 years of current global CO2 emissions, with the US, Canada and Australia among the countries with the biggest expansion plans, the highest number of carbon bombs and some of the world’s biggest subsidies for fossil fuels per capita.
Its getting desperate, coral bleaching affected 91% of the Great Barrier Reef this year, the fourth mass bleaching event since 2016 and the sixth since 1998. Scientists warn that coral bleaching could soon become an annual event, compounded by ocean acidification eating away the coral, they have nowhere to escape to, emphasizing the need to reach net zero as soon as possible.
As extreme drought grips the western US, Las Vegas has been battling wildfires for weeks, with 696 square kilometres burnt so far, while still facing “exceptionally dangerous and likely historic stretch of critical to extreme fire weather conditions”. The New Mexico wildfire is the largest now in the United States and threatens a string of villages high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
In the first of a 2 part story, Mongabay identifies that biomass burning is rapidly growing in Japan and South Korea, adding to the European problem of increasing emissions of CO2 while pretending there are no emissions, at the same time increasing the clearing of forests and ruining our chances of reaching net zero. Though the Dutch government has identified their intent to phase out the use of wood biomass for energy purposes, and limit it to high value uses. Atomic scientists have published “The biomass debate, Can burning trees instead of coal fight climate change”, arguing in detail in a number of articles that it can’t, and actually makes it worse.
A new project has mapped the height of the world’s forests, finding only 5 percent of the Earth’s land area in 2020 was covered with trees standing taller than 30 meters, with only 34 percent of this within protected areas.
Turning it Around
Modelling of how 900 million hectares of global tree restoration would impact the water cycle through evaporation and precipitation shows mixed results varying with regions. Reforestation increases evapotranspiration, reducing runoff to streams by redirecting it into the atmosphere where it increases land rainfall (including in adjacent regions and even continents), though with a portion falling over the oceans. Even more reason to protect existing forests as their water use will decrease as they age, providing more water to streams while still increasing regional rainfalls and still increasing carbon storage.
In India Justice S. Srimathy of the Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu ruled that “Mother Nature” is effectively a person under the law, a status which includes “all corresponding rights, duties, and liabilities,” though some argue for a better way as this leaves mother nature liable for any damage she causes.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
PNF still gets a run:
The Echo has run a story on the PNF Codes, citing NEFA, Justin Field and NCC, with Justin Field calling for State forests to be protected to offset increased logging on private lands.
NSW Farmers has welcomed the changes to the State government’s changes to private native forestry codes (PNFC) that were announced last week. However, Nature Conservation Council, North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) and Independent MP, Justin Field, have all expressed serious misgivings over the reduction of protections to the habitat of endangered species, especially koalas.
[Dailan Pugh] ‘In general they are allowing increased logging intensity, reduced retention of old hollow bearing trees essential for the survival of a plethora of hollow-dependent species, and reducing protections for most threatened species.
[Justin Field] ‘These new private logging rules further increase the importance of public native forests for the future of the koala. If the government is going to expand the capacity of logging on private rural landholders, they must get logging out of the public forests, especially those areas on the north and mid-north coast that include high quality koala habitat.
[Chris Gambian] ‘The government has let industry log and flog public native forests for decades, even after the Black Summer fires. Now the timber supply from public forests is drying up, the industry is turning to the almost nine million ha of private forests. The conservation movement has a very real concern that these new codes may accelerate the loss of some of the best forests we have left.’
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/new-private-native-forestry-code-of-practice-fails-koalas/
Positive outlook:
Camp Ourimbah spokesperson, Ursula Da Silva, says she was surprised by the positive outlook to their position of stopping native forest logging, when she and Chairperson of the Gugiyn Balun Aboriginal Corporation, Brett Duroux, addressed the parliamentary inquiry into long-term sustainability and the future of timber and forest products.
I Vote for the Trees
The Dirt Witches have launched a I VOTE FOR THE TREES campaign to raise awareness about climate justice and the importance of the environment this election, with any monies raised going to NCC for forest campaigns.
“This election both major parties have remained silent about climate even though our country has been devastated by fires and floods,” says Dirt Witch, Lara Merrett. “Through I VOTE FOR THE TREES, we are asking people to connect with the issue and to make a difference with their vote. Our campaign is not about telling people who to vote for but it’s asking them to find out who is doing what, where.”
When you visit the I VOTE FOR THE TREES website you can learn how to vote for the trees by checking a handy Climate Action Score card that shows which federal leaders are really doing something about climate change.
As part of the I VOTE FOR THE TREES campaign, The Dirt Witches has also released a Romance Was Born x Tom Polo t-shirt collaboration and associated animation featuring Australian actor/producer Claudia Karvan as the voice of the tree.
One hundred per cent of profits from all sales go directly towards supporting forest-protection groups across New South Wales through the Nature Conservation Council NSW.
Sue Higginson ascends to the Upper House:
Sue Higginson has succeeded outgoing Greens MLC David Shoebridge in NSW Parliament's upper house.
"I was responsible for the highest-profile environmental litigation in the country," Ms Higginson's website reads.
"I took on mining giants Adani, Whitehaven, BHP, Rio Tinto and many others in the Courts and won.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-10807899/Greens-lawyer-new-MLC-NSW-parliament.html
https://www.blayneychronicle.com.au/story/7735290/greens-lawyer-new-mlc-in-nsw-parliament/
2,000 ha bought for Koalas:
As part of its purchases for Koalas, the government has purchased 1052 hectares adjoining Macanally State Conservation Area near Monaro, 752 hectares adjoining Bundjalung National Park near Yamba, and 200 hectares adjoining Killabakh Nature Reserve, in the ranges north of Taree.
https://www.northernbeachesreview.com.au/story/7729391/more-land-bought-to-help-save-nsw-koalas/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-10795001/More-land-bought-help-save-NSW-koalas.html
https://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/story/7730774/new-state-koala-reserve-at-killabakh/
https://clarencevalleynews.com.au/new-koala-reserves-to-protect-a-noahs-ark-of-threatened-species/
https://aboutregional.com.au/wildlife-wins-for-threatened-species-in-states-south/
Another enclosure to keep out ferals:
The New South Wales government is proposing to fence in around 2,000 hectares of the South East Forest National Park, Nungatta, to exclude feral animals, with the aim of reintroducing the long-footed potoroo, eastern bettong, smoky mouse and eastern quoll.
While conservationists like professor Lindenmayer welcome the creation of these "mainland islands," he said more work needed to be done.
"It really makes no sense to do these kinds of things unless we tackle the other drivers of animal decline," Professor Lindenmayer said.
"Problems like extensive logging, too much fire and land clearing need to be tackled as well."
The public is encouraged to have their say on the plan of management regarding the South East feral-free zone before construction begins in the middle of the year.
https://psnews.com.au/2022/05/10/new-feral-free-safe-site-for-nsw-wildlife/?state=aps
Surveying for fauna with water samples:
Wildlife surveys are taking a different tact as community groups assist in taking water samples throughout the Manning River catchment, which will be analysed for Environmental DNA (or eDNA) to identify species living in or near streams.
AUSTRALIA
Government subsidies should go to plantations rather than logging native forests:
Lindenmayer et. al. have an article in the Conversation arguing that because native forest logging is (at best) economically marginal, emits CO2 and reduces CO2 sequestration, makes forests prone to more severe bushfires, and damages biodiversity, that rather than Morrison subsidising it they would be better enhancing manufacturing and markets for high-value wood products from plantation timber.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would not support “any shutdown of native forestry” and claimed the funding would secure 73,000 existing forestry jobs. The spending on native forests, however, is problematic. In 2019-20, 87% of logs harvested in Australia came from plantations, and more investment is needed to bring this to 100%.
Here, we show how directing public funds to native forest logging is bad for the economy, the climate and biodiversity, and will increase bushfire risk.
Native forest logging has long been a marginal economic prospect. … Data from the state’s Parliamentary Budget Office in 2020 show Victoria would be more than $190 million better off without its native forest logging sector.
Victoria exports 75% of plantation-derived eucalypt pulp logs. A small percentage of this diverted for domestic use would readily replace native forest wood at Victoria’s biggest paper mill at Maryvale.
Native forest logging in Australia generates around 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) a year.
These benefits also bring economic value. Even under relatively low market prices for carbon, the value of not logging, in terms of reducing greenhouse gases, far exceeds the economic benefits of native forest logging.
There’s now unequivocal evidence that logging native trees makes forests prone to more severe bushfires. Analysis of the 2019-20 Black Summer fires showed logged forests always burn more severely than intact ones.
These logging-generated risks were particularly pronounced in southern and northern NSW.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the damage native forest logging causes to biodiversity.
The bottom line is that ongoing logging will drive yet further declines of Australia’s threatened species and add to the nation’s sad record on biodiversity loss.
We welcome the Morrison government’s spending on supporting new plantations. To create the most positive return on taxpayer investment, however, the bulk of other industry funding should be directed to enhancing manufacturing and markets for high-value wood products from plantation timber.
Loggers back Scomo:
In a paywalled article, the Australian reports the peak national forestry body has backed the Coalition as having the best plan for it, in a verdict they claim could swing votes in key marginal seats.
Greens plan for zero extinctions:
The Greens have announced their $24 billion environmental policy which aims to have zero extinctions by 2030, through investments in mass greening and restoration, stronger environmental laws, ending native logging and ensuring mines are assessed on their climate impacts before approval.
"Our forests, wildlife and oceans are dying and we are at a point in history where, if we don't act, we face total ecosystem collapse," Greens leader Adam Bandt said.
[Sarah Hanson-Young] "We need stronger environmental laws and we need a watchdog to enforce them, and we will be making this part of our push in a balance of power parliament … if we don't do it we're not going to just lose the koala, we're going to lose many more Australian species as well."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-10/greens-zero-extinction-plan-environment-policy/101051522
“We welcome especially the commitment to strengthen Australia’s national environment law and establish an independent watchdog to enforce it.
“ACF calls on all parties to match this level of ambition in nature protection policies.”
https://www.acf.org.au/greens-plan-to-tackle-nature-crisis
Labor plans for species and reef recovery:
In a mix of new and previously announced funding, Labor has promised $224.5m over the forward estimates for a national threatened species program that will include addressing the backlog of almost 200 overdue and outdated species recovery plans, develop a national conservation strategy, as well as $194.5m for the Great Barrier Reef.
The threatened species funding includes an extra $24.5m for koala conservation, $24.8m to address invasive yellow crazy ants in Cairns and Townsville and $75m for the equivalent of 1,000 full-time Landcare rangers to work on environmental restoration.
“Seeing the wonder of the Great Barrier Reef is a highlight for so many Australians,” Albanese said.
“But parents and grandparents are worried their children will not be able to see this incredible natural wonder for themselves.
“That’s why it’s so important we act on climate change and species protection – to protect the reef and the tens of thousands of jobs that rely on it.”
The opposition’s threatened species pledge centres on a new conservation strategy, to be delivered in co-operation with state and territory governments, including koala habitat protection and programs to wipe out feral species such as yellow crazy ants that are invading Cairns and Townsville.
The Coalition in January committed $1 billion over 10 years to the reef as well as $57 million in the March budget to a 10-year threatened species program, and $128 million for controversial reforms to make state governments responsible for assessing the environmental impacts of major project developments.
Clearing Victoria:
Victoria’s auditor-general found the state has the most native vegetation cleared proportional to land mass of any Australian state and it is failing to offset the damage caused, with about 10,380 habitat hectares of native vegetation removed from Victorian private properties each year, often illegally.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/vic/2022/05/11/victoria-tops-list-for-land-clearing/
Wombat protestors:
Protestors have been disrupting logging, claimed to be salvage of windblown trees, in Victoria’s Wombat State Forest, with conservationists claiming it is the return of commercial logging under the guise of salvage logging in a state forest that was earmarked to be declared a national park.
“Protesters keep walking into the coupe and stopping us working,” Mr Greenwood said.
“It’s happening every day, sometimes for two or three hours, others times they stay for eight.”
High country graziers and conservationists unite:
Fear of logging the unroaded and unburnt Little Dargo River catchment by VicForests has united high country graziers and conservationists to fight for its protection.
"These people, they're passionate about saving our Earth, and I am passionate about saving the Little Dargo Valley," Ms Treasure said.
The groups put aside their longstanding differences on how best to manage the High County as they united to push for 10 untouched coupes in the Little Dargo River catchment to be removed from Victoria's Timber Release Plan (TRP).
[Cam Walker] "It's a really pristine catchment. It's un-roaded and it's unburnt," he said.
"It's really important we protect these little pockets of unburnt treasures that still do exist in the High Country."
Midway sell out:
Midway Limited has signed an agreement to sell its existing 17,000 hectare plantation estate in south-west Victoria to German company Munich Re for A$154.1 million. There is also a commitment to invest an additional A$200 million for land purchases for the development of new hardwood plantations in southwest Victoria over the next five years.
https://www.midwaylimited.com.au/news/
The exit begins:
The exit from Western Australia’s public native forests has begun with the Greenbushes karri and marri mil, one of Western Australia's biggest sawmills, announcing it will close and lay off 50 workers as the deadline for the state government's native forest logging ban draws closer.
Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes president Jenny Mountford said the region's economy should be insulated by the mill closure due to its diversification in other industries.
Logging transition boosted:
The McGowan Labor Government is providing an additional $30 million boost to its $50 million Just Transition Plan to assist regional communities' transition to new industries when native forest logging ends in 2024.
https://soperth.com.au/perthnews/30-million-boost-for-native-forestry-transition-announced-71002
SPECIES
The politically inconvenient extinction crisis:
Scientists are still pushing that our growing extinction crisis should be a political issue, and getting media interest, but the Coalition are ignoring their pleas because of the National Party, and Labor because of the CFMEU.
It’s a stark fact, but among developed nations Australia is towards the bottom when it comes to protecting its biodiversity. Since colonisation, 104 species have been officially acknowledged as being extinct and that number is sure to grow, with more than 1900 animals, plants and ecological communities designated as at risk of becoming extinct.
There is no shortage of experts raising the alarm bells on this issue. The evidence is there for all to see. Samuel’s report sets out the laws, oversight and advice that must be heeded to reform the system to give our native species a fighting chance to survive. Whoever wins government at the federal election must step up. It is literally a matter of life and death.
There is no shortage of evidence that Australia’s unique environment and its biodiversity are in crisis, and the nation’s elected representatives are running out of time to protect what is left. Yet the environment has been almost entirely absent in this federal election campaign, with the cost of living and gotcha “gaffes” dominating the headlines.
Wintle believes the Coalition government has been hamstrung because of the Nationals’ interest in making sure farmers retain control over land management, including native vegetation clearing, though he notes many farmers are doing great environmental recovery work.
The enmeshed relationship between the union movement and the forestry industry has also limited Labor when it comes to acting on biodiversity issues, particularly logging, Wintle says.
Illegal rat trapping:
The National Wildlife Parks Service has launched an investigation into conservation group Aussie Ark after it allegedly trapped six broad-toothed rats in the World Heritage Barrington Tops National Park for captive breeding without obtaining approval.
“The NPWS has directed an investigation into alleged offences under the Biodiversity and Conservation Act 2016 and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 following reports of the capture and taking of a threatened species from a World Heritage listed National Park.
“Compliance officers have seized 135 traps that were discovered in the national park. The matter may also be referred to the Commonwealth to consider whether any breaches of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 have occurred.”
Recovering Eastern Barred Bandicoot:
The Victorian government is claiming success in its captive breeding of Eastern Barred Bandicoot in a fenced 100-hectare predator-free site.
https://psnews.com.au/2022/05/12/delwp-helps-bandicoots-make-comeback/?state=aps
Insurance for Nightcap Oak:
While only being discovered in 2000, about 20% of the Critically Endangered Nightcap Oak were killed in the 2019/20 fires, now 20 seedlings are being planted at four secret sites in the Nightcap, north of Lismore.
The critically endangered nightcap oak trees date back to the Gondwana supercontinent era and can grow up to 40 metres tall, but are only found in northern NSW.
The only known wild population is located in rainforest north-east of Lismore.
“The nightcap oak is the ancient rainforest equivalent of the Wollemi pine in terms of evolutionary significance, and it’s yet another great example of a critical species that we’re helping to bring back from the brink,” the NSW environment minister, James Griffin, said.
https://psnews.com.au/2022/05/10/secret-location-to-save-secret-tree-species/?state=aps
Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary seeking guests:
The new $10M Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary is touting for business, with its immersive educational Sanctuary Story Walk (including a tree top canopy walk) Fat Possum café, deluxe 4-star guest glamping accommodation, and chance to see inpatients at the hospital.
https://eglobaltravelmedia.com.au/wild-koalas-on-sale-at-ate22/
AKF call for political support for their Koala Protection Act:
Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is making a final plea to voters to realise that their political leaders and an incoming Government needs to support the Koala Protection Act, as the Government’s recently released Koala Recovery Plan does not go far enough!
The Recovery Plan does little to tackle climate change or talk about how it will actually stop the bulldozers ripping through Koala homes. Our forests are under continual onslaught and nothing, but a specific piece of legislation, will halt the clearing. The Australian Government does not think large enough for this recovery, they continue to monitor sites that have Koalas, rather than thinking 50-100 years ahead.
Whilst the AKF acknowledges that the Greens have put a Bill in the Senate to protect the Koala – it is still linked to the not fit for purpose Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation ACT 1999 (EPBC ACT) and they too should consider supporting the Koala Protection Act.
Save Koalas by killing dingoes:
National Wild Dog Management co-ordinator Greg Mifsud is claiming that wild dogs are the biggest threat to Koalas and thinks the federal government's $74 million commitment to protecting koalas should be used to control them.
"This important wake-up call for the community underlines the key message that any conservation strategies ignoring wild dog predation as a significant contributor to koala deaths will fail to halt population declines."
A Queensland study in the eastern Moreton Bay Council from 2013 to 2017 over a rail line development saw 503 koalas captured and fitted with telemetry devices for monitoring in the wild.
Of the 144 koala deaths confirmed as predation, wild dogs accounted for 81.3 per cent and domestic dogs 4.2 per cent; another 38 deaths were suspected wild dogs.
Matrilineal societies:
An article in the Conversation identifies that female Stick-nest Rats have a matrilineal society where females maintain control of the nests, and likely inherit them, while males wander around looking for sex. This is apparently a trait shared with many small mammals, such as Broad-toother rat (where the males settle down with females for winter), Ash Grey Mouse (where groups of females share a burrow and raise their young together), and Brush-tailed Phascogale.
This species builds nests out of sticks and dry grass, bonded together with special sticky urine. The nests can reach huge sizes and are surprisingly complex – with multiple burrows, chambers and even levels that keep the inhabitants safe from predators and extreme heat and cold.
The construction is so advanced that nests can last for thousands of years, when protected from the elements by caves or rock overhangs.
These stick nests are communal and used over many generations. …
The evidence pointed to one thing: female greater stick-nest rats typically remain in, or near, the nest they were born in – while males leave and disperse across the landscape.
Cat blindness:
Cats are spreading Toxoplasma throughout the wild and human populations, both by direct contamination and by cattle ingesting cat faeces and people eating rare meat, infecting 30-66% of Australians and causing ocular toxoplasmosis in one in 150 people, which can affect vision and cause blindness in 25% of cases.
Across the world, it’s estimated 30–50% of people are infected with Toxoplasma – and infections may be increasing in Australia. A survey of studies conducted at blood banks and pregnancy clinics across the country in the 1970s put the infection rate at 30%. However, a recent Western Australian community-based study found 66% of people were infected.
The disease caused by this parasite can scar the back of the eye. Our new research looked for signs of disease in otherwise healthy people and found a significant number bore the mark of Toxoplasma.
The cat is the primary host for Toxoplasma.
Cats catch the parasite when they eat infected prey. Then, for a couple of weeks, they pass large numbers of parasites in their faeces in a form that can survive for long periods in the environment, even during extreme weather.
When the faeces are ingested by livestock while grazing, parasites lodge in the muscle and survive there after the animals are slaughtered for meat. Humans can become infected by eating this meat, or by eating fresh produce or drinking water soiled by cats. It is also possible for a woman infected for the first time during pregnancy to pass the infection to her unborn child.
An attack of active inflammation causes “floaters” and blurred vision. When the inflammation progresses to scarring, there may be permanent loss of vision.
In a study of patients with ocular toxoplasmosis seen at a large ophthalmology clinic, we measured reduced vision to below driving level in more than 50% of eyes, and 25% of eyes were irreversibly blind.
Keeping an eye on Kangaroos:
LLS is undertaking a trial using infrared drones to help western NSW farmers ascertain grazing pressures caused by kangaroo numbers so they can better plan how to control them.
The LLS says grazing pressure from unmanaged herbivores such as kangaroos can significantly reduce the carrying capacity and ultimately the profitability and sustainability of livestock grazing in the rangelands, as well as contributing to longterm landscape degradation and reducing drought resilience.
https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/7733642/roo-numbers-under-the-drones-eye/
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Passed 420 and climbing:
Remember when the goal was to limit atmospheric concentrations of CO2 to 350 ppm to avoid the worst of climate heating, it doesn’t seem long ago, well this year we have passed 420 ppm and are still going strong.
The NOAA data release shows CO2 levels hitting 420.23 ppm in April, eight years after they breached 400 ppm (400.2 ppm) in May, 2013.
Atmospheric concentrations of the two other major greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide, are also rising sharply. Methane is about 85 times more potent an atmospheric warming agent than CO2 over a 20-year span; nitrous oxide is 300 times more powerful.
Atmospheric methane levels now stand at 1980.9 parts per billion (ppb), up 340 ppb from the early 1980s, while nitrous oxide just reached 335.2 ppb, up from 316 ppb just 20 years ago.
1.5oC within 5 years:
The World Meteorological Organisation has warned the world faces a 50:50 chance of exceeding 1.5°C of warming within the next five years, albeit temporarily, and has pleaded for rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
“For as long as we continue to emit greenhouse gases, temperatures will continue to rise and alongside that, our oceans will continue to become warmer and more acidic, sea ice and glaciers will continue to melt, sea level will continue to rise and our weather will become more extreme,” WMO Secretary-General professor Petteri Taalas said.
“The 1.5°C figure is not some random statistic. It is rather an indicator of the point at which climate impacts will become increasingly harmful for people and indeed the entire planet,” Taalas added.
“Our latest climate predictions show that continued global temperature rise will continue, with an even chance that one of the years between 2022 and 2026 will exceed 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels,” Dr Leon Hermann of the UK’s Met Office said.
“A single year of exceedance above 1.5 °C does not mean we have breached the iconic threshold of the Paris Agreement, but it does reveal that we are edging ever closer to a situation where 1.5 °C could be exceeded for an extended period.”
A disastrous future:
Yet another United Nation’s report, this one on disaster risk, says the situation is spiralling out of control, warning us the number of disasters per year globally may increase from around 400 in 2015 to 560 per year by 2030 (a projected increase of 40%), with the number of extreme temperature events per year almost tripling between 2001 and 2030. We have a lot to look forward to.
The UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) is the flagship report of the United Nations on worldwide efforts to reduce disaster risk.
Human action is creating greater and more dangerous risk, and pushing the planet towards existential and ecosystem limits. Risk reduction needs to be at the core of action to accelerate climate change action and achieve the SDGs. If current trends continue, the number of disasters per year globally may increase from around 400 in 2015 to 560 per year by 2030 – a projected increase of 40% during the lifetime of the Sendai Framework (Figure S.1). For droughts, there is a large year-on-year variation, but current trends indicate a likely increase of more than 30% between 2000 and 2030 (from an average of 16 drought events per year during 2001–2010 to 21 per year by 2030) (Figure S.2). The number of extreme temperature events per year is also increasing, and based on current trends will almost triple between 2001 and 2030 (Figure S.3). Disasters have negative impacts on biodiversity and environmental sustainability.
These trend lines do not take into account future climate change impacts, which are accelerating the pace and severity of hazard events, nor the fact that current choices mean the world is set to exceed the Paris Agreement’s global average maximum temperature increase target of 1.5°C by the early 2030s (IPCC, 2021)
https://www.undrr.org/gar2022-our-world-risk#container-downloads
The industry has enough carbon bombs to destroy the world, and we have many of them:
We don’t need nuclear submarines, we already have enough carbon bombs to destroy the world. Research by the Guardian has identified 195 carbon bombs, gigantic oil and gas projects that would each result in at least a billion tonnes of CO2 emissions over their lifetimes, in total equivalent to about 18 years of current global CO2 emissions, with the US, Canada and Australia among the countries with the biggest expansion plans, the highest number of carbon bombs and some of the world’s biggest subsidies for fossil fuels per capita.
- The fossil fuel industry’s short-term expansion plans involve the start of oil and gas projects that will produce greenhouse gases equivalent to a decade of CO2 emissions from China, the world’s biggest polluter.
- These plans include 195 carbon bombs, gigantic oil and gas projects that would each result in at least a billion tonnes of CO2 emissions over their lifetimes, in total equivalent to about 18 years of current global CO2 emissions. About 60% of these have already started pumping.
- The dozen biggest oil companies are on track to spend $103m a day for the rest of the decade exploiting new fields of oil and gas that cannot be burned if global heating is to be limited to well under 2C.
- The Middle East and Russia often attract the most attention in relation to future oil and gas production but the US, Canada and Australia are among the countries with the biggest expansion plans and the highest number of carbon bombs. The US, Canada and Australia also give some of the world’s biggest subsidies for fossil fuels per capita.
Great Barrier Reef fading fast:
Its getting desperate, coral bleaching affected 91% of the Great Barrier Reef this year, the fourth mass bleaching event since 2016 and the sixth since 1998. Scientists warn that coral bleaching could soon become an annual event, compounded by ocean acidification eating away the coral, they have nowhere to escape to, emphasizing the need to reach net zero as soon as possible.
The Reef snapshot: summer 2021-22, quietly published by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on Tuesday night after weeks of delay, said above-average water temperatures in late summer had caused coral bleaching throughout the 2,300km reef system, but particularly in the central region between Cape Tribulation and the Whitsundays.
“The surveys confirm a mass bleaching event, with coral bleaching observed at multiple reefs in all regions,” a statement accompanying the report said. “This is the fourth mass bleaching event since 2016 and the sixth to occur on the Great Barrier Reef since 1998.”
It was the first mass bleaching event recorded during a cooler La Niña year.
Dr Hardisty from AIMS confirmed the details of the findings presented by Dr Cantin and added that “the long term prognosis for the reef is very poor".
“If a really intense El Niño develops in the future, it’s going to be pretty dire.”
Our window of opportunity to act is narrowing. We and other scientists have warned about this for decades. Australia has doubled down on coal and gas exports with subsidies of $20 billion in the past two years. When these fossil fuels are burned, they produce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap more heat in the atmosphere that also warms the ocean.
If our next federal government wants to save the reef, it must tackle the main reason it is in trouble by phasing out fossil fuel use and exports as quickly as possible. Otherwise it’s like putting bandaids on an arterial wound. But to help the reef get through the next decades of warming we’ve already locked in, we will still need that $1 billion to help reduce other stressors.
Four times in seven years means that bleaching events are accelerating. Predictions have suggested that bleaching will become an annual event in a little over two decades. It may not be that long.
For a week, the marine heatwave pushed the corals to their limits. When corals experience heat stress, some initially turn fluorescent while others go stark white. Then the water goes murky – that’s death in the water. It’s heartbreaking to see. Grief is common among marine scientists right now.
While some fish can move to cooler waters further south, corals face ocean acidification, yet another problem caused by carbon dioxide emissions. As CO₂ is absorbed by the ocean, the changed chemistry makes it harder for corals to build their skeleton (and for other marine organisms to form a shell). There’s no safe place for corals to go.
No developed country has more to lose from inaction on climate than Australia. But no country has more to gain by shifting to clean energy, through new economic opportunities, new jobs, and better protection for our natural treasures.
A sign of the times:
As extreme drought grips the western US, Las Vegas has been battling wildfires for weeks, with 696 square kilometres burnt so far, while still facing “exceptionally dangerous and likely historic stretch of critical to extreme fire weather conditions”.
More than 1,500 people and a fleet of airplanes and helicopters worked feverishly to contain the largest fire burning in the U.S. The blaze, now more than a month old, has blackened more than 269 square miles (696 square kilometres)—an area larger than the city of Chicago.
Part of the fire was started by U.S. Forest Service workers who lost control of a prescribed burn meant to reduce fire risk. State leaders have called on the federal government for accountability, including reparations.
Nationwide, close to 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometres) have burned so far this year, the most since 2018, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. And predictions for the rest of the spring do not bode well for the West, where long-term drought and warmer temperatures brought on by climate change have combined to worsen the threat of wildfire.
The New Mexico wildfire is the largest now in the United States and threatens a string of villages high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
The blaze has burned an untold number of homes in the Mora valley, and violent winds on Sunday threatened adobe mud-brick ranch houses, churches, chapels and water mills dating as far back as the early 19th century.
Biomass burning growing:
In the first of a 2 part story, Mongabay identifies that biomass burning is rapidly growing in Japan and South Korea, adding to the European problem of increasing emissions of CO2 while pretending there are no emissions, at the same time increasing the clearing of forests and ruining our chances of reaching net zero.
- Over the past decade, Japan and South Korea have increasingly turned to burning wood pellets for energy, leaning on a U.N. loophole that dubs biomass burning as carbon neutral.
- While Japan recently instituted a new rule requiring life cycle greenhouse gas emissions accounting, this doesn’t apply to its existing 34 biomass energy plants; Japanese officials say biomass will play an expanding role in achieving Japan’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46% by 2030.
- South Korea included biomass burning in its renewable energy portfolio standard, leading to 17 biomass energy plants currently operating, and at least four more on the way.
- Experts say these booms in Asia — the first major expansion of biomass burning outside Europe — could lead to a large undercounting of actual carbon emissions and worsening climate change, while putting pressure on already-beleaguered forests.
Western and Eastern biomass usage is creating a surging demand for wood pellets, putting even more pressure on native forests in the southeastern United States, western Canada, and Eastern Europe. Experts say this demand could lead to similar logging in Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Environmental Paper Network, a global coalition of forest advocates that tracks biomass usage, estimates that demand for pellets in Japan will rise to 9 million metric tons annually by 2027, up from 0.5 million metric tons in 2017. It estimates that South Korea will hit 8.2 million metric tons annually by 2027, up from 2.4 million metric tons in 2017. The Asian combination is close to future demand predicted for both the EU and the U.K.
In South Korea, government subsidies for further biomass development have been so heavy that they are reducing investment in renewables such as wind and solar, according to a report by Seoul-based NGO Solutions For Our Climate (SFOC).
But industrial-scale wood burning in the form of compressed wood, or wood pellets, is on the rise. The EU is currently the world’s largest wood-pellet market, consuming nearly 31 million metric tons in 2020, up 7% over 2018’s 29 million metric tons. The EU and the U.K. operate more than 100 biomass plants producing energy and heat, according to Environmental Paper Network research.
The multibillion-dollar wood-pellet industry argues that it uses mostly waste wood to make pellets — lumber waste, limbs and tree tops, plus trees killed by pest or disease. But forest advocates have used their close monitoring of the industry to show that big international biomass companies, such as Enviva, actually use whole trees logged and clear-cut from native forests and tree plantations for at least half of wood-pellet production, and that may be a significant underestimate.
Making matters worse, wood pellets produce more carbon emissions per unit of energy than even carbon-intensive coal, because wood isn’t as energy dense as coal.
https://www.eco-business.com/news/biomass-burning-booms-in-east-asia-despite-paris-agreement-goals/
Though the Dutch government has identified their intent to phase out the use of wood biomass for energy purposes, and limit it to high value uses.
Atomic scientists have published “The biomass debate, Can burning trees instead of coal fight climate change”, arguing in detail in a number of articles that it can’t, and actually makes it worse.
A molecule of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere today has the same impact on radiative forcing—its contribution to global warming—whether it comes from fossil fuels millions of years old or biomass grown last year. When burned, the carbon in those trees immediately increases atmospheric carbon dioxide above what it would have been had they not been burned.
If the forest had not been cut, it would have continued to grow, removing additional carbon from the atmosphere. Compared to allowing the forest to grow, cutting it for bioenergy would increase carbon dioxide emissions and worsen global warming for at least half a century—time we do not have to reach net-zero emissions and avoid the worst harms from climate change.
Burning wood to generate electricity emits more carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour generated than fossil fuels—even coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel….
… About 27 percent of the harvested biomass is lost in the wood pellet supply chain, of which the largest share—18 percent—arises from burning some of the biomass to generate heat to dry pellets …
https://thebulletin.org/magazine/2022-05/
https://thebulletin.org/premium/2022-05/does-wood-bioenergy-help-or-harm-the-climate/#post-heading
Only 5% of earth has tall forests:
A new project has mapped the height of the world’s forests, finding only 5 percent of the Earth’s land area in 2020 was covered with trees standing taller than 30 meters, with only 34 percent of this within protected areas.
“Our focus in this work was twofold: First, we wanted to reduce the error associated with tall canopies, as they typically store large amounts of biomass and carbon,” said Lang
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/149793/scientists-show-how-forests-measure-up
TURNING IT AROUND
Reforestation affects global water cycle:
Modelling of how 900 million hectares of global tree restoration would impact the water cycle through evaporation and precipitation shows mixed results varying with regions. Reforestation increases evapotranspiration, reducing runoff to streams by redirecting it into the atmosphere where it increases land rainfall (including in adjacent regions and even continents), though with a portion falling over the oceans. Even more reason to protect existing forests as their water use will decrease as they age, providing more water to streams while still increasing regional rainfalls and still increasing carbon storage.
Tree restoration is an effective way to store atmospheric carbon and mitigate climate change. However, large-scale tree-cover expansion has long been known to increase evaporation, leading to reduced local water availability and streamflow. More recent studies suggest that increased precipitation, through enhanced atmospheric moisture recycling, can offset this effect. Here we calculate how 900 million hectares of global tree restoration would impact evaporation and precipitation using an ensemble of data-driven Budyko models and the UTrack moisture recycling dataset. We show that the combined effects of directly enhanced evaporation and indirectly enhanced precipitation create complex patterns of shifting water availability. Large-scale tree-cover expansion can increase water availability by up to 6% in some regions, while decreasing it by up to 38% in others. There is a divergent impact on large river basins: some rivers could lose 6% of their streamflow due to enhanced evaporation, while for other rivers, the greater evaporation is counterbalanced by more moisture recycling. Several so-called hot spots for forest restoration could lose water, including regions that are already facing water scarcity today. Tree restoration significantly shifts terrestrial water fluxes, and we emphasize that future tree-restoration strategies should consider these hydrological effects.
Tree restoration could locally enhance convergence, cloud cover and precipitation and change the travelling direction and distance of atmospheric moisture. Research suggests that forests could even impact large-scale wind patterns and draw atmospheric moisture from the oceans to the continents, although the importance of this effect is still debated. …
However, global warming, and the tree restoration itself, will shift temperature and precipitation patterns, and these are not considered in our analyses. Higher temperatures could reduce the global tree-restoration potential by 25% towards 2050. …
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-00935-0.pdf
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-exploring-forest-affects.html
Mother Nature has the legal rights of a person:
In India Justice S. Srimathy of the Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu ruled that “Mother Nature” is effectively a person under the law, a status which includes “all corresponding rights, duties, and liabilities,” though some argue for a better way as this leaves mother nature liable for any damage she causes.
Some legal experts are, however, questioning Srimathy’s decision to grant legal personhood, with its associated “duties and liabilities”, to Nature, a decision that has precedent in at least three other rulings granted at the state court level in India within the last decade. Animals, glaciers, rivers, and the Earth itself have all been accorded legal personhood status in those cases.
“While those rulings are binding at the state level, the law on the rights of nature is unsettled at the federal level,” writes Inside Climate, citing a 2017 Supreme Court reversal of an Uttarakhand High Court decision that granted legal personhood to the Ganges River, as well as to one of its tributaries, the Yamuna.
Mari Margil, executive director of the Spokane, Washington-based Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights, told Inside Climate that “recognizing nature as a legal person with the same rights, duties, and liabilities as humans is not an ideal approach, since nature is inherently different than human beings and cannot be held liable in the same way.”
Forest Media 6 May 2022
New South Wales
NEFA considers that that the new Private Native Forestry Code of Practice released on Monday is a step backwards, and will increase the extinction risk of our most imperilled species of plants and animals. Meanwhile the NSW Government, farmers and loggers continue their spin about how wonderful the PNF Codes will be.
Justin Field and the NCC are calling for a pause on issuing new Wood Supply Agreements until the NSW Government assesses the loss of trees in the 2019-20 fires and responds to recommendations that areas of burnt forest be put under moratorium and additional large old trees be retained, while considering the increase in fire severity caused by logging. The Echo ran this on page 1, mentioned the Coffs Harbour rally, the Girard action and had an article on cryptocurrency and their attempts to greenwash their massive poweruse use with renewable energy such as Condong – including a statement from Susie about the folly of burning trees for electricity.
The Forestry Corporation has accused Eurobodalla Shire Council of being misinformed and being outside their jurisdiction through their proposal in the draft climate plan to end native forest logging. Have your say. BSI Group (an Accredited Certification Body) is conducting a recertification assessment of Forestry Corporation of NSW Hardwood Forests Division against the “Responsible Wood” standard.
An area of heritage-listed bushland that had been protected since 2007 was re-protected as an offset for the western Sydney airport, and now part of it has been cleared for a car park at a new defence facility.
Over 4,000 hectares in the Hunter Valley was cleared between 2015 and 2019, primarily for urban development and related infrastructure (with agriculture, forestry and mining also making significant contributions), leading to complaints about proposed housing developments and the need to stop landclearing.
ECAC and the Eden Trails Group welcome the start of works on the multi-million dollar Eden Mountain Bike Trail in Nullica State Forest, praising the Forestry Corporation.
Australia
The Bob Brown Foundation’s attempt to injunct Chinese-owned base metals producer MMG Inc from pushing ahead with roading, clearing and drilling in preparation for its proposed 285 ha tailings dam in the Tarkine rainforest, on the grounds that they would cause "irreversible damage" to the habitat of the rare Tasmanian masked owl, has failed after the company gave an undertaking to the Federal court that they would apply a 15-metre exclusion zone to trees suitable for masked owl nesting. The foundation's bid to overturn federal government approval for the tailings dam will be heard on July 19.
After having protest charges dropped in Tasmania because it was shown that since 1987 Forest Practices Officers did not have the legal power to approve logging plans, the Government is rushing through legislation to fix the problem and retrospectively approve all logging back to 1987. The Tasmania Greens are asking the Federal Government to pay a billion dollars for the carbon values of ending native forest logging to support the transition and develop tourism opportunities.
Western Australian conservationists have released a report finding more land has been cleared for bauxite mining than by the timber industry in Western Australia’s South West over the past decade.
The University of Tasmania in Launceston will be home to the new National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) that aims to position Australia as a world leader in timber and wood fibre R&D after the Federal Labor Party matched the Coalition’s $100 million pledge.
Species
Scientists alarmed by the decline of Australia’s species, the lack of meaningful and effective action from the Federal Government, and lack of interest by political parties in the lead up to the election, are trying hard to garner action. One group have developed a web app that allows you to identify federally listed threatened species that occur in federal electorates, with contacts of your local member, and is encouraging people to lobby them for a better deal for our declining biodiversity.
A report by BirdLife Australia identifies domestic birding trips contribute an estimated $283m to the Australian economy annually, much of this in regional communities. An article identifies that Goodenia rainforest on the south coast survived the fires and may have become a refuge, though those in north-east NSW weren’t so lucky. A study of the Gondwanan rainforests found that in burnt rainforests the number of functional bird species, and the relative abundances of species, was lower, with the most affected being those that eat insects, leaves or fruit, leading the researchers to warn about the future of rainforest in a heating world ravished by fires.
WIRES at Coffs Harbour is having to euthanize up to 15-20 kangaroos per month as the highway and cars, habitat loss and fragmentation, and stress from dogs take their increasing toll.
The Myall Lakes dingo project, which aims to develop and test non-lethal management techniques and increase understanding of dingos, is seeking volunteers to take part in an online citizen science project, Dingo? Bingo!, to review photos from camera traps to identify dingos and other wildlife.
NSW South East Local Land Services distributed more than 100 audio devices to more than 60 private property owners across parts of the Monaro to survey for calling Koalas as part of the koala karaoke project. The Greens have introduced a Save the Koala Bill into Federal parliament where any destruction “likely to have significant impacts on koalas” would be banned, removing the federal RFA exemption for logging and clearing their habitat. WWF has teamed up with the Government to plant new Koala feed trees in the Northern Rivers, while in itself worthwhile, it provides a distraction from the more urgent need to stop cutting down their existing feed trees nearby. Wildlife campaigners have made a last ditch plea to the Victorian government to relocate koalas from a blue gum plantation due to be logged on Friday.
The Tasmanian Greens are promising federal intervention to control deer, particularly in World Heritage areas, as an election pledge.
The Deteriorating Problem
A report assesses the temperature rises we can expect under the parties policies, the coalition is the winner at 3o (almost 4), Labor second at 2o, and the Greens and Teal Independents last at just 1.5o.
Turning it Around
A recent paper has identified that closing the Triabunna export woodchip in Tasmania has enabled the state to pass net zero and to deliver negative emissions due to the change in forest management, demonstrating the benefits of reducing native forest logging.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is to release a report calling on better recognition of the value of forests, identifying that halting deforestation and maintaining forests could avoid significant greenhouse-gas emissions - about 14 percent of the reduction needed up to 2030 to keep planetary warming below 1.5 C while also safeguarding more than half the Earth's terrestrial biodiversity.
Its not just Australia that is rorting its carbon credit system, the BBC World Service has a report on how the billions spent around the world on ambitious planting programs covering millions of hectares to increase sequestration of carbon are dismally failing to meet targets, compounded by planted trees dying, native vegetation being cleared for plantings, and plantings being logged on a grand scale. The hope is that better accounting using satellite monitoring will turn this around. Carbon credits are being increasingly used to offset company’s emissions, and while trees are increasingly being recognised as our saviours, the appropriateness of offsetting is questioned and many offsets are being lost through droughts, fires and beetle attacks as forests struggle to persist in this heating world.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
PNF Code threatening species:
NEFA considers that that the new Private Native Forestry Code of Practice released on Monday is a step backwards, and will increase the extinction risk of our most imperilled species of plants and animals.
In general they are allowing increased logging intensity, reduced retention of old hollow bearing trees essential for the survival of a plethora of hollow-dependent species, and reducing protections for most threatened species, NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said.
“Under this code most threatened species of plants and animals will get no real protection what-so-ever.
“The only improvement is an increase in the exclusions around headwater streams, though at 10m this is still dramatically less than the 30m identified as necessary in numerous reviews.
“For Koalas they are maintaining the exclusion on logging of core koala habitat where already identified in a Council Koala Plan of Management, though this will not apply to core Koala habitat identified in future plans.
Conservationists fear new rules that regulate logging on private land in New South Wales will allow continued clearing of koala habitat in what an independent MP has described as a “win” for the National party.
Dailan Pugh, the alliance’s spokesperson, said the exceptions were concerning.
“If we’re talking about doubling koala populations, you don’t do that by cutting down their feed trees,” he said.
“We are relieved they’ve retained protections for existing core koala habitat but we are concerned about the hundreds of approvals already given despite the (NSW parliamentary) koala inquiry identifying this as something that needed fixing.”
Pugh added that for other threatened plants and animals the new code offered “no real protection whatsoever”.
Justin Field, an independent MLC, said he was concerned other parts of the code that require landowners to take certain precautions for the environment, such as retaining trees of a particular size and habitat suitability, appeared to have been weakened.
The NSW Government continued their spin about how wonderful the PNF Codes will be.
“These new codes will provide the critical materials we will need to rebuild our communities impacted by the recent floods, keep up with the construction boom and keep firing our economy,” deputy premier and minister for regional NSW Paul Toole said.
The government says the new codes were informed by forest science and ecology experts. The NSW Natural Resources Commission reviewed the new codes of practice and found them to be a substantive improvement.
NSW agriculture minister Dugald Saunders said the new codes would play an important role in the timber shortage.
Pause and reconsider logging commitments:
Justin Field and the NCC are calling for a pause on issuing new Wood Supply Agreements until the NSW Government assesses the loss of trees in the 2019-20 fires and responds to recommendations that areas of burnt forest be put under moratorium and additional large old trees be retained, while considering the increase in fire severity caused by logging.
According to the lead author Professor David Lindenmayer, ‘Logging increases the probability of canopy damage by five to 20 per cent and leads to long-term elevated risk of higher severity fire. On the other hand, if disturbance due to logging is minimised, canopy damage can be reduced, in turn reducing the risk of uncontrollable fires.’
‘Recent Budget Estimates hearings revealed Forestry Corporation was negotiating a five year extension of wood supply contracts on the North Coast despite the fact the NSW Government is yet to respond to a major report recommending substantial changes to logging rules to mitigate the impact of the 2019–20 fires including a moratorium on logging in some forest areas,’ said Mr Fields in a press release.
‘Industry needs certainty about their future, but there is no certainty in signing up to contracts that Forestry Corporation cannot deliver and that our forests cannot sustain.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/call-to-pause-logging-contracts-for-north-coast-forests/
The Echo ran this on page 1, mentioned the Coffs Harbour rally, the Girard action and had an article on cryptocurrency and their attempts to greenwash their massive poweruse use with renewable energy such as Condong – including a statement from Susie about the folly of burning trees for electricity.
Forestry attack Council for being ignorant:
The Forestry Corporation has accused Eurobodalla Shire Council of being misinformed and being outside their jurisdiction through their proposal in the draft climate plan to end native forest logging.
A Forestry submission to the council's draft action plan said decisions regarding forestry were "outside council's jurisdiction" and the council did not have expertise nor involvement in native forest management.
"Information about forestry in the draft Climate Action Plan is incorrect and outside council's jurisdiction. It is recommended that Eurobodalla Shire Council remove all references and actions relating to native forestry from its Climate Action Plan."
"The Eurobodalla has around 106,000 hectares of native State Forests which can be harvested and is primarily used for woodchip through the Eden mill and exported," the draft plan said.
Are the Forestry Corporation Responsible?
Have your say. BSI Group (an Accredited Certification Body) is conducting a recertification assessment of Forestry Corporation of NSW Hardwood Forests Division against the “Responsible Wood” standard.
We invite Stakeholders to provide input into the assessment regarding the Applicant’s scope of activities in relation to Responsible Wood Standard.
Copies of all Responsible Wood Standards can be obtained from the Responsible Wood website
https://www.responsiblewood.org.au/
Stakeholders may provide input in writing or if preferred by phone, video-conference or in person during the onsite assessment. Please contact Mick Berry to arrange a time.
Contact Details: Mick Berry, Lead Auditor
Email: [email protected]
Offsetting upsetting:
An area of heritage-listed bushland that had been protected since 2007 was re-protected as an offset for the western Sydney airport, and now part of it has been cleared for a car park at a new defence facility.
Alarm over Hunter clearing:
Over 4,000 hectares in the Hunter Valley was cleared between 2015 and 2019, primarily for urban development and related infrastructure (with agriculture, forestry and mining also making significant contributions), leading to complaints about proposed housing developments and the need to stop landclearing.
"It will also exacerbate our deforestation and extinction crisis, which is already spiralling out of control," Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.
"At the COP26 climate conference Australia committed to end deforestation by 2030. These figures show we have no hope of meeting that commitment without a change in law. The only proven carbon sequestration technology is a tree. It seems pretty obvious that we should stop ripping them down."
"Climate change is already wreaking havoc on biodiversity and driving extinction. If we are to ensure the survival of our threatened species we must protect habitat now in preparation for worsening impacts in the coming years," Hunter Community Environment Centre coordinator Jo Lynch said.
Forestry Corporation like Mountain Bikes:
ECAC and the Eden Trails Group welcome the start of works on the multi-million dollar Eden Mountain Bike Trail in Nullica State Forest, praising the Forestry Corporation.
"This multi-million-dollar project will establish Eden and the broader NSW south coast area as a true mountain biking destination, providing opportunities to attract tourists and investment to the region," Mr Webb said.
"Our partnership with the NSW Forestry Corporation has been amazing and we could not have reached this critical milestone without their belief and support."
https://www.begadistrictnews.com.au/story/7725000/eden-mountain-bike-project-on-the-right-trail/
AUSTRALIA
BBF lose injunction:
The Bob Brown Foundation’s attempt to injunct Chinese-owned base metals producer MMG Inc from pushing ahead with roading, clearing and drilling in preparation for its proposed 285 ha tailings dam in the Tarkine rainforest, on the grounds that they would cause "irreversible damage" to the habitat of the rare Tasmanian masked owl, has failed after the company gave an undertaking to the Federal court that they would apply a 15-metre exclusion zone to trees suitable for masked owl nesting. The foundation's bid to overturn federal government approval for the tailings dam will be heard on July 19.
However, the BBF remains defiant. “This finding reminds us that the EPBC Act is a farce. If a Masked Owl is not safe from this proposal in takayna/Tarkine, and it is not, then it is not safe anywhere,” campaign manager Jenny Weber said in a statement.
“We are now left with the protest option to continue to hold MMG out of takayna’s forests and Tasmanian Masked Owl habitat at an inconvenience to hundreds of citizens who will take a stand for this ancient pocket of takayna.”
MMG is embroiled in controversy in Peru, with locals blocking the Las Bambas mine to protest alleged non-compliance with land-purchase obligations. The mine produces about 2% of the world’s mined copper supply.
MMG said on April 29, a 30-day state of emergency in the Challhuahuacho and Coyllurqi districts had been implemented to reinstate public order.
https://www.mining.com/australian-court-okays-mmgs-tasmania-tailings-dam-study-to-proceed/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-02/tailing-dam-works-to-continue-in-tarkine/101029822
Retrospectively approving 35 years of illegal logging:
After having protest charges dropped in Tasmania because it was shown that since 1987 Forest Practices Officers did not have the legal power to approve logging plans, the Government is rushing through legislation to fix the problem and retrospectively approve all logging back to 1987.
During recent court proceedings against anti-forestry protesters, who were arrested in Tasmania's Eastern Tiers in 2020, lawyers discovered a potential problem with some of the words in these instruments of delegation that have been used since 1987.
The foundation said if Forest Practices Officers did not really have the legal power to approve timber harvesting operations, then most or all logging of native forests in Tasmania has been done illegally since 1987.
It also argues there was not a valid legal basis to convict and fine or jail anti-forestry protesters since then.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-04/tasmania-1987-forestry-law-row-protesters/101035222
Greens call for Feds to pay to protect Tasmania’s forests for carbon:
The Tasmania Greens are asking the Federal Government to pay a billion dollars for the carbon values of ending native forest logging to support the transition and develop tourism opportunities.
With states across Australia ending native logging, it’s clear the writing is on the wall for Tasmania’s native forest logging industry. The IPCC tells us our forests are the first line of defence against climate change and must be protected. Native forest logging is destroying biodiversity and undermining climate action, and consumers are waking up to the damage.
Under the Greens plan the Federal Government would pay the Tasmanian Government to end native forest logging. The payment reflects the carbon value of forests earmarked to be logged, and would help meet global emissions reduction commitments. The plan also avoids ongoing taxpayer subsidies to the native forests sector.
Payments would be made in instalments over ten years into a fund overseen by a joint Federal-State task force and invested in environmental restoration, forest management, and forest tourism infrastructure. These and other activities would provide job transition opportunities for forestry workers.
https://www.miragenews.com/greens-launch-plan-to-protect-776756/
[Janet Rice] What our policy is going to do is basically to acknowledge the importance of Tasmania’s forests, not just for the wildlife, their recreation and tourism values, for their wildlife values, for their water values, for their values and sovereign lands, but also for their value for soaking up and storing carbon. This policy that we’re announcing today would see the federal government granting Tasmania a billion dollars to end the logging of native forests in Tasmania. Western Australia has already committed to ending their native forest logging by next year, Victoria has committed to ending native forest logging by 2030; we think that it’s too slow, but at least it’s going to happen. For Tasmania, they need to commit now to end native forest logging, and the billion dollars that the federal government would grant would basically recognise the value of Tasmania’s forests, in particular for their carbon value, their value in soaking up and storing carbon.
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2022/05/greens-pledge-1billion-for-forests-management/
Bauxite mining worse than logging:
Western Australian conservationists have released a report finding more land has been cleared for bauxite mining than by the timber industry in Western Australia’s South West over the past decade.
Labor matches 100m forest industry pledge
The University of Tasmania in Launceston will be home to the new National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) that aims to position Australia as a world leader in timber and wood fibre R&D after the Federal Labor Party matched the Coalition’s $100 million pledge.
https://www.miragenews.com/national-forestry-innovation-institute-to-go-774308/”
SPECIES
Save Our Species:
Scientists alarmed by the decline of Australia’s species, the lack of meaningful and effective action from the Federal Government, and lack of interest by political parties in the lead up to the election, are trying hard to garner action.
Unfortunately, our famous ecosystems are not OK. Many are hurtling towards collapse, threatening even iconic species like the koala, platypus and the numbat. More and more species are going extinct, with over 100 since British colonisation. That means Australia has one of the worst conservation records in the world.
This represents a monumental government failure. Our leaders are failing in their duty of care to the environment. Yet so far, the election campaign has been unsettlingly silent on threatened species.
Here are five steps our next government should take.
- Strengthen, enforce and align policy and laws
- Invest in the environment
- Tackle the threats
4.: Look to Indigenous leadership to heal Country
5.Work with communities and across boundaries
The next government must take serious and swift action to save our species.
Speak up to your federal member for threatened species:
Scientists have developed a web app that allows you to identify federally listed threatened species that occur in federal electorates, with contacts of your local member, and is encouraging people to lobby them for a better deal for our declining biodiversity.
More than 1,800 Australian plants and animals are considered at-risk of extinction, and yet protecting threatened species is almost entirely absent from the current election campaign.
We’ve developed a web app, which launches today, that lets Australians learn which threatened plants and animals live in their federal electorate.
Our goal is to help users engage with their elected representatives and put imperilled species on the political agenda this election and beyond. We urgently need to convince federal politicians to act, for they hold the keys to saving these species. So what can they do to help their plight?
By entering a post code, users can learn what the species looks like, where they can be found (in relation to their electorate), and what’s threatening them. Importantly, users can learn about their incumbent elected representative, and the democratic actions that work towards making a difference.
The good news is we know how to avert the extinction crisis. Innumerable reports and peer-reviewed studies have detailed why the crisis is occurring, including a major independent review of Australia’s environment laws which outlined the necessary federal reforms for changing this trajectory.
The bad news is these comprehensive reforms, like almost all the previous calls to action on the threatened species crisis, have been largely ignored.
Predictions show the situation will drastically worsen for threatened species over the next two decades if nothing changes.
For change to occur, communities must effectively persuade elected representatives to act. There are a few ways they can exercise their democratic powers to make a difference.
Threatened species desperately need the required funding alongside the appropriate policy and legislative reform. The current policies are responsible for the threats causing many species to go endangered in the first place.
Our app can help users engage with the current sitting MP in their electorate with the click of a button, as it helps users write an email to them. It’s time federal representatives were asked about their policies on threatened species and what they plan to do for them in their electoral backyards.
The value of birds:
A report by BirdLife Australia identifies domestic birding trips contribute an estimated $283m to the Australian economy annually, much of this in regional communities.
The loss of birds:
An article identifies that Goodenia rainforest on the south coast survived the fires and may have become a refuge, though those in north-east NSW weren’t so lucky. A study of the Gondwanan rainforests found that in burnt rainforests the number of functional bird species, and the relative abundances of species, was lower, with the most affected being those that eat insects, leaves or fruit, leading the researchers to warn about the future of rainforest in a heating world ravished by fires.
However, other rainforests didn't fare as well. When the megafires reached North-East NSW the heritage listed Gondwanan rainforest lost 50% of its habitat. According to a study from the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of NSW, the fires continue to impact bird populations vital to rainforest regeneration in areas of Gondwanan Rainforest.
The study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, investigated the impact of the 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season on the ancient Gondwanan Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, which were burned for the first time in recorded history.
The researchers found that unprecedented megafires negatively impacted the diversity of functional rainforest bird communities among burnt areas of the Gondwanan compared to surviving regions, as well as adjacent dry sclerophyll forests – woodland areas characterised by hard leafed and drought-adapted vegetation.
“We found that the number of functional species, but also the relative abundances of species, was lower in burnt areas compared with unburnt areas across five national parks surveyed within the World Heritage Area,” says Josh Lee, the study’s lead author. “These results contrasted the less affected and more fire-adapted and adjacent dry sclerophyll forests, which increased in diversity.”
“These rainforests are 40 million years old, and the fact we’ve burned up to half of it in just once fire season – which we can confidently attribute to climate change – is astounding. It’s another page in the story that is the huge impact we’re having on unique ecosystems worldwide,” Mr Lee says.
The study found the most affected rainforest birds were species that eat insects, leaves or fruit. Of particular concern were fruit-eating birds such as the wompoo fruit-dove and paradise riflebird, that have significant roles in rainforest regeneration.
“We found there were fewer fruit-eating birds in the burnt rainforest than the unburnt areas, which is potentially a bad sign because it might mean that there’s less of that rainforest regeneration happening,” Mr Lee says.
“These fruit eaters disperse rainforest seeds over large distances. Rainforests need these birds to eat and then disperse the seeds for them to grow in other parts of the rainforest. If we don’t have the pigeons and doves to help the fire-affected areas of the rainforest regenerate, we are in real trouble.”
Because of the impact on seed-dispersing birds, the recovery of the rainforest is likely to be extremely slow and highly dependent on the emigration of animals from outside burnt areas.
“Inaction on climate change will come at the expense of our rainforests. Because the recovery of the rainforest is slow, the recurrence of fire is probably going to be too frequent that rainforest won’t be able to recover and [we] will just lose more and more of it through time,” Mr Lee says.
“Hotter temperatures and more extreme droughts will continue to have devastating impacts on our biodiversity, particularly our rainforests,” Prof. Kingsford says. “We have to reduce our emissions and get climate change under control.”
https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2022/04/rainforest-birds-in-decline-in-black-summer-bushfire-aftermath
Kangaroos declining:
WIRES at Coffs Harbour is having to euthanize up to 15-20 kangaroos per month as the highway and cars, habitat loss and fragmentation, and stress from dogs take their increasing toll.
WIRES macropod rescuer Cheryl Malcolm said she saw two kangaroos last week die from what she “presumed” was myopathy.
Myopathy can be caused when an animal – such as a dog or cat – runs at kangaroos, causing extreme stress.
The roo may develop rhabdomyolysis – a breakdown of muscle fibres.
Death typically occurs within 14 days after the stressful incident, according to WIRES.
“The dogs don't have to catch them for them to kill them. They can die from stress – the eastern grays in particular” she said.
Dingo bingo!:
The Myall Lakes dingo project, which aims to develop and test non-lethal management techniques and increase understanding of dingos, is seeking volunteers to take part in an online citizen science project, Dingo? Bingo!, to review photos from camera traps to identify dingos and other wildlife.
Researchers are testing whether the dingoes' own signals can be used to deter them and invasive predators from particular areas.
Dingoes use howls and scent marks to communicate ownership of space, and so by simulating their presence in an area the team hope to be able to deter them from specific areas.
"This project hopes to develop tools and strategies to limit the negative impacts that dingoes have in specific areas, while still allowing them to perform their ecological role as apex predator across the wider landscape," Dr Jordan said.
"As dingoes sometimes kill foxes and cats, we're also testing the idea that these smaller carnivores may avoid areas where they believe dingoes are present - where they hear a dingo howl for example," Dr Pitcher said.
Koala karaoke:
NSW South East Local Land Services distributed more than 100 audio devices to more than 60 private property owners across parts of the Monaro to survey for calling Koalas as part of the koala karaoke project.
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/canberra/programs/mornings/koala-habitat-conservation-monaro/13863246
Bid to stop Commonwealth turning blind eye to Koala habitat destruction:
The Greens have introduced a Save the Koala Bill into Federal parliament where any destruction “likely to have significant impacts on koalas” would be banned, removing the federal RFA exemption for logging and clearing their habitat.
Clearing of koala habitat will be banned with "zero exceptions" if a new Greens bill passes federal parliament.
The amendment would remove exemptions used by state authorities to allow the timber industry and private landholders to unleash bulldozers on trees where the marsupials live.
Greens spokesperson for the environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, has vowed to “push for the Save the Koala Bill to be made the law” if her party holds the balance of power after the Federal Election.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/controversial-new-law-proposed-to-save-koalas-081850711.html
Planting Koala feed trees while cutting them down:
WWF has teamed up with the Government to plant new Koala feed trees in the Northern Rivers, while in itself worthwhile, it provides a distraction from the more urgent need to stop cutting down their existing feed trees nearby.
Koala Friendly Carbon, a first-of-its-kind carbon program to help restore koala habitat, is now available in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales.
The pilot program – which aims to boost koala numbers – is a partnership between the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, the NSW Government and Climate Friendly.
If successful, this program will provide an innovative mechanism to dramatically scale up landscape restoration for the benefit of our nation’s most iconic endangered species.
A complimentary partnership between WWF-Australia and the NSW Government has also been launched offering incentives to Northern Rivers landholders to sign conservation agreements to permanently protect koala habitat on their land.
Both projects are part of the recently released NSW Koala Strategy and come just months after the iconic species was uplisted from vulnerable to endangered in Queensland, NSW and the ACT.
https://www.ecovoice.com.au/innovative-koala-friendly-carbon-a-boost-for-iconic-species/
Plea to relocate Koalas before logging fails:
Wildlife campaigners have made a last ditch plea to the Victorian government to relocate koalas from a blue gum plantation due to be logged on Friday.
The Victorian government has approved the clear-felling of the Gordon plantation by owner Midway Pty Ltd without relocating the koalas, despite pleas from local carers and experts to protect them.
“It’s been such an uphill battle. We’re now at a last ditch effort just to try and stop koalas and other wildlife from being killed,” Heidi Johnson, a wildlife carer from Wildlife Victoria, said.
Jessica Robertson, a Wildlife Victoria rescuer and carer, expressed concern that koalas would be injured by logging activity or run over by cars while attempting to cross into other habitats.
The scourge of deer:
The Tasmanian Greens are promising federal intervention to control deer, particularly in World Heritage areas, as an election pledge.
“Invasive species like feral deer pose a critical threat to lutruwita/Tasmania’s biodiversity and cultural heritage. They inhibit fire recovery, trample cushion plants, destroy fences and crops, and cost Tasmanian farmers $80m a year.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Coalition the winner on climate change:
A report assesses the temperature rises we can expect under the parties policies, the coalition is the winner at 3o (almost 4), Labor second at 2o, and the Greens and Teal Independents last at just 1.5o.
Hare, an adjunct professor at Murdoch University, said under the level of global warming consistent with the Coalition’s plan, “intense heat events that have recently occurred once in a decade could happen almost every year, and highest maximum temperatures are likely to be 3 degrees warmer than in recent times.”
He said Labor’s plan was also not consistent with the Paris Agreement and, like the Coalition’s, is not consistent with the survival of the Great Barrier Reef or Ningaloo Reef, as well as increased heat extremes occurring every five years.
The report said the Greens’ target of a 74 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 is consistent with limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
TURNING IT AROUND
Reducing logging makes Tasmania into a net carbon sink:
A recent paper has identified that closing the Triabunna export woodchip in Tasmania has enabled the state to pass net zero and to deliver negative emissions due to the change in forest management, demonstrating the benefits of reducing native forest logging.
… the closure of Triabunna meant that in the years that followed Tasmania was one of the first jurisdictions in the world to become not just net zero, but carbon negative.
Unlike mainland Australia, Tasmania relies mostly on hydroelectric power. As a result, Mackey explained, the state’s main cause of greenhouse gas emissions was logging in native forests. When old-growth forests were logged, massive amounts of carbon were released into the atmosphere.
What they found was that Tasmania had gone from being a net emitter of around 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, to a net sink of around the same amount.
“We hear a lot about carbon neutral but not carbon negative. This is one of the first times on the planet that anybody has ever done this kind of reversal,” Lindenmeyer said.
https://news.griffith.edu.au/2022/05/03/tasmania-first-to-become-carbon-negative/
Meeting the Paris Agreement global warming target requires deep and rapid cuts in CO2 emissions as well as removals from the atmosphere into land sinks, especially forests. While international climate policy in the land sector does now recognize forest protection as a mitigation strategy, it is not receiving sufficient attention in developed countries even though they experience emissions from deforestation as well as from logging of managed forests. Current national greenhouse gas inventories obscure the mitigation potential of forest protection through net carbon accounting between the fossil fuel and the land sectors as well as within the different categories of the land. This prevents decision-makers in national governments, the private sector and civil society having access to all the science-based evidence needed to evaluate the merits of all mitigation strategies. The consequences of net carbon accounting for global policy were investigated by examining annual inventory reports of four high forest cover developed countries (Australia, Canada, USA, and Russia). Net accounting between sectors makes a major contribution to meeting nationally determined contributions with removals in Forest Land offsetting between 14% and 38% of the fossil fuel emissions for these countries. Analysis of reports for Australia at a sub-national level revealed that the State of Tasmania delivered negative emissions due to a change in forest management—a large and rapid drop in native forest logging—resulting in a mitigation benefit of ∼22 Mt CO2-e yr–1 over the reported period 2011/12–2018/19. This is the kind of outcome required globally to meet the Paris Agreement temperature goal. All CO2 emissions from, and atmospheric removals into, forest ecosystem carbon stocks now matter and should be counted and credited to achieve the deep and rapid cuts in emissions needed over the coming decades. Accounting and reporting systems therefore need to show gains and losses of carbon stocks in each reservoir. Changing forest management in naturally regenerating forests to avoid emissions from harvesting and enabling forest regrowth is an effective mitigation strategy that can rapidly reduce anthropogenic emissions from the forest sector and simultaneously increase removals of CO2 from the atmosphere
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac661b/meta
Forests needed to solve crises:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is to release a report calling on better recognition of the value of forests, identifying that halting deforestation and maintaining forests could avoid significant greenhouse-gas emissions - about 14 percent of the reduction needed up to 2030 to keep planetary warming below 1.5 C while also safeguarding more than half the Earth's terrestrial biodiversity.
In response to these multiple global threats, we need solutions at scale that are cost-effective and equitable and can be implemented rapidly. Forests and trees offer such solutions and can help us recover, if we better recognize their value and their crucial role in building resilient and sustainable economies.
The latest report on the State of the World's Forests from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to be presented at the XV World Forestry Congress under the theme "Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests," clearly shows three ways in which we can step up action if we want to unlock their potential:
Halting deforestation and maintaining forests could avoid significant greenhouse-gas emissions - about 14 percent of the reduction needed up to 2030 to keep planetary warming below 1.5 C. It could also safeguard more than half the Earth's terrestrial biodiversity, which is a key provider of ecosystem services for sustainable agriculture. Forests are the largest terrestrial pool of carbon and of biodiversity, yet they are shrinking.
Restoring degraded lands and expanding agroforestry: 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land - an area twice the size of Australia - would benefit from restoration, and increasing tree cover could boost agricultural productivity on another 1 billion hectares. Restoring degraded land through afforestation and reforestation could cost-effectively remove CO2 from the atmosphere equivalent to eliminating 195-325 million gasoline-powered passenger cars from the road each year for 30 years.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1264740.shtml
Phantom forests used for greenwashing:
Its not just Australia that is rorting its carbon credit system, the BBC World Service has a report on how the billions spent around the world on ambitious planting programs covering millions of hectares to increase sequestration of carbon are dismally failing to meet targets, compounded by planted trees dying, native vegetation being cleared for plantings, and plantings being logged on a grand scale. The hope is that better accounting using satellite monitoring will turn this around.
Capturing carbon by increasing forest cover has become central to the fight against climate change. But there's a problem. Sometimes these forests exist on paper only - because promises have not been kept, or because planted trees have died or even been harvested. A new effort will now be made to track success and failure.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61300708
Offsetting Emissions:
Carbon credits are being increasingly used to offset company’s emissions, and while trees are increasingly being recognised as our saviours, the appropriateness of offsetting is questioned and many offsets are being lost through droughts, fires and beetle attacks as forests struggle to persist in this heating world.
As companies face increasing public pressure to limit their climate impact, the global market for forest carbon “credits,” already worth billions of dollars, is booming. Polluting companies can buy those credits as an alternative to cutting emissions from burning oil, gas, and coal. Such “offsets” have been questioned on many grounds, including whether they actually reduce carbon in the atmosphere.
But scientists are increasingly focused on a new concern: climate change itself. With trees dying around the globe from droughts, heat waves, pest invasions, and wildfires amplified by global warming, experts say, it’s getting tough to count on any particular patch of forest being alive and reliably storing carbon for decades to come.
But many scientists worry it’s not enough. Climate change is already leaving unprecedented marks on forests. In the Sierra Nevada, up to 19 percent of adult giant sequoias, many of which have stood since the days of Aristotle, died in fires in just the last two summers. Five of the eight most abundant tree species in the West have declined significantly just since the year 2000. Using satellite data, archival records, and machine learning, Jon Wang, at the University of California, Irvine, determined that California likely lost nearly 7 percent of its tree cover between 1985 and 2021.
Forest Media 29 April 2022
Sorry I am a day late, its been a busy week.
New South Wales
NEFA held a rally of around 70 people outside the Coffs Harbour Council Chambers on April 29, before the Coffs Harbour hearing of NSW Upper House, Portfolio Committee 4, 'Inquiry into the long term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry', before giving evidence. NEFA sought to demonstrate that logging of public native forests has no social licence. The evening before the NPA hosted a well-attended community forum on the proposed Great Koala National Park in Coffs Harbour, with a variety of presenters (including NEFA), and statements from various federal Cowper candidates (except the Nationals) about their positions on forests and the park
Forest Defence NSW had a blockade in Girard State Forest, with a protector in a tree sit attached to a bulldozer holding up logging one day before being removed by police, someone else then repeated it the next day.
Cash-strapped Central Coast Council is considering transferring 72.4ha of land — valued at over $4.1 million —for inclusion into national parks “for no monetary consideration”. The transfer of 54 hectares of land at Wedderburn from the Office of Strategic Lands to the NPWS has got the ball rolling for the establishment of a Georges River Koala Reserve from Long Point to Appin.
David Lindenmayer’s finding that logging increases fire risk has been pushed by the NCC and is increasingly recognised.
The NSW Government announced it is going to implement the new Private Native Forestry codes on Monday without releasing them publicly, so as to avoid criticism, though they were warmly welcomed by the Nationals, Timber NSW and NSW Farmers who obviously had privileged access.
Australia
Log it before you protect it. Last June the Victorian government announced it would create three new national parks in the state’s central west, including the Wombat State Forest, but 10 months on, there has been no move to legislate and officially create the national parks but salvage logging is underway, leading residents to protest. The Queensland government has proposed to log in a section of the Beerwah State Forest, known locally as Ferny Forest, before it ends native timber production in the “high value” conservation area in two years in accordance with the southeast Queensland forests agreement to end logging in the region by 31 December 2024.
Species
A side-effect of rodenticides, particularly when used outside, is the poisoning of a variety of wildlife, either directly or through eating poisoned rodents. The death of more than 300 Corellas between Tocumwal and Cobram along the Murray River has led to speculation they may be another case linked to pesticides or mouse baits. On Lord Howe Island baits were killing Lord Howe Island Woodhens, until they were used in a systematic eradication of rats and mice, resulting in a massive increase in Woodhens and a variety of other threatened species while facilitating an ecological renaissance, though also for weeds. In the Conversation an expert gives some advice on rodent control.
The Inquiry into Ecosystems Decline in Victoria recommendations included a trial reintroduction of dingoes to the state’s national parks and reserves, and the phasing out of 1080 baiting, leading to farmer outrage.
On May 3 Wild Koala Day we call on everyone to Protect A Forest, Plant A Tree & Phone a Pollie. Learn more: http://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/what-to-do/
Find events here: http://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/whats-on/
Tweed Council voted to write to the NSW Premier, Minister for Environment and Heritage, Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Agriculture to protect Tweeds hinterland koalas from the NSW Koala SEPP (State Environmental Planning Policy) 2021. A $2 million pilot program funded by the NSW government, World Wildlife Fund and carbon farming company Climate Friendly is aiming to plant new Koala habitat for carbon credits in the Northern Rivers, while the clearing and logging of actual habitat continues.
Researchers take exception with the Royal Australian Mint releasing a $2 collectors’ coin to celebrate 200 years since the introduction of the European honeybee, an invasive alien species, rather than our native bees.
In North America hundreds of white-tailed deer have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, sparking concerns that new mutant strains may develop.
The Deteriorating Problem
The tropics lost 11.1 million hectares of tree cover in 2021, according to Global Forest Watch. Including 3.75 million hectares of tropical primary rainforests at a rate of 10 football pitches a minute – releasing 2.5 Gt of CO2, equivalent to India’s fossil fuel emissions. Outside of the tropics, boreal forests experienced the highest rates of tree cover loss in 2021, increasing 29% over 2020.
A heat dome formed over India in March resulting in its highest maximum temperatures in 122 years and rainfall 71% lower than average, the scorching temperatures extended into April, and ferocious heat waves are forecast to be even worse in May.
Australia does its bit to worsen the extinction crises, while wildlife’s plight is ignored by politicians. A global review found 21% of reptiles are threatened with extinction, not as many as the 41% of amphibians, or the 25% of mammals, but more than the 14% of birds. Reptiles inhabiting forests are facing the strongest threats, including from logging. An article in the Conversation summarises Australia’s world leading role in the extinction crisis and the Federal Government’s contribution to the deteriorating situation. The Guardian similarly summarises Australia’s appalling record and lack of political will, citing Gregory Andrews, Australia’s first threatened species commissioner, who believes the state of our natural wildlife and biodiversity is the “worst it’s ever been” and called the ongoing destruction of forests and other habitat “crazy”.
‘Fire regimes that cause biodiversity decline’ was listed last week as a key threatening process under the EPBC Act (Australia’s national environmental law) after being nominated in 2008.
A comprehensive global review has identified a 50% decline in the abundance of insects and more than a 25% decline in species in areas where substantial warming has been documented and where land has been converted for intensive agriculture. Research (and the Canadian heat dome) shows that if honeybees experience a temperature of 42oC for 2 hours a third of male sperm dies and after 6 hours 50% of males die, with the expectation that increasing heatwaves could impair the fertility of beetles, bumblebees, flies, moths and wasps.
As evidence of the growing extinction crises grows and habitat destruction gathers momentum scientists are becoming increasingly alarmed, with one climate activist immolating himself in America.
Turning it Around
Earth Day was on the 22 April and is celebrated around the world, with overall co-ordination by EarthDay.org. Their Canopy Project focuses on tree planting.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
NEFA Rally
NEFA held a rally of around 70 people outside the Coffs Harbour Council Chambers, before the Coffs Harbour hearing of NSW Upper House, Portfolio Committee 4, 'Inquiry into the long term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry', before giving evidence. NEFA sought to demonstrate that logging of public native forests has no social licence.
NEFA want to emphasise to the Committee that there is no social licence for the continued logging of public native forests and that in the midst of the developing climate and extinction crises we need to take urgent action, with the most effective action we can take immediately to begin to address the problems is to stop logging public native forests, NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said.
‘The Committee needs to focus on identifying a just and equitable transition strategy for the 500 workers across north-east NSW that will be affected by protecting public native forests,’ said Mr Pugh.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/04/nefa-rally-this-morning-at-coffs-council-chambers/
Promoting the Great Koala National Park:
A well-attended community forum on the proposed Great Koala National Park was held in Coffs Harbour on April 28, with a variety of presenters (including NEFA), and statements from various federal Cowper candidates (except the Nationals) about their positions on forests and the park.
Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said: “Koalas are on track to become extinct by 2050 unless we take decisive action.
“The loss of koalas would be a monumental loss not just for NSW and Australia, but for the whole of humanity.
“To avoid that, habitat protection is key. You can’t have koalas without koala trees, so the best thing we can do is protect koala forests from development.
“The Great Koala National Park proposal is a critical step we must take to ensure species survives for generations to come.”
https://clarencevalleynews.com.au/community-forum-about-the-great-koala-national-park-proposal/
Action in Girard:
Forest Defence NSW had a blockade in Girard State Forest, with a protector in a tree sit attached to a bulldozer holding up logging one day before being removed by police, someone else then repeated it the next day.
‘I’m taking this action because I believe it is necessary,’ said one of the activists, who is currently undertaking a tree sit attached to logging machinery.
‘I love and understand the importance of these forests. Logging in the face of climate collapse is criminal.’
Speaking about this morning’s action, incoming Greens MLC and Forestry Spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said …
‘The current logging of this Public Forest is against the recommendations of the Natural Resources Commission which last year said, after the horrendous fires of 2019/2020 we need to retain more habitat if we are to protect threatened species. The Forestry Corporation is not following this advice.’
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/04/anti-logging-blockage-underway-in-girard-state-forest/
Council park donation:
Cash-strapped Central Coast Council is considering transferring 72.4ha of land — valued at over $4.1 million —for inclusion into national parks “for no monetary consideration”.
It is not the first time council has transferred land for inclusion into national parks and comes after 300ha was transferred to the NPWS for inclusion in Bouddi National Park in 2003.
“Unfortunately National Parks face a similar situation to council in that there’s no such thing as a free gift. There’s still the cost of looking after and maintaining the land.”
Small start made on Georges River Koala Reserve:
The transfer of 54 hectares of land at Wedderburn from the Office of Strategic Lands to the NPWS has got the ball rolling for the establishment of a Georges River Koala Reserve from Long Point to Appin.
“Once fully established, the Reserve will protect up to 1,830 hectares of koala habitat and wildlife corridors in perpetuity.”
https://southwestvoice.com.au/wedderburn-georges-river-koala-reserve/
Burning down the house:
David Lindenmayer’s finding that logging increases fire risk has been pushed by the NCC and is increasingly recognised.
Lead author Professor David Lindenmayer said:
Logging increases the probability of canopy damage by five to 20 per cent and leads to long-term elevated risk of higher severity fire. On the other hand, if disturbance due to logging is minimised, canopy damage can be reduced, in turn reducing the risk of uncontrollable fires. [2]
Nature Conservation Council Organiser Wilson Harris said: “The arguments in support of ending native forest logging keep mounting.
NSW Nationals and Farmers welcome new logging rules:
The NSW Government announced it is going to implement the new Private Native Forestry codes on Monday without releasing them publicly, so as to avoid criticism, though they were warmly welcomed by the Nationals, Timber NSW and NSW Farmers who obviously had privileged access.
The new Northern NSW Private Native Forestry Codes of Practice introduced by the Nationals in NSW Government should help the local timber industry turbocharge flood recovery construction in the Clarence and Richmond Valleys, according to Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis.
The new Code aims to provide certainty for local landholders and includes simplified operating standards while also allowing landholder to achieve better forest management and environmental outcomes.
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/about-us/media-centre/releases/2022/general/a-new-era-for-farm-forestry
[Member for Bathurst Paul Toole] The new codes include simplified operating standards that enable a clearer interpretation of the PNF Codes, while also allowing landholders to achieve better forest management and environmental outcomes.
The new Farm Forestry Codes have been informed by specialist experts in Forest Science and Ecology, and reviewed by the NSW Natural Resources Commission which found that the new Codes of Practice are a substantive improvement on the existing PNF Codes.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/new-farm-forestry-codes-of-practice-in-force-may-in-nsw/
The new Farm Forestry Codes of Practice will help farmers manage their native forests with certainty, according to NSW Farmers Conservation and Resource Management Committee Chair Bronwyn Petrie. ‘Years have been lost for rural landowners to manage their native forests while the process has been tied up in unnecessary red tape and restrictions,’ said Mrs Petrie.
‘The new codes recognise the responsible management of timber on private land, and seek to take away the outdated and cumbersome regulations that have stifled the opportunities to develop this important agricultural land management activity.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/04/changes-to-private-native-forestry-codes/
AUSTRALIA
Logging in announced Victorian park sparks protest:
Last June the Victorian government announced it would create three new national parks in the state’s central west, including the Wombat State Forest, but 10 months on, there has been no move to legislate and officially create the national parks but salvage logging is underway, leading residents to protest.
Logging in announced Queensland park sparks protest:
The Queensland government has proposed to log in a section of the Beerwah State Forest, known locally as Ferny Forest, before it ends native timber production in the “high value” conservation area in two years in accordance with the southeast Queensland forests agreement to end logging in the region by 31 December 2024.
The southeast Queensland forests agreement to end logging in the region by 31 December 2024 was signed by the state government, the timber industry and the conservation sector in 1999.
As part of the agreement, about 50% of the 130-hectare Ferny Forest section was considered as an area for harvest, with the forest last logged in the mid-1990s.
A petition to stop logging in the proposed area, located between Steve Irwin Way and Ewen Maddock dam, has received almost 22,000 signatures.
SPECIES
Poisoning mice kills Corellas:
The death of more than 300 Corellas between Tocumwal and Cobram along the Murray River has led to speculation they may be another case linked to pesticides or mouse baits.
Last June, large numbers of dead birds were found at a handful of regional locations including the Riverina.
A toxicology test found some of the birds had consumed poison bait.
The EPA’s spokesperson said it is too early to tell whether this occurrence is a repeat of a similar event last year.
In the EPA statement linked by Berrigan Shire, EPA executive director regulatory operations Carmen Dwyer said grain eating birds can be impacted by pesticide-coated grain crops.
Ms Dwyer acknowledged the difficulty of mouse infestations in regional NSW, particularly on cropping farmers.
The large-scale damage to farms, caused by increased mouse populations, has prompted extensive use of mouse baits both domestically and agriculturally, to preserve crops from damage.
https://www.corowafreepress.com.au/news/hundreds-of-corellas-found-dead-in-murray/
Poisoning rats saves wildlife:
Eradicating rats and mice on Lord Howe Island has resulted in a massive increase in Lord Howe Island Woodhens and a variety of other threatened species while facilitating an ecological renaissance, though also for weeds.
Lord Howe Island's Environment and World Heritage manager says the island is experiencing an 'ecological renaissance' where animals, birdlife and plants are thriving.
Hank Bower said the event is largely thanks to the success of the rodent eradication program which was implemented in 2019.
The population of Woodhens, a critically endangered species, has quadrupled since 2019, due to increased availability of food and the removal of rodenticide poisons from the island.
https://psnews.com.au/2022/04/26/rodent-ruin-saves-lord-howes-rare-birds/?state=aps
In the Conversation an expert gives some advice on rodent control.
Despite the risk to non-target animals, baits will always be needed for large scale rodent problems, such as mouse plagues. However, they are not humane as animals die slowly by blood loss over an average of 7.2 days and have the most potential for poisoning other species.
In Australia, it’s almost always unnecessary to use so-called “second-generation baits” such as brodifacoum. These baits are made in response to rodents developing resistance to some chemical formulations, and require only one feed to be fatal.
The active ingredients in second generation baits have a very long persistence time in the liver of animals that eat them, resulting in widespread secondary poisoning along the food chain.
Proposal to rewild dingoes sparks opposition:
The Inquiry into Ecosystems Decline in Victoria recommendations included a trial reintroduction of dingoes to the state’s national parks and reserves, and the phasing out of 1080 baiting, leading to farmer outrage.
The meeting moved a motion for the Crawfords to write to Premier Daniel Andrew, Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas, and Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio expressing opposition to the reintroduction of dingoes and their protected status, and maintenance of lethal control of baiting, trapping and shooting, and the fox and wild dog bounty.
May 3 Wild Koala Day
On May 3 Wild Koala Day we call on everyone to Protect A Forest, Plant A Tree & Phone a Pollie. Learn more: http://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/what-to-do/
Find events here: http://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/whats-on/
Tweed Council wants its hinterland Koalas protected:
Tweed Council voted to write to the NSW Premier, Minister for Environment and Heritage, Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Agriculture to protect Tweeds hinterland koalas from the NSW Koala SEPP (State Environmental Planning Policy) 2021.
‘The koala SEPP 2021 exempts rural, agricultural and forestry lands, Zones RU1, RU2 and RU 3 from being subject to the protections under the Koala SEPP 2021. In these zones, the Koala SEPP 2020 continues to apply. Under the current proposal it has been identified that critical and significant areas of koala habitat would be able to be logged without assessment, consent or controls – noting in the Tweed the target trees species and size class for forestry are the same trees most critical to koala habitat conservation. Under the current proposal one might argue that our coastal koala populations are afforded better protections conserving their habitat than our hinterland koalas,’ she said.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/04/hinterland-koalas-need-protecting-say-tweed-council/
Earning credits for planting new Koala feed trees as old ones are cut down:
A $2 million pilot program funded by the NSW government, World Wildlife Fund and carbon farming company Climate Friendly is aiming to plant new Koala habitat for carbon credits in the Northern Rivers, while the clearing and logging of actual habitat continues.
The $2 million pilot program funded by the NSW government, World Wildlife Fund and carbon farming company Climate Friendly aims to help double the number of koalas on the east coast by 2050.
The Koala Friendly Carbon project offers carbon credit incentives to private landholders in the Northern Rivers to sign conservation agreements to permanently establish habitat for the marsupials on their land.
The successful environmentally conscious, animal-friendly applicants can start earning credits from the federal government's Emissions Reduction Fund after a year.
https://www.aap.com.au/news/koalas-to-get-new-habitat-in-northern-nsw/
https://www.blayneychronicle.com.au/story/7717499/koalas-to-get-new-habitat-in-northern-nsw/
Celebrating invasive feral species:
Researchers take exception with the Royal Australian Mint releasing a $2 collectors’ coin to celebrate 200 years since the introduction of the European honeybee, an invasive alien species, rather than our native bees..
The coin celebrates an invasive alien species, and continues a long tradition in Australia of romanticising introduced fauna.
But the industry comes with costs as well as benefits. The introduced honeybee can escape managed hives to establish feral populations, which affect native species.
In New South Wales, feral honeybees are listed as a “key threatening process”.
Honeybees can take over large tree hollows to build new colonies, potentially displacing native species. Tree hollows can take many decades to form and bee colonies occupy hollows for a long time – so this is a long-term problem for native bees.
Many other native species also rely on tree hollows for shelter and breeding, and are likely to be affected by competition from honeybees. They include at least 20% of birds including threatened species such as the superb parrot and glossy black cockatoo, as well as a range of native mammals and marsupials.
Honeybees, both feral and managed, also compete with native species for nectar and pollen in flowers. Research has shown honeybees often remove 80% or more of floral resources produced.
Deer catching COVID:
In North America hundreds of white-tailed deer have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, sparking concerns that new mutant strains may develop.
It’s not yet clear whether the virus can spread in long chains of infection among deer, or whether deer-to-human transmission could spark outbreaks. But researchers are growing increasingly concerned about the animals becoming a viral reservoir, serving as a recalcitrant source of outbreaks and potentially breeding new variants. Some researchers think that the highly infectious Omicron variant spent time in an animal reservoir before popping up in people.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Clearing of tropical rain forests continues unabated:
The tropics lost 11.1 million hectares of tree cover in 2021, according to Global Forest Watch. Including 3.75 million hectares of tropical primary rainforests at a rate of 10 football pitches a minute – releasing 2.5 Gt of CO2, equivalent to India’s fossil fuel emissions. Outside of the tropics, boreal forests experienced the highest rates of tree cover loss in 2021, increasing 29% over 2020.
https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/global-tree-cover-loss-data-2021/
India cooking:
A heat dome formed over India in March resulting in its highest maximum temperatures in 122 years and rainfall 71% lower than average, the scorching temperatures extended into April, and ferocious heat waves are forecast to be even worse in May.
The extinction crisis:
A global review has found a 21% of reptiles are threatened with extinction, not as many as the 41% of amphibians, or the 25% of mammals, but more than the 14% of birds. Reptiles inhabiting forests are facing the strongest threats, including from logging.
Global assessments reveal that, among tetrapods, 40.7% of amphibians, 25.4% of mammals and 13.6% of birds are threatened with extinction. …Here we provide a comprehensive extinction-risk assessment of reptiles and show that at least 1,829 out of 10,196 species (21.1%) are threatened—confirming a previous extrapolation8 and representing 15.6 billion years of phylogenetic diversity. Reptiles are threatened by the same major factors that threaten other tetrapods—agriculture, logging, urban development and invasive species—although the threat posed by climate change remains uncertain. Reptiles inhabiting forests, where these threats are strongest, are more threatened than those in arid habitats, contrary to our prediction. Birds, mammals and amphibians are unexpectedly good surrogates for the conservation of reptiles, although threatened reptiles with the smallest ranges tend to be isolated from other threatened tetrapods. Although some reptiles—including most species of crocodiles and turtles—require urgent, targeted action to prevent extinctions, efforts to protect other tetrapods, such as habitat preservation and control of trade and invasive species, will probably also benefit many reptiles.
…
More than half of all reptile species occur in forested habitats (Fig. 4c). … The top threats to reptiles—agriculture, urban development and logging—are also the top threats to species inhabiting forested habitats, affecting 65.9%, 34.8% and 27.9% of forest-dwelling threatened reptiles, respectively, helping to explain the higher extinction risk of forest species.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04664-7
Australia one of the worst:
An article in the Conversation summarises Australia’s world leading role in the extinction crisis and the Federal Government’s contribution to the deteriorating situation.
Australia is losing more biodiversity than any other developed nation. Already this year the charismatic and once abundant gang gang cockatoo has been added to our national threatened species list, the koala has been listed as endangered and the Great Barrier Reef suffered another mass bleaching event.
The Coalition has been in government since 2013. So what has it done about the biodiversity crisis? Unfortunately, the state of Australia’s plants, animals and ecological communities suggests the answer is - not nearly enough.
In fact, as the extinction crisis has escalated, protection and recovery for threatened species has declined. Poor decisions are contributing to the problem, rather than solving it.
Australia has formally acknowledged the extinction of 104 native species since European colonisation, but the true number is likely much higher.
Threatened bird, mammal and plant populations have, on average, halved or worse since 1985. Species recently thought to be safe – such as the bogong moth, gang gang cockatoos, and even the iconic koala – are being added to the global and national threatened species lists following drought, catastrophic fires and habitat destruction.
The hectares cleared in New South Wales over the last decade have tripled, and a staggering 2.5 million hectares have been cleared in Queensland between 2000 and 2018. So what policies are needed to reverse the biodiversity crisis? The answer is: spend more and destroy less.
The government also continues to back activities that cause damage to biodiversity, including the fossil fuel and forestry industries.
Just two days of Coalition election promises (estimated at $833 million per day) would fund recovery for Australia’s entire list of threatened species for a year.
Finally, transformative policies are needed to support the substantial opportunities to enhance and restore biodiversity. This includes:
- using nature to help mitigate climate change
- green recovery of the economy post-COVID
- finding ways to farm profitably while enhancing biodiversity
- designing cities where people and nature can both flourish.
The Guardian similarly summarises Australia’s appalling record and lack of political will, citing Gregory Andrews, Australia’s first threatened species commissioner, who believes the state of our natural wildlife and biodiversity is the “worst it’s ever been” and called the ongoing destruction of forests and other habitat “crazy”.
“Biodiversity and nature have been completely absent from this campaign so far,” he says.
“If we’re serious about what it means to be Australian … we are a rich enough country with enough habitat and enough cleared area to dedicate the remaining land to protection,” he says. “The trouble is the Greens are the only party that says that, and it is seen as a fringe or extremist position.”
A new report from a coalition of conservation groups says if Australia was serious about nature protection, it would increase its spending ten-fold. It highlights 100 animals and plants – including the orange-bellied parrot and the grassland earless dragon – that are at imminent risk of extinction.
The council – backed by BirdLife Australia, Bush Heritage, the Humane Society International and the Australian Land Conservation Alliance – has released a new report that notes extinctions are expected to dramatically escalate in Australia over the next two decades due to Australia’s failure to deal with the major threats of invasive species, habitat destruction and climate change.
It identifies 100 species that have a high risk of extinction in that time, including 20 freshwater fish, nine birds, eight frogs, six reptiles, one mammal and one butterfly with a greater than 50% risk of extinction within 20 years, and 55 plants at high risk of extinction within 10.
Wildfires a key threat:
‘Fire regimes that cause biodiversity decline’ was listed last week as a key threatening process under the EPBC Act (Australia’s national environmental law) after being nominated in 2008.
‘Our current national threat abatement strategies are not working. The growing list of threatened species and declining ecosystems attest to that,’ Dr Rebecca Spindler, Executive Manager Science and Conservation, Bush Heritage Australia, said.
The Averting Extinctions report calls for more systematic listing of threats, more flexible response options including regional plans (as recommended by the Samuel review of the EPBC Act), more funding, and commitments by all governments to implement threat abatement plans.
Download Averting Extinctions here.
https://www.openforum.com.au/australia-faces-an-avalanche-of-extinctions/
The decline of insects:
A comprehensive global review has identified a 50% decline in the abundance of insects and more than a 25% decline in species in areas where substantial warming has been documented and where land has been converted for intensive agriculture
The combination of climate change and heavy agriculture is having a profound impact on the abundance and diversity of insects, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
In areas where substantial warming has been documented and where land has been converted for intensive agriculture — meaning it involves monoculture or the use of pesticides — insects were nearly 50 percent less abundant, and more than a quarter fewer species could be found, the study said.
Getting too hot for sperm:
Research (and the Canadian heat dome) shows that if honeybees experience a temperature of 42oC for 2 hours a third of male sperm dies and after 6 hours 50% of males die, with the expectation that increasing heatwaves could impair the fertility of beetles, bumblebees, flies, moths and wasps.
I research how heat stress affects honeybees, and Huxter’s observations reflect what I’ve seen in the lab. Our experiments show that after six hours at 42°C, 50% of male honeybees die. The results were alarming, yet conservative compared to previous work. Other researchers have found that up to 77% of drones die from exposure to 42°C for just four hours.
Worryingly, male fertility likely begins to decline well before the drones die. For example, after just two hours at 42°C, about one-third of sperm cells within drone ejaculates perish. This means that if a male bee survives a heat event, his fertility is likely impaired.
Honeybees are not the only insects whose fertility is imperiled by extreme heat. Scientists expect that worsening heat waves could impair fertility of beetles, bumblebees, flies, moths, and wasps—and those are just some of the ones we know about.
Getting too hot for scientists:
As evidence of the growing extinction crises grows and habitat destruction gathers momentum scientists are becoming increasingly alarmed, with one climate activist immolating himself in America.
Curry is part of a growing chorus of scientists worldwide calling for an immediate paradigm shift in the way humans travel, produce energy, grow their food and consume goods. Such a shift is not only necessary to tackle climate change, Curry said, but it’s also critical to mitigating the threat of mass extinction, as a rapidly increasing number of species of plants and animals face the threat of losing their natural habitats to inhospitable heat and the growing footprint of human industry and agriculture.
A sweeping new report from the United Nations found that more than 70 percent of the Earth’s land has already been altered by human activity, primarily because of expanding agriculture. And another study published by the World Resources Institute found that the world is essentially losing 10 soccer fields worth of tropical forest per minute because of development and industry.
Earlier this month, more than 1,000 scientists from around the world staged demonstrations and even faced arrest for civil disobedience as a way to decry a lack of action to address the climate crisis. And in a tragic scene last week, in what is believed to be a protest on climate inaction, a U.S. climate activist lit himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court and later died from his injuries.
In some ways, the latest batch of biodiversity studies should act as a clarion call to humanity to do far more to address the industries driving the climate crisis, including logging and agriculture, Curry said.
“You really need to remember that we are species on a planet, and our fate is tied to the health of all of the other species on this planet,” she said. “Killing the planet is killing ourselves, and that’s the message that everybody needs to absorb and start acting on.”
https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?e=6624c72df8&u=7c733794100bcc7e083a163f0&id=bdcba27df2
TURNING IT AROUND
Earth Day:
Earth Day was on the 22 April and is celebrated around the world, with overall co-ordination by EarthDay.org. Their Canopy Project focuses on tree planting, with their factsheet on reforestation noting:
Reforestation is an effective method to fight against climate change while also maintaining the many benefits forests provide. These ten facts highlight some of the social and environmental benefits forests provide, and statistics on deforestation and reforestation.
- Worldwide forest cover shrinks by an average of 4.7 million hectares per year (12 pp. 125)
- A tree must live for at least 10-20 years to have a meaningful effect on the environment (2)
- Forests are home to an estimated 80% of the world’s terrestrial species (3)
- Throughout 2015-2020, 10 million hectares of trees were removed from forests around the world each year. Only 5 million hectares of trees were planted each year throughout the same period (4)
- Forests are extremely important to humanity’s health and wellbeing. They provide tens of millions of jobs, are a vital part of the food chain, and over 28,000 species of forest plants are used in medicines (5 pp.12-15)
- A study found that urban reforestation projects improved the mental health of office workers who could view green spaces from their office (6)
- Forests play a vital role in regulating water cycles and soil quality (7)
- Adding 10% more green cover in cities and towns could potentially reduce the surface temperature of the area by 2.2 °C (8)
- Plants found in forests release phytoncides, antimicrobial compounds. Studies have found that exposure to phytoncides can reduce stress, boost the immune system, and lower blood pressure as well as heart rate. (9)
- 2,000 years ago, 80% of Western Europe was covered by forests. Today, only 34% is covered by forests. (10)
https://www.earthday.org/reforestation-fact-sheet/
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/04/its-earth-day-invest-in-our-planet/
Forest Media 22 April 2022
New South Wales
The National Parks Association (NPA) community forum about The Great Koala National Park at the Norm Jordan Pavilion at the Coffs Harbour Showgrounds, from 5:30pm until 8pm and NEFA’s 29 April rally at 10.30 to 11.30 outside the NSW Legislative Council committee inquiry into the ‘Long term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry’ has been reported by News of the Area.
A Clarence Valley blueberry farmer has entered into an Enforceable Undertaking with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment committing the landholder to a conservation agreement for the property, which will protect more than 22 hectares of remnant vegetation from clearing for a minimum of 25 years, following the unlawful clearing of more than 11 hectares of native vegetation on their property. A NSW company linked to a serial offender has been fined more than $250,000 for building two illegal dams in creeks and clearing 6ha of endangered swamp sclerophyll forest next to the Great Lakes Marine Park.
Residents of Dalmeny in Eurobodalla Shire on the far south coast are continuing their campaign to stop bulldozing of 100 hectares of spotted gum forest that escaped the Black Summer bushfires for housing, and are now seeking donations for a legal challenge.
Australia
The Morrison government has been accused of sitting on the Australia State of the Environment report it received in December to avoid "more bad news" before the election, despite The Greens, Labor, the independent MP Zali Steggall, environment groups and scientists calling on the government to release it.
The ABC has a series of positive case studies of farmers protecting parts of their properties under various forms of conservation agreements in return for stewardship payments or carbon credits, while land clearing goes on.
As part of the Federal Government’s promotion of logging, the Green Triangle forestry industry, hit hard by the ongoing export log ban by China, has received a $1.3 million federal grant to explore the creation of new wood products using softwood and hardwood pulp.
Species
Concerns are growing over the Lendlease housing developments at Figtree Hill and Mt Gilead as clearing of Koala habitat proceeds without the promised fauna underpasses, while Koala corridors are narrowed and the density of development increases. State Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren and the Labor opposition welcome the $193m NSW Koala Strategy but are warning that koalas cannot be saved unless the current laws, policies and planning rules are changed to protect endangered koalas.
Through vaccinations and introductions of healthy adults from other populations, the University of Queensland's koala ecology group consider they have eliminated chlamydia from Koalas in Belmont Hills Reserve in suburban Brisbane, healthy adults are breeding again and hopefully the steady decline has been reversed.
With Firesticks Alliance a Yuin-Djiringanj traditional custodian applied a ‘traditional burn’ on a private property on the edge of Biamanga National Park to protect Koala habitat. Vic Jurkiss denies the Black Summer firestorms ever reached the new koala park at Biamanga, and has his usual rant about Koalas erupting due to increased regrowth and wildfires, noting “Explosive fuels, koala plagues and megafires go together”.
Researchers have undertaken DNA surveys of waterways in Royal National Park, finding traces of 250 land and water species, but no platypus, clearing the way for proposed reintroduction of 10 platypuses in August.
On the south-coast land-owners are being requested to remove Cocos Palms as flying foxes are increasingly being forced to feed on the toxic fruits following the loss of eucalypt blossoms in the fires, followed by rain washing the nectar out of flowers.
In an attempt to avoid extinctions, eighty captive spotted tree frogs, as well as 100 southern corroboree frogs, have been released into Kosciuszko National Park, after being severely impacted by the Black Summer bushfires on top of chytrid fungus. Only 10 spotted tree frogs were thought to have survived the fires.
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy says Bilbys are experiencing a population boom inside their 5 predator-free enclosures, with numbers growing from about 1230 animals last year to around 1480 this year.
The Save the Tasmanian devil Program has shown nearly 60,000 animals were reported killed in road-related incidents in Tasmania since the government launched a smartphone app three years ago, that is an average of 32 animals every hour with many more unreported.
Since December outbreaks of bird flu have been reported amongst wild birds in America, for example it is attributed with killing more than 200 waterfowl and water birds in an Illinois forest preserve, scores of Canada geese in Strafford County, hawks and eagles in Dane County and a growing number of other cases. In America more than 24 million poultry animals have been killed in the last two months across at least 24 states, and outbreaks H5 avian influenza are reported nearly every day. Japanese authorities culled 92,000 chickens following an outbreak, and outbreaks have been reported in South Korea, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany.
Researchers have completed the first open-air study of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the United States, the engineered males carry a gene that is lethal to female offspring meaning they die before they can reproduce.
The Deteriorating Problem
South Africa has said it will take climate change adaption seriously after it’s deadliest storm on record resulted in torrential rains that caused floods and mudslides in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, killing 448 people, leaving another 63 missing, destroying over 4,000 homes with thousands more seriously damaged, leaving 40,000 people without shelter, and many more without water or electricity. It was the third such catastrophe since 2017.
Turning it Around
The Conversation is undertaking a survey of its readers to find what matters to them most, so far more than 6,000 people have answered, with climate change (65%) and the environment (28%) topping the list as the issues that have the greatest impact on people’s lives (you can join in). Though they are being ignored by the main political parties.
The Magpie River recently became the first river in Canada to be granted legal personhood, giving it nine rights, among them the right to flow, maintain biodiversity, be free from pollution, and to sue.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
The National Parks Association (NPA) community forum about The Great Koala National Park at the Norm Jordan Pavilion at the Coffs Harbour Showgrounds, from 5:30pm until 8pm and NEFA’s 29 April rally at 10.30 to 11.30 outside the NSW Legislative Council committee inquiry into the ‘Long term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry’ has been reported by News of the Area.
Mr Graham told News Of The Area, “If the State Government is serious about doubling the koala population, then The Great Koala National Park is essential.
“Leaving the native forests alone will benefit taxpayers much more than cutting them down.
The Friends of Pine Creek will be promoting their proposal to complete a ‘forest bridge’ from the New England plateau to the coast.
Organisers want the NSW Government to end logging of public native forests and transition to plantations.
They also want to raise awareness about endangered species such as koalas, spotted-tailed quolls and barred frogs and vulnerable species of gliders.
The organisers also want to highlight the role of the Federal Government in forestry.
Blueberry farmer forced to protect 22ha after 11ha illegally cleared:
A Clarence Valley blueberry farmer has entered into an Enforceable Undertaking with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment committing the landholder to a conservation agreement for the property, which will protect more than 22 hectares of remnant vegetation from clearing for a minimum of 25 years, following the unlawful clearing of more than 11 hectares of native vegetation on their property.
https://insidelocalgovernment.com.au/blueberry-farmer-in-a-jam-over-unlawful-land-clearing/
Another fined more than $250,000 for clearing 6ha of an endangered ecosystem:
A NSW company linked to a serial offender has been fined more than $250,000 for building two illegal dams in creeks and clearing 6ha of endangered swamp sclerophyll forest next to the Great Lakes Marine Park.
The Natural Resources Access Regulator brought the case and says it should serve as a warning to landholders about what's at stake if they do the wrong thing.
https://www.northernbeachesreview.com.au/story/7707442/company-fined-over-clearing-illegal-dams/
The company, Bao Lin Pty Ltd, is linked to Chinese billionaire developer Phillip Dong Fang Lee, whose companies have been fined in Australia for environmental damage on three separate occasions since 2009.
Mr Lee’s companies were fined $200,000 in the NSW Land and Environment Court in 2009
when a dam walled collapsed and polluted water contaminated North Arm Cove.
In 2014 his companies were fined $8000 for clearing bushland and in 2019 his companies were fined $88,000 plus $20,000 costs for illegally clearing bushland.
In 2021 Mr Lee and Ms Shi’s assets were frozen by the Australian Tax Office, which is pursuing the couple for $272 million.
Protecting bush from housing:
Residents of Dalmeny in Eurobodalla Shire on the far south coast are continuing their campaign to stop bulldozing of 100 hectares of spotted gum forest that escaped the Black Summer bushfires for housing, and are now seeking donations for a legal challenge.
AUSTRALIA
Morrison sits on environment report:
The Morrison government has been accused of sitting on the Australia State of the Environment report it received in December to avoid "more bad news" before the election, despite The Greens, Labor, the independent MP Zali Steggall, environment groups and scientists calling on the government to release it.
A spokesperson for Ley said, "the report will be released within the statutory timeframe set out under the act". She would say that, but it's no excuse for using the election to avoid delaying the release of the report.
Paying to protect private lands:
The ABC has a series of positive case studies of farmers protecting parts of their properties under various forms of conservation agreements in return for stewardship payments or carbon credits, while land clearing goes on.
Recent research led by a University of Queensland team has found that 48 per cent of Australia’s threatened species’ distributions occur on private freehold land – and that conservation on farmland is critical to threatened species’ recovery.
Professor Lindenmayer says it’s paradoxical that there is so much emphasis on putting trees and shrubs back into the landscape, while legislation still allows large amounts of land clearing, especially in New South Wales and Queensland
Investing in composite timber products:
As part of the Federal Government’s promotion of logging, the Green Triangle forestry industry, hit hard by the ongoing export log ban by China, has received a $1.3 million federal grant to explore the creation of new wood products using softwood and hardwood pulp.
SPECIES
Putting the squeeze on Koalas:
Concerns are growing over the Lendlease housing developments at Figtree Hill and Mt Gilead as clearing of Koala habitat proceeds without the promised fauna underpasses, while Koala corridors are narrowed and the density of development increases.
However, Lendlease has yet to secure approval for the underpasses, and scientists fear other changes made since the plan was approved could harm the population of about 500 disease-free animals.
Koala ecologist Dr Steve Philips said he understands that koala corridors may now be constructed to an average rather than minimum size, which could create “pinch points” that prevent the animals from using them.
“Pinch points … will impede koala movements along the corridor. Males will block transit by other males … rendering them ineffective,” Philips said.
Labor says policies and planning rules need to be changed to double Koalas:
State Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren and the Labor opposition welcome the $193m NSW Koala Strategy but are warning that koalas cannot be saved unless the current laws, policies and planning rules are changed to protect endangered koalas.
State Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren says that while the overdue NSW Koala Strategy is welcome, what the residents of Campbelltown need and deserve is genuine action rather than lip service.
Mr Warren and the Labor opposition are warning that koalas cannot be saved if the current laws, policies and planning rules fail to protect endangered koalas.
Labor says koala numbers cannot be doubled if:
-
The NSW Government fails to apply clear rules through the planning system that protect key koala corridors and ensure there are safe road crossings before development occurs;
- The changes to land clearing laws that have seen a 300 percent increase in land clearing are allowed to continue in their current form;
- The stalled private native forestry code waters down protections for koala habitat on private land;
- The political bickering over the Koala State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP) continues;
- The NSW Government continues to ignore the Natural Resources Commission Report that sets out key actions to save and restore severely burned forests after the Black Summer bushfires;
- The NSW Government refuses to legislate net zero greenhouse gas emissions targets.
https://southwestvoice.com.au/saving-koalas/
Saving urban Koalas:
Through vaccinations and introductions of healthy adults from other populations, the University of Queensland's koala ecology group consider they have eliminated chlamydia from Koalas in Belmont Hills Reserve in suburban Brisbane, healthy adults are breeding again and hopefully the steady decline has been reversed.
[Dr FitzGibbon] accepts the new system is too labour intensive for large areas of habitat but believes it could help save urban colonies living in pockets of bushland.
https://www.blayneychronicle.com.au/story/7705414/new-approach-could-save-urban-koalas/
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2022/04/20/chlamydia-urban-koalas/
Burning to protect Koalas:
With Firesticks Alliance a Yuin-Djiringanj traditional custodian applied a ‘traditional burn’ on a private property on the edge of Biamanga National Park to protect Koala habitat.
For Dan Morgan, the next, crucial step to secure the future of the forests and vulnerable wildlife is to restore the country's traditional fire regime.
He is working with Yuin traditional knowledge holders and the local Koori community, to reclaim and apply cultural fire practices on their traditional lands.
It is a complex path to navigate, reclaiming ancient fire practices within the constraints of the prescribed burning regimes and regulations of different land tenures, and to support a koala population that is more vulnerable than ever.
"It's our cultural responsibility, to care for the land the way our ancestors did for thousands of years," Mr Morgan said. "Because that represents who we are.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-17/koalas-saved-by-traditional-indigenous-burning/100988672
Vic Jurkiss denies the Black Summer firestorms ever reached the new koala park at Biamanga, and has his usual rant about Koalas erupting due to increased regrowth and wildfires, noting “Explosive fuels, koala plagues and megafires go together”.
Koalas are not a vulnerable or endangered species, but there is multi-million dollar multinational industry exploiting their cute and cuddly appearance whilst peddling propaganda about their imminent extinction to raise funds, supposedly for wildlife conservation.
https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2022/04/explosive-fuels-koala-plagues-and-megafires/
Reintroducing platypuses into Royal NP:
Researchers have undertaken DNA surveys of waterways in Royal National Park, finding traces of 250 land and water species, but no platypus, clearing the way for proposed reintroduction of 10 platypuses in August.
A landmark assessment by UNSW scientists in 2020 found that the area of eastern Australia where platypuses live has shrunk by up to 22 per cent over the past 30 years, with key threats to their habitats including historic land clearing, river regulation, and extreme droughts.
https://www.openforum.com.au/the-return-of-the-platypus/
Cocos Palms killing flying foxes:
On the south-coast land-owners are being requested to remove Cocos Palms as flying foxes are increasingly being forced to feed on the toxic fruits following the loss of eucalypt blossoms in the fires, followed by rain washing the nectar out of flowers.
[Janine Davies] “Unfortunately eating the Cocos palm fruit can be toxic.”
She says removing the Cocos fruit will help reduce the death toll.
“There are many flying foxes being found deceased at the base of Cocos palms and other trees, some with fruit still in their mouth,” Janine says.
Flying fox wings can also get caught in the flower sheaths or leaves and the seeds can cause severe constipation resulting in dehydration and death in younger flying foxes.
Restocking endangered frogs:
In an attempt to avoid extinctions, eighty captive spotted tree frogs, as well as 100 southern corroboree frogs, have been released into Kosciuszko National Park, after being severely impacted by the Black Summer bushfires on top of chytrid fungus. Only 10 spotted tree frogs were thought to have survived the fires.
https://www.aap.com.au/news/endangered-frogs-jump-back-in-the-wild/
https://www.sydneytimes.net.au/critically-endangered-frogs-hop-back-into-the-wild/
Locking Bilbys up for their own good:
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy says Bilbys are experiencing a population boom inside their 5 predator-free enclosures, with numbers growing from about 1230 animals last year to around 1480 this year.
https://7news.com.au/technology/bilby-populations-climb-across-the-country-c-6464226
https://www.northernbeachesreview.com.au/story/7701492/bilby-populations-climb-across-the-country/
Car-nage:
The Save the Tasmanian devil Program has shown nearly 60,000 animals were reported killed in road-related incidents in Tasmania since the government launched a smartphone app three years ago, that is an average of 32 animals every hour with many more unreported.
Bird Flu continues to spread:
Since December outbreaks of bird flu have been reported amongst wild birds in America, for example it is attributed with killing more than 200 waterfowl and water birds in an Illinois forest preserve, scores of Canada geese in Strafford County, hawks and eagles in Dane County and a growing number of other cases. In America more than 24 million poultry animals have been killed in the last two months across at least 24 states, and outbreaks H5 avian influenza are reported nearly every day,
“Waterfowl are a natural host for Avian Influenza viruses and this strain has been identified in every North American Flyway this year,” she wrote. “Flyways are the migratory routes that many species of bird take between the areas they overwinter and summer. The summering and wintering grounds may overlap with those for species from other parts of the globe.”
https://www.concordmonitor.com/avian-flu-nh-new-hampshire-45828844
https://fox47.com/news/local/avian-influenza-found-in-wild-birds-in-wisconsin-dnr-says
Japanese authorities culled 92,000 chickens following an outbreak, and outbreaks have been reported in South Korea, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany.
https://www.poultryworld.net/health-nutrition/japanese-authorities-battle-bird-flu-outbreak/
Genetically engineered mosquitoes released:
Researchers have completed the first open-air study of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the United States, the engineered males carry a gene that is lethal to female offspring meaning they die before they can reproduce.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Time to adapt:
South Africa has said it will take climate change adaption seriously after it’s deadliest storm on record resulted in torrential rains that caused floods and mudslides in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, killing 448 people, leaving another 63 missing, destroying over 4,000 homes with thousands more seriously damaged, leaving 40,000 people without shelter, and many more without water or electricity. It was the third such catastrophe since 2017.
TURNING IT AROUND
Climate Change and the environment main issues:
The Conversation is undertaking a survey of its readers to find what matters to them most, so far more than 6,000 people have answered, with climate change (65%) and the environment (28%) topping the list as the issues that have the greatest impact on people’s lives (you can join in). Though they are being ignored by the main political parties.
Climate change (65%) and the environment (28%) topped the list as the issues that have the greatest impact on your lives. The cost of living (20%), misinformation (17%), housing (15%) and aged care (13%) comprise the remaining top spots on the list, followed by education, mental health, gender equality and COVID-19. These issues will all be prominent in our coverage.
The #SetTheAgenda survey will be open for a while yet, so please fill it out if you haven’t done so yet.
Mention forests if you do the survey
As far as political debate goes, this federal election seems to be less about climate change than any in the past 15 years. Unlike in 2010, 2013 and 2016 – when governments were elected and leaders deposed over climate policy – this time there’s no brutal contest over the issue.
In 2019, climate change determined how about 13% of Australians voted. And while it’s early days in the campaign, several polls suggest climate change remains a defining issue for voters this time around. If they’re right, the Coalition is in trouble.
Public anxiety over future climate damage is growing. The Lowy Institute has found 60% of Australians now say global warming is a significant and pressing problem. The same poll showed 55% of Australians say the government’s energy policy should prioritise “reducing carbon emissions” – up eight points since 2019.
The crucial indicator is the short-term national emissions target. The Coalition is sticking with a 26-28% reduction on 2005 levels by 2030. Labor is aiming for a 43% cut in the same period. The Greens and independents want more, and would legislate their targets.
While the Coalition has no renewable energy target, Labor is promising renewables will comprise 82% of the national grid by 2030.
Granting rivers legal rights:
The Magpie River recently became the first river in Canada to be granted legal personhood, giving it nine rights, among them the right to flow, maintain biodiversity, be free from pollution, and to sue.
To protect the natural landmark, the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit and the Minganie Regional County Municipality declared the Mutuhekau Shipu a legal person in 2021. Now the river has nine rights, among them the right to flow, maintain biodiversity, be free from pollution, and to sue.
While this is a first in Canada, it’s part of a global, Indigenous-led campaign echoing the rights of nature movement, which aims to provide concrete protections for the natural landscape. In recent years, many rivers—from New Zealand’s Whanganui to the United States’ Klamath River—have been given personhood. In 2018, Colombia’s Supreme Court granted the Amazon—the world’s largest river—legal rights.
Forest Media 15 April 2022
New South Wales
Echonet has a lengthy article against the burning of forests for electricity, noting that earlier this year (17 March) Tweed Shire Council passed (with only one dissenting) an amendment to exclude the purchase of renewable energy sourced from the burning of wood or waste as part of their procurement of Large-scale Generation Certificates.
Eurobodalla Council Deputy Mayor Alison Worthington put a motion to Council on 12 April calling for the cessation of logging of native forests in the Eurobodalla and a transition to sustainable plantations. Though it didn’t go according to plan, with Council voting to defer most issues. Fiona McCuaig gave a presentation to a public meeting for why logging of public native forests should cease in Eurobodalla.
The Forestry Corporation being fined $45,000 for cutting down ‘hollow bearing’ trees in Mogo State Forest on the South Coast is still generating media (repeatedly since 18 March), though it appears that Forestry Corp has appealed one of the 3 $15,000 fines which means it will be tested in court – generating yet more media.
If you are planning on visiting a national park check before you go, the NPWS have temporarily closed some of its campgrounds, walking tracks and vehicle accesses throughout NSW due to landslips, flooding and coastal erosion.
Australia
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) have been engaging closely with both the Coalition and Federal Labor throughout this election campaign to secure the best deal for Australia’s forest industries, focussing on Government subsidised plantations, no forest protection, and more pulplogs. It quickly bore fruit, as Scott Morrison promised his government “won’t support any shutdowns of native forestry” as he announced $220m to make more wood products in Australia, including $100 million to set up a National Institute for Forest Products Innovation in Launceston as part of his bid to hang on to marginal seats in Tasmania. The Australian Forest Products Association were delighted, claiming they would be able to quickly develop new methodologies for manufacturing structural timbers. Christine Milne joined the chorus of environmentalists decrying Morrison’s delusional fantasy of creating 73,000 new jobs in a dying industry. The Greens called for an end to logging native forests, and completing the transition to plantations.
For the industry ABARES are assessing the available resources for logging outside State forests over privately managed native forests, planted farm forestry, and native forests managed by Indigenous peoples. They have now released the Farm forestry sector report, identifying 73,400 hectares of farm forestry in Australia, of which 53,100 hectares have previously been identified and reported as commercial plantation.
The debate about whether logging makes forests more vulnerable to burning continues in the academic journals, most recently Lindenmayer et. al. reinterpret the data presented by Bowman et. al, concluding “Their data clearly show the effect of logging on the probability of high-severity fire and such findings, coupled with the results of other empirical analyses, indicate that forest management can lead to long-term elevated risks of high-severity fire. Even in mild fire weather, logged forests were more likely to suffer high-severity fire than undisturbed forests under more severe fire weather conditions”, in response Bowman et. al admit “a relatively small positive effect of recent harvesting on fire severity; however, the overall effect size is negligible on an area basis because such a small proportion of the area burned (<5%) was affected by recent harvesting”, regarding as critically important “the vulnerability of recently clear-felled native forests, plantations and the very large area of native forests regenerating following the recent fires”.
Species
On Saturday 9 April the NSW Government released its NSW Koala Strategy, to avoid scrutiny strategically timed to be sandwiched between the launch of the Federal Government’s Koala Recovery Plan and announcement of the federal election. Despite a promise to double Koala populations by 2050, with $193.3 million for the next 5 years, the strategy is set to fail because it does not fulfill the most fundamental requirement of stopping existing Koala habitat from being cleared and degraded, and lacks a strategic approach to identify the highest priority lands for protection and revegetation. It was praised by WWF though they did have a qualification about not stopping landclearing. NEFA’s criticisms for not stopping clearing and logging of koala habitat, while ignoring public lands (such as the Great Koala National Park and Sandy Creek Koala Park) and their proposed reductions of private land protections, were widely publicised. The Greens said it would be better to stop logging public forests. Labor emphasised the need to stop landclearing and adopt policies and laws for koalas.
The announced 5,000 ha Taronga Zoo Box-Gum Woodland Rewilding Reserve is assumed to be another fenced breeding compound, though no details were found. Koalas are intended to be introduced into it, though it seems inappropriate to fund it with Koala strategy money as they don’t need feral predators excluded.
There is no need to worry about clearing and logging Koala habitat, or biobanking habitat as compensation, when for a fraction of the cost we can just biobank sperm. A new koala rescue course has been launched nationwide by WIRES for registered wildlife carers.
NSW loggers have welcomed the Federal Government’s National Recovery Plan for the Koala, because, like NSW’s Strategy, it focuses on DPI Forestry’s dodgy findings that logging has no impact on Koala occupancy and ignores all the other studies which found logging has significant impacts, to justify doing nothing about logging.
NSW is missing in action as the Queensland Department of Environment and Science joined the Commonwealth in updating the conservation status of the koala to ‘endangered’.
An article in the Conversation (with audio) identifies Albert’s Lyrebird can mimic 11 other birds and 37 different sounds, each population with their own songs, though worryingly a third of their habitat was burnt.
A biologist fears last year's mysterious mass die-off of Australian frogs, which has been partially attributed to the skin-attacking amphibian chytrid fungus, could be on the cards again this winter, amplified by the recent floods. In the recent Queensland floods invasive fire ants formed rafts out of their bodies enabling them to float around with their queen and larvae on floodwaters for weeks before finding dry ground and starting new colonies.
Forestry had been monitoring wildlife at 40 sites in state forests south of Eden since 2007. Small mammals started declining with the drought in 2016-17 and then the 2019-20 fires caused a greater than 50 per cent decline in some species, though according to Forestry increased rainfall and prolific vegetation regrowth over the past 2 years have led to rapid recovery of a range of animal species including Southern Brown Bandicoots, Long-nosed Bandicoots, Bush Rats, Agile Antechinus and Painted Button quail.
The Sydney Morning Herald has an in-depth article about recovery efforts for the Orange-bellied Parrot as it teeters on the brink of extinction in the wild, with a massive investment there has been a slight improvement in the last few years.
Park rangers in China’s Ailaoshan Nature Reserve collected and preserved 30,468 leeches over a few months, whose blood was then analysed to identify the DNA of 86 different species from frogs to bears, enabling researches to identify what parts of the park the species utilised – wild animals preferred wild areas.
The Deteriorating Problem
National Geographic has a series of articles on the plight of our forests. ‘The Future of Forests’ documents cases of mass die-offs of forests around the world, including cases where repeat fires or other factors stop regeneration. While heating is enabling boreal forests to expand north, and CO2 fertilisation is enhancing growth, the apocalypse of intensifying heatwaves, droughts, fires, storms, and insect infestations are killing forests on a massive scale, as trees die they release their carbon, the land warms and the air dries. We can still limit the losses. In ‘4 solutions for trees and forests threatened by a hotter world’ they identify 1. Help forests migrate to beat the heat (climate is shifting faster than trees can), 2. Plant trees—but the right ones in the right places (too often inappropriate species are planted and the capacity for natural regeneration ignored – though the most effective action is to restore forests), 3. Build tougher trees with genetic engineering (in America they have genetically engineered a variety of native trees to resist diseases, though there is strong concern about releasing them into the wild), and 4. Leave forests alone to heal themselves (moving away from treating forests as plantations and allowing natural processes to restore forests, while logging occasional mature trees).
Mongabay has an article on the various metrics that can be used to measure biodiversity loss and planetary boundaries, concluding that by all measures biodiversity and ecosystems are in dramatic decline necessitating radical action.
A recent study of tropical forests identified how the regional warming and rainfall declines caused by deforestation affected remaining forests, finding significant biomass losses across the remaining rainforest.
Turning it Around
A recent study has claimed that we have a 50% chance of keeping warming to 2oC if all countries honour their promises, though limiting it to 1.5o warming will require deeper cuts. At the National Press Club the Greens focussed on the climate crisis as a war, and accused Liberal and Labor of aiding the enemy by backing more coal and gas, while spruiking how they will turn it around if they get the balance of power.
Last week, as part of the ‘Scientist Rebellion’ an estimated 1,000 scientists in more than 25 countries staged demonstrations to demand that world leaders do far more to reduce climate-warming emissions, with some locking themselves to the gate of the White House and to the front door of the JPMorgan Chase bank in Los Angeles, as well as blocking highway traffic in Washington, D.C. In a Guardian article a scientist speaks of his growing terror of the impacts of climate change, grief at the loss of reefs and forests, increasing activism, and inability to effect change – still urging others to action, citing Martin Luther King Jr.: “He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
Tweed votes against incinerating forests:
Echonet has a lengthy article against the burning of forests for electricity, noting that earlier this year (17 March) Tweed Shire Council passed (with only one dissenting) an amendment to exclude the purchase of renewable energy sourced from the burning of wood or waste as part of their procurement of Large-scale Generation Certificates.
[Greens Councillor Nola Firth] ‘The reasoning used to justify burning wood for energy is that wood regrows so is a renewable source. This reasoning is deeply flawed because we know trees take time to grow and also that trees are disappearing from the earth at a disastrous rate- in Australia one Melbourne Cricket Ground is cleared every 86 seconds, This at a time when over a million species are at risk of extinction and loss of habitat is the main cause.’
Mayor Chris Cherry supported the amendment pointing out that ‘we do have options for wind and solar that is the better option at this time. I am happy to see this going forward to meet our target for 2022 and 2030’.
Eurobodalla Council is being asked to support stopping logging of public forests:
Eurobodalla Council Deputy Mayor Alison Worthington put a motion to Council on 12 April calling for the cessation of logging of native forests in the Eurobodalla and a transition to sustainable plantations.
Deputy Mayor Councillor Worthington says "There is growing community demand here in the Eurobodalla, across NSW, as well as around Australia and the world, for native forest logging to stop, and for the native forest timber industry to be transitioned to sustainable plantations. We are in the middle of twin deteriorating crises - the Biodiversity Crisis and the Climate Crisis.
"Native forest logging practices in our south coast State Forests, which make up 31% of our shire’s land area, directly contribute to both crises. Logging of our south coast State Forests is not economically or environmentally sustainable.
Though it didn’t go according to plan, with Council voting to defer most issues.
In what was an argumentative, cumbersome, poorly informed debate the majority of Eurobodalla Shire Councillors voted to defer many of the points in a motion calling for an end to native forest logging in the State Forests within Eurobodalla.
As if it was painfully pulling teeth the Council voted to acknowledge and raise the concerns of south coast residents with FCNSW asking for better management of State Forests to support nature-based tourism enterprises, recreational usage, threatened species habitat protection and carbon sequestration.
https://www.beagleweekly.com.au/post/visionary-forest-policy-deferred-by-eurobodalla-council
https://www.beagleweekly.com.au/post/council-shows-its-underbelly-on-continued-native-forest-harvesting
In light of the passed motions to defer, Council will now seek further information on each of the matters.
Based on debate in the chamber, it is understood Council will ask NSW Forestry Corporation about the organisation's profitability and viability; discussions are also likely to occur with local tourism operators impacted by this issue.
The current deferrals are active until council receives the extra information it has requested. At this stage, there is no set date for when the motion will return to the council chamber.
Fiona McCuaig gave a presentation to a public meeting for why logging of public native forests should cease in Eurobodalla.
https://www.beagleweekly.com.au/post/presentation-to-public-forum-fiona-mccuaig
Mogo repeating fines:
The Forestry Corporation being fined $45,000 for cutting down ‘hollow bearing’ trees in Mogo State Forest on the South Coast is still generating media (repeatedly since 18 March), though it appears that Forestry Corp has appealed one of the 3 $15,000 fines which means it will be tested in court – generating yet more media.
The EPA issued three $15,000 Penalty Infringement Notices to FCNSW for felling hollow bearing trees across three areas in Mogo State Forest in 2020. These trees provide vital habitat for endangered species.
Forestry Corporation has appealed against one of the fines.
The EPA set Site Specific Operating Conditions for forestry activity in the Mogo State Forest following damage from the 2019/20 Black Summer Bushfires.
EPA Executive Director Regulatory Operations Carmen Dwyer said these conditions were in place to provide additional environmental protections for damaged forests, including the requirement to permanently retain all hollow bearing trees, which were particularly important for the habitat of native animals.
https://www.miragenews.com/forestry-corporation-fined-for-destroying-762091/
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7695117/habitat-loss-costs-forestry-corp-nsw-45k/
https://www.tenterfieldstar.com.au/story/7695117/habitat-loss-costs-forestry-corp-nsw-45k/?cs=7
https://www.thebharatexpressnews.com/forestry-corp-nsw-fined-for-habitat-loss/
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2022/04/11/forestry-corp-nsw-fined-over-habitat-loss/
Check before going bush:
If you are planning on visiting a national park check before you go, the NPWS have temporarily closed some of its campgrounds, walking tracks and vehicle accesses throughout NSW due to landslips, flooding and coastal erosion.
https://psnews.com.au/2022/04/12/visitors-on-way-to-parks-advised-to-check-first/?state=aps
AUSTRALIA
Loggers after election commitments:
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) have been engaging closely with both the Coalition and Federal Labor throughout this election campaign to secure the best deal for Australia’s forest industries, focussing on Government subsidised plantations, no forest protection, and more pulplogs.
The four themes under which more detailed policy requests are included in the Plan for Growth, are:
- Rapidly delivering on the bipartisan agreement of an additional one billion new production trees to meet Australia’s future timber needs
- Ensure hardwood supplies for floors and other high value uses continue through no more forest lock ups
- Turbocharge the job creating, value adding new fibre-based industries by establishing the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) in Launceston
- Enhance our world leading pulp, paper and packaging sector to allow it to play a larger role in moving Australia to a recyclable bioeconomy replacing plastics
https://www.miragenews.com/this-election-vote-for-forest-industries-to-762078/
… and quickly get cash handouts:
Scott Morrison has promised his government “won’t support any shutdowns of native forestry” as he announced $220m to make more wood products in Australia, including $100 million to set up a National Institute for Forest Products Innovation in Launceston as part of his bid to hang on to marginal seats in Tasmania.
Morrison said the Coalition’s support for forestry was about jobs, and showed it understood “what drives regional economies”.
“Forestry is key to that,” he said. “Under our government we won’t support any shutdowns of native forestry, and we will continue to work with state governments to create permanent timber production areas.”
Morrison said the Coalition still had time to meet the tree planting commitment. He said the new announcement would allow manufacturing and processing businesses to “maximise log recovery, process smaller diameter logs and create new and innovative wood products”, and followed a $86.2m promise to reduce the upfront cost of establishing new plantations.
The Australian Forest Products Association claimed they would be able to quickly develop new methodologies for manufacturing structural timbers
Australian Forest Products Association chief executive Ross Hampton said it was "absolutely possible to get quick wins" from the grant funding and see a "significant amount" of timber injected into the domestic market.
"We need our researchers finding clever ways to get more structural timber out of the trees we've currently got coming in," he said.
"There are new saws that can cut around curves, it's possible to glue smaller pieces of timber to get the strength we need in construction and there's an opportunity to review the timber grading system we use."
Christine Milne joined the chorus of environmentalists decrying Morrison’s delusional fantasy of creating 73,000 new jobs in a dying industry.
The reality is that it is over for native forest logging in Australia. It is ecologically unsustainable and destroys biodiversity and carbon stores. WA has shut it down, Victorian regeneration has failed and the industry is set for closure by 2030 and under huge community, legal and financial pressure to go before the end of this year.
The community does not want native forests burnt for bioenergy anywhere in the country. Almost 90% of timber used in Australia comes from plantations. The market has spoken; yet today’s announcement is the logging equivalent of Morrison’s “this is coal” gimmick in Parliament.
https://www.miragenews.com/keeping-forests-intact-is-essential-to-protect-764613/
The Greens called for an end to logging native forests, and completing the transition to plantations.
As stated by Greens spokesperson for forests, Senator Janet Rice:
“Logging Australia’s native forests is environmental vandalism and economically unviable. The Greens will end the destructive native forest logging that is destroying wildlife habitation, water catchments, carbon stores.
“Ninety percent of the timber industry is already plantation based. We need to complete the shift to 100% plantation based industry and cease the devastating destruction done by logging our precious native forests.
https://www.miragenews.com/forestry-sector-needs-reform-not-expansion-764826/
Finding more resources for logging:
For the industry ABARES are assessing the available resources for logging outside State forests over privately managed native forests, planted farm forestry, and native forests managed by Indigenous peoples. They have now released the Farm forestry sector report, identifying 73,400 hectares of farm forestry in Australia, of which 53,100 hectares have previously been identified and reported as commercial plantation.
Farm forestry sector report – PDF [ 3.4 MB]
https://www.awe.gov.au/abares/forestsaustralia/publications/private-forest-inventory
Logging does increase burning:
The debate about whether logging makes forests more vulnerable to burning continues in the academic journals, most recently Lindenmayer et. al. reinterpret the data presented by Bowman et. al, concluding “Their data clearly show the effect of logging on the probability of high-severity fire and such findings, coupled with the results of other empirical analyses, indicate that forest management can lead to long-term elevated risks of high-severity fire. Even in mild fire weather, logged forests were more likely to suffer high-severity fire than undisturbed forests under more severe fire weather conditions”, in response Bowman et. al admit “a relatively small positive effect of recent harvesting on fire severity; however, the overall effect size is negligible on an area basis because such a small proportion of the area burned (<5%) was affected by recent harvesting”, regarding as critically important “the vulnerability of recently clear-felled native forests, plantations and the very large area of native forests regenerating following the recent fires”.
Substantial research demonstrates that crown fire is far less likely in older and unlogged forests. In logged forests, including those subject to intensive clearcutting, stand age can effectively be reduced to zero. For many forests studied to date, there is an initial (~10 yr) decline in high-severity fire after logging, followed by an extended period (of at least 40 yr) of increased probability of high-severity fire, particularly under extreme fire weather conditions. The likelihood of crown fire then declines as forests further mature 13. For example, a previous study showed that in the 2009 fires in Central Victoria, crown fire was seven times more likely in young Mountain Ash regrowth forest (much of which was logged and subsequently regenerated) compared to unlogged old-growth forest
This concern was validated by Bowman et al. in their analysis of canopy damage (Fig. 1). Their data clearly show the effect of logging on the probability of high-severity fire and such findings, coupled with the results of other empirical analyses, indicate that forest management can lead to long-term elevated risks of high-severity fire. Even in mild fire weather, logged forests were more likely to suffer high-severity fire than undisturbed forests under more severe fire weather conditions (Fig. 1). If rates of disturbance by logging are minimized, canopy damage can be mitigated and the risk of uncontrollable high-severity fires that endanger humans and biodiversity can be reduced.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01717-y
Our initial analysis showed a relatively small positive effect of recent harvesting on fire severity; however, the overall effect size is negligible on an area basis because such a small proportion of the area burned (<5%) was affected by recent harvesting (Fig. 1)
Regardless, our re-analysis demonstrated that using the most extreme severity category alone has no effect on the conclusion that the impacts of forestry disturbance were overwhelmed by extreme fire weather conditions
Our findings have critically important, unreresolved implications for forest and fire management given the vulnerability of recently clear-felled native forests, plantations and the very large area of native forests regenerating following the recent fires. There is urgency to address these issues given the trajectory for a hotter, drier climate in temperate Australia and other fire-prone forested landscapes elsewhere in the world. Solely focusing scientific and media attention on the small, and highly variable, relationship between past logging and fire severity distracts from evidence-based policy regarding options for managing future fire risks.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01716-z
SPECIES
NSW Koala Strategy:
On Saturday 9 April the NSW Government released its NSW Koala Strategy, to avoid scrutiny strategically timed to be sandwiched between the launch of the Federal Government’s Koala Recovery Plan and announcement of the federal election. Despite a promise to double Koala populations by 2050, with $193.3 million for the next 5 years, the strategy is set to fail because it does not fulfill the most fundamental requirement of stopping existing Koala habitat from being cleared and degraded, and lacks a strategic approach to identify the highest priority lands for protection and revegetation.
https://thewest.com.au/news/environment/hopes-cash-splash-doubles-koala-population-c-6389560
https://www.huntervalleynews.net.au/story/7693419/hopes-cash-splash-doubles-koala-population/?cs=12
https://southwestvoice.com.au/state-spotlight-campbelltown-koalas/
It was praised by WWF
"It is a great improvement over the first koala strategy as it includes goals and actions that are explicit and ambitious, major funding for habitat restoration and a commitment to national parks," the conservation body said.
https://www.tenterfieldstar.com.au/story/7693419/hopes-cash-splash-doubles-koala-population/?cs=7
… though they did have a qualification about not stopping landclearing
But he noted that it did not address land clearing, which he said was the single greatest threat to koalas along with climate change.
and criticised by NEFA for not stopping clearing and logging of koala habitat, while ignoring public lands (such as the Great Koala National Park and Sandy Creek Koala Park) and their proposed reductions of private land protections.
The NSW Government’s Koala Strategy released today will do little to turn around their extinction trajectory as it is not stopping logging and clearing of Koala habitat which, along with climate heating, are the main drivers of their demise.
“The Strategy proposes nothing to redress the logging of Koala habitat on public lands …
[Great Koala National Park and Sandy Creek Koala Park] are public lands that we know are important Koala habitat that need to be protected from further degradation if we want to recover Koala populations. There are many other areas of important Koala habitat on State forests in need of identification and protection from logging.
“This will not compensate for the Liberal’s promises to the Nationals, as peace terms in the 2020 Koala Wars, to remove the requirement to obtain permission before clearing core Koala habitat, to end the prohibition on logging core Koala habitat, to open up all environmental zones for logging, and to stop core Koala habitat being added to environmental zones.
“Throwing money at piecemeal protection of private land, while allowing some of the best Koala habitat to be cleared and logged will not save Koalas
“The NSW Koala Strategy is set to fail because it does not fulfill the most fundamental requirement of stopping existing Koala habitat from being cleared and degraded, and lacks a strategic approach to identify the highest priority lands for protection and revegetation” Mr. Pugh said.
The Greens said it would be better to stop logging public forests:
[Cate Faehrmann] “The government should have spent $195 million on ending logging in koala habitat including developing a jobs transition plan for forestry workers.”
There was widespread coverage of NEFA’s concerns.
https://www.nefa.org.au/koalas
https://www.nbnnews.com.au/2022/04/11/nsw-government-announces-new-koala-strategy/
https://indynr.com/koalas-could-be-extinct-by-2050-is-the-new-state-govt-193mil-strategy-enough/
The Northern Rivers Times, April 14 2022.
https://www.echo.net.au/downloads/byron-echo/volume-36/ByronEcho3644.pdfT (p21)
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/04/nsw-koala-strategy-set-to-fail/
https://neweysnews.co.uk/state-government-promises-millions-to-rescue-endangered-koalas/
https://theworldnews.net/au-news/state-government-promises-millions-to-rescue-endangered-koalas
https://almooon.com/endangered-koalas-focus-of-multi-million-dollar-nsw-government-rescue-package/
https://biaust.com/state-federal-government-assures-millions-to-rescue-threatened-koalas/
… and there was an interesting translation
A spokesperson for the North East Forest Alliance, Dailan Pugh, besides criticised the strategy for not doing capable to support situation connected backstage onshore oregon forestall logging successful authorities forests successful situation areas.
“The centrepiece of the NSW Koala Strategy is to walk $71 cardinal connected backstage lands, buying properties and implementing conservation agreements implicit up to 22,000 hectares,” helium said.
https://usnews.ansneed.com/state-government-promises-millions-to-rescue-endangered-koalas
Labor emphasised the need to stop landclearing and adopt policies and laws for koalas.
"Labor welcomes this investment in the future of NSW koalas but we remain concerned that this target cannot be met without a change to other policies across government." Labor environment spokeswoman Penny Sharpe said. "The NSW Koala Strategy is doomed to fail unless a true whole of government approach is committed to and delivered by each and every minister with oversight on the policies and laws that impact on koalas."
Labor says koala numbers cannot be increased without changes to land clearing laws or clearer rules for protecting koala corridors.
https://www.wollondillyadvertiser.com.au/story/7699156/funding-for-strategy-to-save-koalas/
The 5,000 ha Taronga Zoo Box-Gum Woodland Rewilding Reserve is assumed to be another fenced breeding compound, though no details were found. Koalas are intended to be introduced into it, though it seems inappropriate to fund it with Koala strategy money as they don’t need feral predators excluded.
Koalas and other threatened species are to be given a safe haven, in a first-of-its-kind 5000-hectare Box-Gum Woodland Rewilding Reserve, led by Taronga Conservation Society Australia and supported by a $16m investment from the NSW government.
“This strategy aims to protect 47,000 hectares of koala habitat over five years, while we’re currently losing 38,000 hectares of native vegetation each year to land clearing and logging. It’s a losing battle.
“The NSW Koala Strategy is welcome – particularly funds to purchase important koala habitat but the key habitats of the Mid North coast could be protected with the stroke of a pen,” Mr Gambian said.
“It’s time for the Great Koala National Park.”
https://www.newsofthearea.com.au/nsw-government-releases-new-koala-strategy-91081
A cheaper form of biobanking:
No need to worry about clearing and logging Koala habitat, or biobanking habitat as compensation, when for a fraction of the cost we can just biobank sperm.
The research published in the journal Animals on Wednesday found that, biobanking would allow the storage of live koala genes by freezing sex cells such as sperm.
"The frozen sperm can then be used to impregnate female koalas in breed-for-release programs, using assisted reproductive technology", the researchers said.
They also noted the strategy would be five-to-12 times cheaper than current captive koala breeding methods and wouldn't compromise their genetic diversity.
https://www.innerwestreview.com.au/story/7697929/koala-ivf-could-save-endangered-species/
To reach the genetic target, you would need 223 koalas in a conventional captive program. By contrast, adding assisted reproduction means you’d only have to keep 17 koalas.
While we’ve seen some progress in tailoring these technologies to koalas, there’s more to do. To date, 34 koala joeys have been born using artificial insemination in tame zoo koalas. These joeys, however, came from fresh or chilled sperm, not frozen. To use frozen sperm requires more research and technology development. Other procedures like embryo transfer and cryopreservation of sperm will also need more development.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/could-freezing-koala-sperm-help-095120121.html
New WIRES course:
A new koala rescue course has been launched nationwide by WIRES for registered wildlife carers.
The WIRES koala rescue course will cover:
- Work health and safety risks involved in rescuing and transporting koalas
- Koala biology, behaviour, distribution, and threats
- Appropriate capture, handling, and transport methods
- Rescue scenarios and how to approach koalas
- Koala observational assessment and reporting processes post-rescue
- Common injuries and diseases.
https://www.innerwestreview.com.au/story/7692719/how-to-rescue-a-koala-new-course-for-carers/
More publicity:
A mixed story on Channel Nine about the decline of Koalas, the need for the AKF proposed legislation, and the need to be able to release recovered Koalas away from where they were found.
Loggers praise National Recovery Plan:
NSW loggers have welcomed the Federal Government’s National Recovery Plan for the Koala, because, like NSW’s Strategy, it focuses on DPI Forestry’s dodgy findings that logging has no impact on Koala occupancy and ignores all the other studies which found logging has significant impacts, to justify doing nothing about logging.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/sustainable-timber-harvesting-has-no-impact-on-koala-numbers/
Queensland lists Koalas as Endangered:
NSW is missing in action as the Queensland Department of Environment and Science joined the Commonwealth in updating the conservation status of the koala to ‘endangered’.
https://www.ecovoice.com.au/endangered-koala-must-be-protected-made-the-qld-olympics-mascot/
Albert’s Lyrebirds good mimics, ecosystem engineers and fire affected:
An article in the Conversation (with audio) identifies Albert’s Lyrebird can mimic 11 other birds and 37 different sounds, each population with their own songs, though worryingly a third of their habitat was burnt.
Impressively, they can accurately mimic up to 11 different species, including satin bowerbirds, Australian king-parrots, crimson rosellas and kookaburras, among others.
They also mimic multiple vocalisations from each species, as well as non-vocal sounds such as wingbeats. In fact, one lyrebird can mimic up to 37 different sounds!
These songs also vary from region to region, so each population has its unique set of whistle songs shared among the local males
Like female superb lyrebirds, female Albert’s lyrebirds sing both their own song and mimic the sounds of other birds.
Superb lyrebirds are “ecosystem engineers”, who turn over soil when foraging with their powerful claws, which can reduce bushfire fuel. Albert’s lyrebirds also rake the forest floor while foraging and are likely to have similar impacts.
The devastating 2019-2020 bushfires that engulfed Australia’s east coast burnt an estimated 32% of Albert’s lyrebirds habitat. As a result, Albert’s lyrebirds have now been listed as one of 13 priority bird species requiring urgent management after the fires.
Floodwaters may increase mysterious frog deaths:
A biologist fears last year's mysterious mass die-off of Australian frogs, which has been partially attributed to the skin-attacking amphibian chytrid fungus, could be on the cards again this winter, amplified by the recent floods.
Even so, Dr Rowley is hoping Australians will continue to help by reporting frog illness and deaths by emailing [email protected]
Amphibian chytrid fungus is not a new threat in Australia and the pathogen is not always deadly. Some species seem to tolerate it well, and the fungus is often found in individuals that appear unaffected.
[Jane Hall] believes there's something else going on besides the fungus.
"Free-ranging wildlife encounter pathogens all the time. Often they are able to fight those infection off but sometimes, if conditions are right, then things can go a little bit sideways and that's when we get these unusual mortality events."
Exposure to toxins, such as pesticides, is another avenue of inquiry but so far tests have not revealed anything that could explain the die off's broad geographic range.
https://www.innerwestreview.com.au/story/7695384/floods-may-ramp-up-fungus-threat-for-frogs/
… and spread fire ants:
In the recent Queensland floods invasive fire ants formed rafts out of their bodies enabling them to float around with their queen and larvae on floodwaters for weeks before finding dry ground and starting new colonies.
Forestry claiming wildlife recovery:
Forestry had been monitoring wildlife at 40 sites in state forests south of Eden since 2007. Small mammals started declining with the drought in 2016-17 and then the 2019-20 fires caused a greater than 50 per cent decline in some species, though according to Forestry increased rainfall and prolific vegetation regrowth over the past 2 years have led to rapid recovery of a range of animal species including Southern Brown Bandicoots, Long-nosed Bandicoots, Bush Rats, Agile Antechinus and Painted Button quail.
"While the recovery of smaller native mammals has been most pronounced, larger and more common species including Common Wombats, brush-tailed possums, Swamp Wallabies, Lace Monitors, Short-beaked Echidnas and Superb Lyrebirds have continued to be recorded at rates similar to those recorded before the fires and drought.
"While this is preliminary monitoring data, our cameras have been monitoring the same 40 locations in state forests south of Eden for more than a decade and this latest data is a really promising sign that many native species have not only survived the Black Summer fires quite well, but are currently thriving."
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/wildlife-scampers-back-to-fire-ravaged-nsw-forests/
Orange-bellied Parrot teetering on the brink:
The Sydney Morning Herald has an in-depth article about recovery efforts for the Orange-bellied Parrot as it teeters on the brink of extinction in the wild, with a massive investment there has been a slight improvement in the last few years.
Only six years ago it looked like orange-bellied parrots were destined for extinction. Their numbers had dropped so low that in 2016 only 17 wild OBPs - 14 males and three females - remained in Melaleuca at the end of the breeding season.
This autumn about 140 OBPs will leave Melaleuca and fly north to the mainland.
Wintle and other researchers found that in Australia we spend about 5 per cent (around $122 million) of what we would need to recover our nationally listed threatened species.
Using leeches to track wildlife:
Park rangers in China’s Ailaoshan Nature Reserve collected and preserved 30,468 leeches over a few months, whose blood was then analysed to identify the DNA of 86 different species from frogs to bears, enabling researches to identify what parts of the park the species utilised – wild animals preferred wild areas.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
The heat is on forests:
National Geographic has a series of articles on the plight of our forests. ‘The Future of Forests’ documents cases of mass die-offs of forests around the world, including cases where repeat fires or other factors stop regeneration. While heating is enabling boreal forests to expand north, and CO2 fertilisation is enhancing growth, the apocalypse of intensifying heatwaves, droughts, fires, storms, and insect infestations are killing forests on a massive scale, as trees die they release their carbon, the land warms and the air dries. We can still limit the losses.
And what’s become ever more clear to Allen, through his own work and that of many others, is that trees the world over are vulnerable to the added heat. The warmer atmosphere sucks more moisture from plants and soil. To cut their losses during droughts, trees close pores in their leaves, called stomata, or shed leaves entirely. But that limits the CO2 they take in, leaving them both hungry and parched all at once. When it’s especially hot, they even leak some of the water they’re desperate to retain.
When soil gets dry enough, trees can no longer maintain pressure in the internal conduits that carry water up to their leaves. Air bubbles interrupt the flow, causing fatal embolisms. …
The upshot, scientists figured out in just the past decade, is that many trees in most landscapes, from the hot, rainy Amazon to cold, dry Alberta, are operating at the limits of their hydraulic systems, even under normal conditions, with little safety margin. That means a hot drought can push them over the threshold….
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/forests-future-threatened-heat-drought-feature
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/protecting-the-nations-trees-and-forests/
In ‘4 solutions for trees and forests threatened by a hotter world’ they identify 1. Help forests migrate to beat the heat (climate is shifting faster than trees can), 2. Plant trees—but the right ones in the right places (too often inappropriate species are planted and the capacity for natural regeneration ignored – though the most effective action is to restore forests), 3. Build tougher trees with genetic engineering (in America they have genetically engineered a variety of native trees to resist diseases, though there is strong concern about releasing them into the wild), and 4. Leave forests alone to heal themselves (moving away from treating forests as plantations and allowing natural processes to restore forests, while logging occasional mature trees).
There is nothing more important that humans can do for forests, which have been on this planet for hundreds of millions of years, than cut our greenhouse gas emissions and stop cutting down old-growth trees.
With resources limited and no time to spare, Brancalion says, jump-starting natural processes can help. In many cases, if we let nature do the heavy lifting, he says, “the forest can regrow quite effectively.”
Prince Salm is part of a growing group of German forest owners who have turned to what’s known as close-to-nature forestry. This hands-off approach avoids tree planting when possible and advocates largely sticking to native species. The aim is to replicate the ecosystems of wild forests by leaving deadwood behind and selectively harvesting only the most mature trees.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/solutions-fixing-forests-fight-warming-feature
Passing biodiversity thresholds:
Mongabay has an article on the various metrics that can be used to measure biodiversity loss and planetary boundaries, concluding that by all measures biodiversity and ecosystems are in dramatic decline necessitating radical action.
For instance, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimates that about 77% of the land and 87% of the ocean have been altered by humans, which has led to a loss of 83% of wild mammal biomass, and half of the world’s plant biomass. The IPBES also suggests that more than a million plant and animal species are currently threatened with extinction, potentially putting us on a path to what has been dubbed Earth’s sixth mass extinction.
While fossil records show that extinctions happen naturally, current extinction rates are estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times higher today than what is considered natural. This rate is even expected to increase tenfold over the course of the century.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the multilateral treaty responsible for conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity, draws on the concept of protecting half of land and sea in the draft of its post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The framework, which was negotiated in Geneva in March, maps a route for “living in harmony with nature” by 2050. One proposed means for achieving this target is for countries to protect at least 30% of land and ocean by 2030, extended to 50% by 2050.
“Global economies are destroying the web life, ripping all these threads out,” Peterson said. “Has it passed some boundary or not? What does that even mean? There’s no question … we’re on a terrible trajectory with biodiversity, and the only way of dealing with this is very radical change.”
Clearing effects spread:
A recent study of tropical forests identified how the regional warming and rainfall declines caused by deforestation affected remaining forests, finding significant biomass losses across the rainforest.
He explained that for a new patch of deforestation in the Amazon, the regional climate changes that happen as a result led to an additional 5.1 percent more loss of total biomass in the entire Amazon basin. In the Congo, the additional biomass loss from the climate effects of deforestation is about 3.8 percent. Tropical forests store about 200 petagrams of carbon in their aboveground biomass. Since 2010, deforestation has been removing about 1 petagram of that carbon every year. (One petagram is equal to 1 trillion kilograms.)
"Deforestation has ramifications to forests growing elsewhere, because its consequences to the region's air temperature and precipitation," said co-author Paulo Brando
https://phys.org/news/2022-04-deforestation-climate-forest.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29601-0
TURNING IT AROUND
In with a chance for 2o:
A recent study has claimed that we have a 50% chance of keeping warming to 2oC if all countries honour their promises, though limiting it to 1.5o warming will require deeper cuts.
The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees of warming is stark, climate scientists say. At 2 degrees of warming, 38 per cent more permafrost will thaw and twice as many vertebrates and plants will lose half their range. In a world of 2 degrees of global warming, an average Australian summer would outstrip historically hot ones such as 2012-13. There will be greater climate variability too – hotter temperatures, more storms, droughts and bushfires.
The new analysis estimates that, by 2030, emissions will be between 6 and 13 per cent higher than 2010 levels. But in its most recent report, released last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees would require a 37 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared with 2010 levels.
Green promise to use their power to turn it around:
At the National Press Club the Greens focussed on the climate crisis as a war, and accused Liberal and Labor of aiding the enemy by backing more coal and gas, while spruiking how they will turn it around if they get the balance of power.
“Our enemy is the climate crisis. The enemy is fuelled by coal and gas. Mining and burning coal and gas is killing people. And Liberal and Labor want more,” Bandt told the National Press Club.
“The war is bleaching our reef, burning our forest to the dropping rain bombs on our cities and towns, damaging our communities and our economy.”
“Liberal and Labor haven’t just given up; they are aiding the enemy by backing more coal and gas.”
If you don’t want to condone it you have to protest:
Last week, as part of the ‘Scientist Rebellion’ an estimated 1,000 scientists in more than 25 countries staged demonstrations to demand that world leaders do far more to reduce climate-warming emissions, with some locking themselves to the gate of the White House and to the front door of the JPMorgan Chase bank in Los Angeles, as well as blocking highway traffic in Washington, D.C.
https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?e=6624c72df8&u=7c733794100bcc7e083a163f0&id=f0f98c86ae
In a Guardian article a scientist speaks of his growing terror of the impacts of climate change, grief at the loss of reefs and forests, increasing activism, and inability to effect change – still urging others to action, citing Martin Luther King: “He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
Nothing has worked. It’s now the eleventh hour and I feel terrified for my kids, and terrified for humanity. I feel deep grief over the loss of forests and corals and diminishing biodiversity. But I’ll keep fighting as hard as I can for this Earth, no matter how bad it gets, because it can always get worse. And it will continue to get worse until we end the fossil fuel industry and the exponential quest for ever more profit at the expense of everything else. There is no way to fool physics.
Martin Luther King Jr said, “He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” Out of necessity, and after exhaustive efforts, I’ve joined the ranks of those who selflessly risk their freedom and put their bodies on the line for the Earth, despite ridicule from the ignorant and punishment from a colonizing legal system designed to protect the planet-killing interests of the rich. It’s time we all join them. The feeling of solidarity is a wonderful balm.
Forest Media 8 April 2022
New South Wales
At the south coast Upper House hearings into the ’Long term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry’ concerns were raised about the frequency of logging breaches, the slow investigations, the lack of third-party enforcement, the logging of burnt forests and the pitiful returns on native forest logging, whereas the industry was concerned about restrictions on logging big trees.
Susie, Greg and Jane ventured from Elands to set up a soup kitchen in Lismore called Trees not Bombs, a collaboration between the old NEFA liberation cafe and Food Not Bombs in Newcastle, serving 300 to 400 hot meals a day and unlimited hot drinks.
The first wave of fish kills in the Richmond River were massive as inundated exotic pastures on river banks and floodplains rotted and deoxygenated waters, suffocating millions of fish. Another wave is expected to result from runoff from activated acid sulphate soils (in drained wetlands) with high levels of sulphuric acid and metals. Though the good news is that all our streams have had a thorough flush-out of fine sediments and toxins deposited by our activities.
Australia
Last week Bob Brown and three other protesters had their charges suddenly withdrawn in court in relation to protests in the Eastern Tiers in 2020, and then two other protesters also had charges dropped this week regarding Wentworth Hills protests. Since the mid 1980s the Government has been approving logging illegally, and they can’t retrospectively fix it for over a month. Bob Brown said the decision called into question the legality of native forest harvesting in Tasmania spanning decades, stating "The government should prepare to compensate hundreds of good people who have been wrongfully charged, convicted and even sent to jail for obstructing this illegal logging."
The Morrison government has launched its Farm Forestry: Growing Together strategy which aims to encourage tree planting for loggers, which can be double counted as carbon storage until they log it. They are antithetic to the concept of planting trees for the environment or the future.
Two men have been convicted and fined $25,000 each plus costs in the Mildura Magistrates Court for the destruction of more than eight hectares of wildlife habitat near Mildura.
Species
The National Koala Recovery Plan has finally been released, with the Commonwealth, NSW and ACT signing onto it, and Queensland refusing to. There are promises of a new national koala recovery team to oversee and co-ordinate recovery efforts, with the plan “implemented through regional-scale implementation plans” (covering anywhere from whole bioregions to Council KPoMs). So while the goal is to protect and recover Koala populations, it seems to be business as usual, with more committees and buck-passing as Koala habitat continues to be logged and cleared while Koalas decline.
The NSW Government has purchased 73ha for Koalas adjacent to Cudgen Nature Reserve in the Tweed. This was likely already zoned for protection, though this entrenches protection and improves management, though Provest is gilding the lily by claiming it significantly increases their habitat area and decreases their risk of extinction (particularly given he supported the Koala Kill Bill). Sue Arnold bemoans media focussing on politicians kissing Koalas while they ignore track records and lack of any pre-election policy focus on biodiversity loss, let alone koalas. Now you can experience Allen’s Chew’Ems Gummi Koalas fruity flavoured fun or get zapped with the tanginess of Chew’Ems Sourz Gummi Koalas, while helping fund a new WIRES online National Koala Rescue Training Course.
A company claims its trials were able to reliably identify an individual koala with 94 percent accuracy from its call and are now applying for Phase 2 of the NSW Small Business Innovation and Research Program, which will allow tracking of individual animals through their bellows using multiple recorders.
Recent research found that revegetation can help restore populations of some woodland birds in farming landscapes, though remnant vegetation was far more valuable for increasing the diversity of woodland birds, with many dependent on the resources provided by older trees.
The Deteriorating Problem
The issue of the week was the IPCC’s release of Working Group III’s report ‘Climate Change 2022 Mitigation of Climate Change’. From 1850 to 2019 we released 2,400 billion net tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, though it is truly frightening that 42% of these emissions occurred since 1990, after we were meant to begin curbing our emissions. Average annual GHG emissions during 2010- 2019 were higher than in any previous decade, while the rate of growth has slowed we are quickly burning through our carbon budget, the chance of limiting warming to below 1.5℃ is rapidly disappearing and we are on track to over 3℃ (2.5 to 4℃) heating. THE KEY MESSAGES ARE THAT ITS NOT YET TOO LATE – BUT SOON WILL BE – AND IF WE TAKE URGENT AND DRASTIC ACTION WE CAN STILL DO IT. Even if we do reduce our carbon emissions we still need to remove carbon from the atmosphere, and while unjustified reliance is been placed on pumping a proportion of emissions underground, it is clear we need the proven ability of forests. Protecting forests, changing diets, and altering farming methods could contribute around a quarter of the cuts we need by 2050.
The European energy crisis accentuated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has biomass companies touting their wares, leading to warnings from conservation groups of the folly of burning more forests.
A new study highlights hotter-drought conditions are causing instances of mass tree dieback around the world across the full range of environmental variation. It is estimated that under +2 °C and +4 °C scenarios, mortality-year climate condition frequencies increase by 22 and 140%. Forests will have to change to adapt to the changed conditions with losers and winners, unfortunately it is oldgrowth forests that evolved in more stable climates that are likely to be the biggest losers.
An experimental study that increased soil temperatures and water supply found that climate change reduces the abundance of wildflowers and causes them to produce less nectar and fewer and lighter seeds.
Bird Populations have been quietly declining for years in Panama’s forests due to climate change. 35 species of birds have declined by more than 50 per cent and 9 bird species declined by 90 per cent or more.
Turning it Around
While NSW attempts to construct carbon balances of its forests using an assumption that all forests originated in 1920, often dubious logging history data and assumptions about storage off-site in wood products (see previous forest news), there are actual measurements being taken using lidar, even from the orbiting space station.
In America they are resolving a logging debate by generating carbon credits from protection, generating tens of millions of dollars in the coming years to help fund public schools and county services, while also protecting a major watershed.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
Upper House inquiry hears south-coast:
At the south coast Upper House hearings into the ’Long term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry’ concerns were raised about the frequency of logging breaches, the slow investigations, the lack of third-party enforcement, the logging of burnt forests and the pitiful returns on native forest logging, whereas the industry was concerned about restrictions on logging big trees.
"It can take months if not years before any action is taken, and in terms of wildlife it's too little too late, as those trees are gone," National Public Affairs Manager for Birdlife Australia, Sean Dooley said.
South East Region Conservation Alliance Committee (SERCA) member Lisa Stone recommended that Section 69ZA of the Forestry Act, which prevents Forestry Corporation from being brought before a court, be repealed.
[Pentarch Forestry] "What we're struggling against is the prescriptions and the rules that exist to protect individual habitat trees in more coastal areas being applied to an entire forest," executive director Stephen Dadd said.
"We are seeing literally millions of tonnes of good quality logs off-limits to industry and those who would seek to restore forest health through forestry activity."
Trees not Bombs:
Susie, Greg and Jane ventured from Elands to set up a soup kitchen in Lismore called Trees not Bombs, a collaboration between the old NEFA liberation cafe and Food Not Bombs in Newcastle, serving 300 to 400 hot meals a day and unlimited hot drinks.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/04/trees-not-bombs-so-much-more-than-food-and-chai/
Cleaning out the rivers:
The first wave of fish kills in the Richmond River were massive as inundated exotic pastures on river banks and floodplains rotted and deoxygenated waters, suffocating millions of fish. Another wave is expected to result from runoff from activated acid sulphate soils (in drained wetlands) with high levels of sulphuric acid and metals. Though the good news is that all our streams have had a thorough flush-out of fine sediments and toxins deposited by our activities.
‘After the first flood in late February there was no oxygen in the river between Ballina and Coraki. That’s around 60 kilometres of river and estuary with no oxygen and therefore no fish.
‘The sheer scale of this flood has meant that all those fine sediments that wash off from other smaller flood events and deposit on the river bed have been scoured out. So, we’ve nearly had a reset of the system where it’s been taken back to something closer to the original morphology prior to developing the catchment,’ he said.
‘If there are ways to stop the excess sediment in the upper catchment that’s been moved around through these landslides and prevent that from getting back into the river, we may actually be looking at a river system that’s partly reverted back towards its natural state. So, there’s opportunity to enhance that trajectory in a positive way.’
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/04/no-oxygen-and-no-fish-in-richmond/
AUSTRALIA
Tasmanian logging illegal:
Last week Bob Brown and three other protesters had their charges suddenly withdrawn in court in relation to protests in the Eastern Tiers in 2020, and then two other protesters also had charges dropped this week regarding Wentworth Hills protests. Since the mid 1980s the Government has been approving logging illegally, and they can’t retrospectively fix it for over a month. Bob Brown said the decision called into question the legality of native forest harvesting in Tasmania spanning decades, stating "The government should prepare to compensate hundreds of good people who have been wrongfully charged, convicted and even sent to jail for obstructing this illegal logging."
The Tasmanian Government said:
However, to provide certainty for our industry and to remove doubt, the Government intends to introduce validating legislation when Parliament resumes to resolve this technical issue at law.
This is not the first time that validating legislation has been brought to Parliament and I wish to stress again that this does not go to the safety or appropriateness of forestry operations undertaken on ground.
It is no secret that the radical Bob Brown Foundation and their Parliamentary allies in the Greens will take any opportunity in their ongoing attempts to shut down our sustainable native forestry sector.
The Greens said:
Guy Barnett has admitted his government has broken the law by logging forests in breach of the Forest Practices Act 1985.
It’s not just a “technical detail”, it’s the law. Illegal logging cannot be allowed to continue.
It was Minister Barnett’s colleagues who sought to prorogue Parliament. The soonest the Liberals can attempt to retrospectively fix legislation to legalise native forest logging is the first week in May, with the Legislative Council not sitting until Budget week at the end of May.
Bob Brown foundation said:
“This outrageous minister and government has crowed week-in and week-out about the need for harsher laws to stop forest protests when, all along, it has been his logging which has been illegal. The protesters were upholding the Tasmanian laws which governments, including minister Barnett, were breaking,” Bob Brown said today.
All logging should cease until this bungling minister has been replaced and the mess sorted out. The government should prepare to compensate hundreds of good people who have been wrongfully charged, convicted and even sent to jail for obstructing this illegal logging.”
“Barnett’s limp attempt to justify breaking Tasmanian law by calling it a ‘technical detail’ would be thrown out of court. The law is the law. No ordinary citizen can retrospectively change the law’s technicalities, or claim ignorance, to rescue themselves from prosecution or imprisonment. Logging of Tasmania’s wildlife-filled forests without proper authorisation is a crime. The minister is proposing to backdate laws to cover up criminal behaviour by Forestry Tasmania. This is truly shocking,” Brown said.
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2022/04/on-illegal-logging-in-tasmanian-forests/
Can’t see the forest for the wood:
The Morrison government has launched its Farm Forestry: Growing Together strategy which aims to encourage tree planting for loggers, which can be double counted as carbon storage until they log it. They are antithetic to the concept of planting trees for the environment or the future.
“We’re seeing an increasing demand for timber products, as well as the development of new carbon markets that reward farmers for planting trees,” Assistant Minister Duniam said.
“We want to see a real boost in farm forestry, and that’s why we have put together the Farm Forestry: Growing Together strategy.
“This strategy will help farmers find the information and support they need to look at diversifying into farm forestry.
“As a government, we’re working with states, territories, forest industries and landholders to identify restrictions on the uptake of farm forestry.
“This way we can empower farmers and landholders to invest in farm forestry and diversify their business while building Australia’s wood resources.”
https://www.miragenews.com/branching-out-into-farm-forestry-760175/
Clearing of over 8 ha of old mallee near Mildura resulted in $50,000 fine plus costs.
Two men have been convicted and fined $25,000 each plus costs in the Mildura Magistrates Court for the destruction of more than eight hectares of wildlife habitat near Mildura.
[Forest and Wildlife Officer Patrick Vincenzini] "This clearing has destroyed the natural ecosystem, including the homes and food sources for native, endangered animals such as the Regent parrot.
"It will take hundreds of years for new Mallee trees to grow to the size they once were in the area."
SPECIES
National Koala Recovery Plan belatedly released:
The National Koala Recovery Plan has finally been released, with the Commonwealth, NSW and ACT signing onto it, and Queensland refusing to. There are promises of a new national koala recovery team to oversee and co-ordinate recovery efforts, with the plan “implemented through regional-scale implementation plans” (covering anywhere from whole bioregions to Council KPoMs). So while the goal is to protect and recover Koala populations, it seems to be business as usual, with more committees and buck-passing as Koala habitat continues to be logged and cleared while Koalas decline.
Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley has established the first National Koala Recovery Plan, setting clear strategies to support protection and population recovery, reduce disease impacts, and coordinate programs across multiple levels of government.
In releasing the plan today, Minister Ley said that she would also form a National koala recovery team which will guide the implementation of the plan and monitor outcomes.
"Actions under the plan include the identification of nationally important populations, national monitoring, restoration of habitat, and community education in urban and peri-urban areas."
https://minister.awe.gov.au/ley/media-releases/national-koala-recovery-plan-released
The overarching threats to the listed Koala are land use change and climate change. Other direct threats include disease, dogs and vehicles (Part IV) (TSSC 2021). These threats interact to impact population size of the listed Koala and distribution through associated ecologically threatening processes of habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, exacerbation of disease impacts, disruption of population processes, impediments to safe movement and loss of genetic diversity (Figure 4, Part VI).
The goal of the recovery plan is to stop the trend of decline in population size of the listed Koala, by having resilient, connected, and genetically healthy metapopulations across its range, and to increase the extent, quality and connectivity of habitat occupied.
Objectives are that by 2032:
- The area of occupancy and estimated size of populations that are declining, suspected to be declining, or predicted to decline are instead stabilised then increased (Objective 1A).
- The area of occupancy and estimated size of populations that are suspected and predicted to be stable are maintained or increased (Objective 1B).
- Metapopulation processes are maintained or improved (Objective 2).
- Partners, communities and individuals have a greater role and capability in listed Koala monitoring, conservation and management (Objective 3).
The National Koala Recovery Plan is at: https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/koala-2022
"It won't stop koalas from going extinct, as it is. It has no strong binding commitments on the two key drivers of koala loss - habitat loss and climate change," WWF Australia conservation scientist Stuart Blanch said.
[ACF Jess Abrahams] "If we want our kids and grandkids to see koalas in the wild, governments must stop approving the bulldozing of their homes for mines and new housing estates."
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7691582/wildlife-groups-find-koala-plan-lacking/
Buying Tweed Koala habitat:
The NSW Government has purchased 73ha for Koalas adjacent to Cudgen Nature Reserve in the Tweed. This was likely already zoned for protection, though this entrenches protection and improves management, though Provest is gilding the lily by claiming it significantly increases their habitat area and decreases their risk of extinction (particularly given he supported the Koala Kill Bill).
“From the koala’s perspective high in the canopy, this is very real, not just humans arguing: Their habitat area has just increased a significant amount and consequently their risk of extinction has just decreased,” Mr Provest said.
Kissing Koalas while fucking them over:
Sue Arnold bemoans media focussing on politicians kissing Koalas while they ignore track records and lack of any pre-election policy focus on biodiversity loss, let alone koalas.
Now you can have your Koala and eat it too:
Now you can experience Allen’s Chew’Ems Gummi Koalas fruity flavoured fun or get zapped with the tanginess of Chew’Ems Sourz Gummi Koalas, while helping fund a new WIRES online National Koala Rescue Training Course.
https://www.c-store.com.au/allens-chewems-range-to-support-our-vulnerable-koalas/
Distinguishing individuals by calls:
A company claims its trials were able to reliably identify an individual koala with 94 percent accuracy from its call and are now applying for Phase 2 of the NSW Small Business Innovation and Research Program, which will allow tracking of individual animals through their bellows using multiple recorders.
https://www.miragenews.com/koala-vocals-provide-key-to-saving-species-759276/
For birds we need to save remnant vegetation, but revegetation can help:
Recent research found that revegetation can help restore populations of some woodland birds in farming landscapes, though remnant vegetation was far more valuable for increasing the diversity of woodland birds, with many dependent on the resources provided by older trees.
Our research, published today, shows these efforts to revegetate farmland has made an important difference for woodland birds.
We surveyed and compared bird communities in farm landscapes with differing amounts of tree cover. We found when the amount of revegetation in open farmland increased, the number of woodland bird species did, too. For example, an increase in revegetation from 1% to 10% of the landscape doubled the number of woodland bird species.
Yet extensive habitat destruction, replaced by vast areas of intensive farmland, have caused the number of once-abundant woodland birds to decline greatly. …
For example, in landscapes with only 1% revegetation cover, most birds were open-country species such as galah, red-rumped parrot and willie wagtail, with only 11 woodland species on average. On the other hand, landscapes with 15% revegetation cover had 25 woodland species, on average, as part of the bird community.
… we found that revegetated landscapes and those with remnant native vegetation don’t offer the same benefits. For a given amount of wooded vegetation, revegetated landscapes had fewer species in total and supported different types of woodland species.
In contrast, those that depend on older trees were less likely to be found in revegetated landscapes. This includes the white-throated treecreeper and varied sitella which forage on tree trunks and large branches, and the spotted pardalote and white-naped honeyeater that feed within canopy foliage.
We also found individual patches of revegetation have the greatest value for birds when they include a diverse range of trees and shrubs, are close to or connected with native vegetation, and are older (meaning the plants have had longer to grow).
At least 11 of the 60 woodland species recorded in the study weren’t detected in revegetated landscapes, such as sacred kingfisher and black-chinned honeyeater. Others, such as jacky winter and eastern yellow robin were rare.
Increasing wooded vegetation to cover at least 10-30% of farmland is an important long-term goal to ensure sufficient habitat to sustain healthy populations of many species. …
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Its not too late, but almost so:
The issue of the week was the IPCC’s release of Working Group III’s report ‘Climate Change 2022 Mitigation of Climate Change’. From 1850 to 2019 we released 2,400 billion net tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, though it is truly frightening that 42% of these emissions occurred since 1990, after we were meant to begin curbing our emissions. Average annual GHG emissions during 2010- 2019 were higher than in any previous decade, while the rate of growth has slowed we are quickly burning through our carbon budget, the chance of limiting warming to below 1.5℃ is rapidly disappearing and we are on track to over 3℃ (2.5 to 4℃) heating. THE KEY MESSAGES ARE THAT ITS NOT YET TOO LATE – BUT SOON WILL BE – AND IF WE TAKE URGENT AND DRASTIC ACTION WE CAN STILL DO IT. Even if we do reduce our carbon emissions we still need to remove carbon from the atmosphere, and while unjustified reliance is been placed on pumping a proportion of emissions underground, it is clear we need the proven ability of forests. Protecting forests, changing diets, and altering farming methods could contribute around a quarter of the cuts we need by 2050.
Unless action is taken soon, some major cities will be under water, Mr. Guterres said in a video message, which also forecast “unprecedented heatwaves, terrifying storms, widespread water shortages and the extinction of a million species of plants and animals”.
The UN chief added: “This is not fiction or exaggeration. It is what science tells us will result from our current energy policies. We are on a pathway to global warming of more than double the 1.5-degree (Celsius, or 2.7-degrees Fahreinheit) limit” that was agreed in Paris in 2015.
In an op-ed article penned for the Washington Post, Mr. Guterres described the latest IPCC report as "a litany of broken climate promises", which revealed a "yawning gap between climate pledges, and reality."
He wrote that high-emitting governments and corporations, were not just turning a blind eye, "they are adding fuel to the flames by continuing to invest in climate-choking industries. Scientists warn that we are already perilously close to tipping points that could lead to cascading and irreversible climate effects."
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1115452
Average annual GHG emissions during 2010- 2019 were higher than in any previous decade, but the rate of growth between 2010 and 2019 was lower than that between 2000 and 2009. (high confidence)
Historical cumulative net CO2 emissions from 1850 to 2019 were 2400±240 GtCO2 (high confidence). Of these, more than half (58%) occurred between 1850 and 1989 [1400±195 GtCO2], and about 42% between 1990 and 2019 [1000±90 GtCO2]. … By comparison, the current central estimate of the remaining carbon budget from 2020 onwards for limiting warming to 1.5°C with a probability of 50% has been assessed as 500 Gt CO2, and as 1150 Gt CO2 for a probability of 67% for limiting warming to 2°C.
All global modelled pathways that limit warming to 1.5°C (>50%) with no or limited overshoot, and those that limit warming to 2°C (>67%) involve rapid and deep and in most cases immediate GHG emission reductions in all sectors.
[agriculture, forestry and other land use] AFOLU mitigation options, when sustainably implemented, can deliver large-scale GHG emission reductions and enhanced removals, but cannot fully compensate for delayed action in other sectors.
The largest share of this economic potential [4.2-7.4 GtCO2-eq yr -1 ] comes from the conservation, improved management, and restoration of forests and other ecosystems (coastal wetlands, peatlands, savannas and grasslands), with reduced deforestation in tropical regions having the highest total mitigation.
The deployment of CDR [carbon dioxide removal] to counterbalance hard-to-abate residual emissions is unavoidable if net zero CO2 or GHG emissions are to be achieved. …
… The processes by which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere are categorised as biological, geochemical or chemical. Afforestation, reforestation, improved forest management, agroforestry and soil carbon sequestration are currently the only widely practiced CDR methods (high confidence).
… Reforestation, improved forest management, soil carbon sequestration, peatland restoration and blue carbon management are examples of methods that can enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions, employment and local livelihoods, depending on context (high confidence). In contrast, afforestation or production of biomass crops for BECCS or biochar, when poorly implemented, can have adverse socio-economic and environmental impacts, including on biodiversity, food and water security, local livelihoods and on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially if implemented at large scales and where land tenure is insecure (high confidence).
In addition to deep, rapid, and sustained emission reductions CDR can fulfil three different complementary roles globally or at country level: lowering net CO2 or net GHG emissions in the near-term; counterbalancing ‘hard-to-abate’ residual emissions (e.g., emissions from agriculture, aviation, shipping, industrial processes) in order to help reach net zero CO2 or net zero GHG emissions in the mid-term; achieving net negative CO2 or GHG emissions in the long-term if deployed at levels exceeding annual residual emissions (high confidence)
https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg3/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf
“The IPCC has repeatedly cautioned against over-reliance on speculative technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) and large-scale carbon dioxide removal, including direct air capture (DAC) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which are unproven at scale, risky to humans and nature, and may simply not work to reduce emissions or limit temperature rise,” the U.S. Center for. International Environmental Law said in its response to the report.
Monday’s climate mitigation report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows it’s still possible to hold global warming to 1.5°C, with little or no overshoot and no reliance on speculative carbon dioxide removal technologies—but only with much faster government action and a sixfold increase in annual funding for solutions that work.
“The bleak and brutal truth about global warming is this: barring action on a sweeping scale, humanity faces worsening hunger, disease, economic collapse, mass migration of people, and unbearable heat,” said Oxfam Climate Policy Lead Nafkote Dabi. “It’s not about taking our foot off the accelerator anymore—it’s about slamming on the brakes. A warming planet is humanity’s biggest emergency.”
“Since the last report, technologies have significantly improved, and the costs of solutions like solar, wind and batteries have declined by up to 85%,” said IPCC lead author Dr. Stephanie Roe, global climate and energy lead scientist at WWF. “ We clearly have the tools to tackle the climate crisis, but they need to be deployed more rapidly and at a larger scale to keep 1.5ºC within reach and reduce the severity of climate impacts.”
“Governments agreed in this IPCC report that solar and wind power as well as energy efficiency have the largest economic potentials to cut carbon pollution the most by 2030,” followed by “protection of pristine forests and restoration of degraded ecosystems and a shift to plant-based, low-carbon diets,” said Dr. Stephan Singer, senior advisor at Climate Action Network International
The Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Uses (AFOLU) sector offers some of the most important options available for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that can be achieved by a “concerted, rapid, and sustained effort by all stakeholders, from policy-makers and investors to landowners and managers,” the IPCC writes. Forests—along with peatlands, wetlands, and other natural ecosystems—can provide the largest climate improvements, with agricultural strategies like cropland and grassland management offering the second greatest source of potential.
Over the period from 2010-2019, the sector accounted for 13 to 21% of the greenhouse gases produced by human activity. But while they’re a significant source of emissions, managed and natural lands also acted as a net carbon sink, absorbing roughly a third of all emissions during that same time. According to the IPCC, AFOLU can provide 20 to 30% of the global mitigation needed for a 1.5 or 2°C pathway by 2050, though it cannot be a substitute for reducing emissions in other sectors.
Governments will need to establish strong policies that directly address emissions and use land-based strategies to limit global warming, including stronger land tenure protections, better agricultural and forestry management, and paying for ecosystem services.
Protecting forests, changing diets, and altering farming methods could contribute around a quarter of the greenhouse gas cuts needed to avert the worst impacts of climate change, according to the United Nations' climate panel.
Mitigation measures in those sectors - including protecting forests from clearcutting, sequestering carbon in agricultural soils, and more sustainable diets - can provide as much as 20%-30% of the emissions reductions needed to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
In recent years, Australia overtook Qatar to become the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). We’re still the second-largest exporter of thermal coal, and the largest for metallurgical coal.
Time’s up, Australia. We have to talk about weaning ourselves off fossil fuels and exporting our wealth of clean alternatives.
That means, in 2022, we are facing an election campaign in which neither major party has put up serious ideas to cut emissions. There’s no mention of a price on carbon or an emissions trading scheme, no real action on land clearing, and no expansion of the government’s safeguard mechanism, meant to provide incentives for large industries to cut emissions relative to a baseline.
We’ve run out of time to deal with the problem of global heating. We cannot afford another three years of inaction.
Forest fire sale:
The European energy crisis accentuated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has biomass companies touting their wares, leading to warnings from conservation groups of the folly of burning more forests.
In reality, burning wood emits more carbon pollution per unit energy than burning fossil fuels, and as the European Commission’s own scientists acknowledge, burning wood emits CO2 quickly, while forests regrow slowly. This means that net CO2 emissions from burning trees exceed those from fossil fuels for decades to centuries.
Burning wood in the EU emits over 300 million tonnes of carbon pollution each year, about the same as the total reported emissions of Spain, yet burning wood and other biomass is counted as “zero carbon” energy. Forest harvesting for fuel – a particularly ruthless practice of the modern biomass industry, which vacuums up nearly every scrap, leaving land naked and depleted – is in part responsible for more than 80% of assessed EU forest ecosystems being designated as in inadequate or bad condition. And as shown in a new report from the Forest Defenders Alliance, while the biomass industry often claims to mostly burn sawdust from mills, or branches left over from forest harvesting, in fact they are burning trees.
But while some communities rely on wood heating, wood burning is the biggest source of the particulate pollution that already kills over 1,000 people in the EU every day. Wood burning is deadly. This isn’t the “clean” energy that Europeans think they’re paying for.
Forest die-off:
A new study highlights hotter-drought conditions are causing instances of mass tree dieback around the world across the full range of environmental variation. It is estimated that under +2 °C and +4 °C scenarios, mortality-year climate condition frequencies increase by 22 and 140%. Forests will have to change to adapt to the changed conditions with losers and winners, unfortunately it is oldgrowth forests that evolved in more stable climates that are likely to be the biggest losers.
Climate-induced tree mortality in recent decades under hotter-drought conditions has been documented across forests from a diverse array of boundary conditions, spanning from the tropics to the boreal, from sea level to 3,500 m, and across a four-meter precipitation gradient and 30 °C of mean annual temperature.
Additionally, we found that many of Earth’s forests may become increasingly imperiled by further warming and drought, as the frequency of lethal climate conditions observed with recently documented global mortality events will accelerate with further warming
Under the observed (1985–2015) climate, mortality-year hotter-drought fingerprint climate conditions occurred on average 1.62 years per decade (+/−0.08 SE) at sites in our analysis. Under +2 °C and +4 °C scenarios, mortality-year climate condition frequencies increase by 22 and 140% (1.97 +/− 0.07, 3.88 +/− 0.10 years per decade), respectively
The impact of this hotter-drought fingerprint is acting on Earth’s forests already, with nearly half a billion trees having died from hotter-drought events in Texas and California alone since 2010. In central Europe, hotter drought starting in 2018 has led to extensive dieback of forests that is ongoing—and of yet undetermined magnitude and extent— which could lead to significant ecological transitions. Other notable global tree mortality events documented during hotter-drought episodes include three pulses of large-tree mortality since 2005 across Amazon basin tropical moist forests, and historically unprecedented hotter-drought-triggered dieback in Jarrah forests of southwest Australia in 2011
As the longest-lived organisms on Earth, trees routinely are imbued with historical and cultural significance by human societies, while also persistently sequestering carbon and amplifying local biodiversity for centuries, sometimes millennia. In contrast, extreme climate stress events occur on the scale of days to months to a few years, and in these relatively brief periods, large old trees—exemplars of Earth’s historical forests—can be especially susceptible to mortality. Forests will certainly persist and thrive over large areas into Earth’s future, but increasingly they will have to rapidly shift in physiological function, morphology, genetics, species composition, structure, and geographic distribution in response to anticipated climate changes. Where the pace of climate change outruns the adaptive or acclimation capacities of historically-dominant tree individuals and species, additional die-off events are likely to occur and some forests may even cease to exist. In particular, the current tree communities of Earth’s historical old-growth forests—which took centuries, sometimes millennia, to grow to structural dominance under now locally-shifted climate conditions—may continue to often be most negatively affected by continued warming and drying, as novel hotter-drought extremes increasingly exceed their range of survivable climate across diverse forested biomes. The expected near-term outcome is simplified tree communities, where more drought- and heat-tolerant species survive, and less tolerant species diminish or perish. In many cases, this may lead to lasting changes in vegetation composition, stature, and spacing, where surviving woody plants in these communities do not maintain or develop the complex canopy structure typical of historical old-growth forests
In conclusion, our findings reveal the emergence of a global acceleration of lethal climate conditions, associated with recent forest mortality events, under further warming. Earth’s historical forests in particular face a challenging future, including dramatic changes in the extent, composition, age, and structure of these unique and irreplaceable forests, with planetary-scale consequences for biodiversity and the cycling of water and carbon. … Our findings show that limiting warming to +2 °C over pre-industrial levels could reduce the frequency of these climate conditions associated with observed tree mortality events to less than half that predicted at +4 °C. Efforts to protect the world’s climate from excessive warming likely will be decisive in determining the future persistence of many of Earth’s forests.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29289-2.pdf
“Plants do a phenomenal job of capturing and sequestering carbon,” said Hammond. “But death of the plants not only prevents their performing this critical carbon-capturing role, plants also start releasing carbon as they decay.”
One proposed resolution to combat global climate change is to use trees to capture and sequester carbon. However, if we lose more trees due to climate change, this solution will no longer be feasible.
https://www.earth.com/news/hotter-drier-deadlier-how-much-can-forests-tolerate/
https://www.futurity.org/trees-forests-temperature-droughts-2722122/
Changes will be everywhere:
An experimental study that increased soil temperatures and water supply found that climate change reduces the abundance of wildflowers and causes them to produce less nectar and fewer and lighter seeds.
… a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science … conducted in the U.K., found that wildflowers across Northern Europe would likely see a steep decline in abundance — up to 40%. In the experimental study, the researchers simulated the warmer, wetter conditions predicted for the region due to climate change. Under this new scenario, some species of plants produced flowers with 60% less nectar and fewer or lighter seeds. Due to these changes, pollinating insects had to visit more flowers to gather the needed pollen and nectar, and visited each flower more frequently.
Worldwide, two in five plants, including wildflowers, are threatened with extinction due to land use change for agriculture, housing and construction. In California, which is experiencing increasingly hotter and drier winters due to climate change, studies have recorded a decline of wildflower species by 15% in 15 years.
… and are already happening:
Bird Populations have been quietly declining for years in Panama’s forests due to climate change. 35 species of birds have declined by more than 50 per cent and 9 bird species declined by 90 per cent or more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LgiLb4f46g
TURNING IT AROUND
Using space to count carbon:
While NSW attempts to construct carbon balances of its forests using an assumption that all forests originated in 1920, often dubious logging history data and assumptions about storage off-site in wood products (see previous forest news), there are actual measurements being taken using lidar, even from the orbiting space station.
The newly released Level 4B (L4B) Gridded Aboveground Biomass Density dataset from NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission provides that foundation by providing near-global estimates of aboveground biomass density (AGBD) in megagrams per hectare (Mg/ha) at a 1-kilometer (km) resolution
https://gedi.umd.edu/gedi-level-4b-gridded-agbd-data-have-been-released/
https://vervetimes.com/nasa-releases-breakthrough-forest-biomass-carbon-product-data/
Cashing in on protection:
In America they are resolving a logging debate by generating carbon credits from protection, generating tens of millions of dollars in the coming years to help fund public schools and county services, while also protecting a major watershed.
Nearly 1,400 acres of state-owned forests near Lake Whatcom will be newly protected from logging as part of an initiative announced Wednesday, April 6, by Washington’s Department of Natural Resources. Instead, the trees will be monetized for their ability to combat worsening climate change. This “historic carbon project,” as the agency described it, will allow Western Washington’s “most ecologically valuable” forests to continue growing and absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This stored carbon will generate “carbon credits,” or permits that can be purchased by organizations or individuals to offset, or cancel out, their own greenhouse gas emissions.
Revenue from the DNR initiative is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in the coming years, which will help fund public schools and county services.
The first phase of the state’s carbon project includes 2,500 acres of forests previously slated for imminent timber harvest, more than half of which are in Whatcom. Phase 1 also includes 1,250 acres already protected from logging by existing DNR policies. The second phase of the project, to be announced within the next year, will bring the amount of land dedicated to the project up to an estimated total of 10,000 acres.
https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article260171480.html
Forest Media 1 April 2022
There's no fool like a fossil fool.
New South Wales
NEFA’s challenge to the North East NSW RFA was heard in the Federal Court on the 28 and 29 of March before Justice Perry, with our case ably argued by Jeremy Kirk SC (who was made a judge in the Supreme Court the next day). Arguments focused on whether it was open for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to extend the North East NSW RFA in 2018, effectively indefinitely, without a new regional assessment, and whether the 2018 review undertaken by the Commonwealth could be considered an assessment. The failure to take the impacts of climate change into account is likely our strongest argument. We are asking the Federal Court to find the North East RFA does not lawfully exempt logging in the north east RFA region from federal biodiversity assessment and approval requirements. The judge will rule on all the issues raised, though we are likely to have to wait many months for a judgement.
Susie Russell (NCEC) attributed the severity of recent floods to the compounding influences of decades of logging and clearing in the upper catchment and along the gullies, creeks and rivers, along with rising greenhouse emissions, calling for action on protecting and restoring catchments to redress increasing flooding.
The Nature Conservation Council is hosting An Alternative Vision for South Coast Forests event in Moruya on April 4, with a panel including Professor David Lindenmayer, answering the question "why is it that we are still logging our native forests in an era when almost no income is sourced from hard-wood state forests?"
The NRC have released another dodgy study, this one measuring forest/woodland carbon over time. They estimate that including wood products storing carbon off-site and excluding soil carbon, that the carbon in NSW forests is 164 million tonnes less in 2020 than in 1990, with the 2019/20 fires releasing 90 Mt carbon to the atmosphere. They identify 39% of the carbon stored carbon in native vegetation as being within National Parks and 13% within State Forests. There are numerous dodgy assumptions, such as treating all forests as having originated in 1920, with no allowance for the extra carbon stored in oldgrowth forests, allowing for off-site storage in forest products, and not accounting for changes in soil carbon.
Forestry Corporation has put out the first Registration of Interest (RoI) for renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, to be built within its state-run pine plantations.
The walk to the top of Wollumbin (Mount Warning) was initially closed in March 2020, and the traditional owners don’t want it reopened due to its immense spiritual significance, though the NPWS continue to dither about their intentions as Right To Climb agitate for it to be reopened.
Australia
This week’s budget included $1 billion for the rapidly deterioration Great Barrier Reef, $840 million for East Antarctica, $170 million for Koalas, threatened species and tree planting, $27 million for national parks, and $192 million to put the fix in on environmental laws. Unfortunately throwing money at the problems they are aggravating will not fix the underlying policy vacuum. In another low, the Federal Coalition government has created a rule for new native vegetation projects covering more than 15 hectares, or more than one third of a farm, to obtain the approval of the Agriculture Minister, allowing the Minister to prevent plantings if he considers them to be detrimental to farming and regional communities.
The 2019/20 Black summer bushfires reduced the ozone layer over Australia by about 1 per cent in March 2020, a 1 per cent increase in ultraviolet radiation is associated with a 2 per cent increase in skin cancer.
Species
A recent study found that higher bird occurrence occurred in strictly protected forest fragments over 50ha in size, but required over 175 ha of partially protected fragments. Worldwide, fences are increasingly fragmenting animal populations, stopping migrations, cutting animals off from essential resources, and directly killing many through collisions or entanglement.
Queensland’s first Koala bred with “high genetic merit” has been released into the wild in south-east Queensland - north-east NSW to follow? A group of conservationists have declared 3 May as Wild Koala Day, on which everyone is being encouraged to register to plant a tree, sign a petition to protect a forest, or phone a politician to show them we care about koalas and that they need to stop killing koala trees. Another opinion piece laments the Koala’s decline, WWF likening it to our orangutan.
Bayside Council is assessing other options to rat poisons known as Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticide (SGAR) because they are thought to be contributing to a sharp increase in deaths of endangered Powerful Owls, and will also advocate for an end to the use of the second generation rodenticides nationally.
The apocalypse is taking a toll on wildlife, first there was the big dry, then the big incineration, and now the big inundations (that won’t stop), each compounding each other and making sure few escape. The floods have taken a high, but unquantified, additional toll on wildlife, including aquatic species.
The Camden Haven Courier has the sixth in a series by Dunbogan Bushcare and the National Parks Association Mid North Coast branch in the Restoring Natural Values of the Dunbogan-Crowdy Bay National Park Habitat Corridor Project, this time focussing on rewilding backyards for birds. A Belgian study in peri-urban bushland found that dogs’ urine and faeces deposit 11 kg of nitrogen (N) and 5 kg of phosphorous (P) per hectare per year, significantly increasing nutrient concentrations.
The Deteriorating Problem
In our contribution to global heating Australia’s fossil fuel subsidies increased $1.3 billion in the last year to a total of $11.6 billion in 2021-22, according new Australia Institute research. A company producing “sustainable” aviation fuel (SAF) from forest biomass carbon was the winner of Canada’s “The Sky’s the Limit Challenge”, and of course they claim there are no carbon emissions from liquifying forests.
Turning it Around
As one of more than 30 School Strike For Climate events held across the country on Friday, a crowd of about 1,000 people protested outside Kirribilli House in Sydney, though Scomo was absent. The successful appeal by environment minister Sussan Ley to the full bench of the Federal Court to reverse the Sharma decision, where Justice Mordecai Bromberg declared last July that the federal environment minister has a duty of care to the wellbeing of Australian children, emphasises the lack of legal recourse to affect climate heating and urgency of voting the climate fools out and getting some good crossbenchers in.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
NEFA’s day in court:
NEFA’s challenge to the North East NSW RFA was heard in the Federal Court on on the 28 and 29 of March before Justice Perry, with our case ably argued by Jeremy Kirk SC (who was made a judge in the Supreme Court the next day). Arguments focused on whether it was open for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to extend the North East NSW RFA in 2018, effectively indefinitely, without a new regional assessment, and whether the 2018 review undertaken by the Commonwealth could be considered an assessment. The failure to take the impacts of climate change into account is likely our strongest argument. We are asking the Federal Court to find the North East RFA does not lawfully exempt logging in the north east RFA region from federal biodiversity assessment and approval requirements. The judge will rule on all the issues raised, though we are likely to have to wait many months for a judgement. I did an interview with ABC north coast.
On behalf of client the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA), EDO will argue that when the North East RFA was renewed, the Commonwealth did not have regard to endangered species, the state of old growth forests or the impacts of climate change, as the EDO will argue it was required to do.
NEFA is asking the Federal Court to declare that the North East RFA does not validly exempt native forest logging from federal biodiversity assessment and approval requirements (EPBC Act).
NEFA is acting to protect native forests, which provide critical habitat for vulnerable and endangered species such as koalas and greater gliders and to ensure that the laws that regulate logging in these forests are up-to-date and fit for purpose. It is the first legal challenge to an RFA in New South Wales.
On behalf of NEFA, EDO will argue that the lack of crucial assessments before the 2018 renewal means the decision to extend the North East RFA was not made in accordance with the relevant legislation. As a consequence, the Federal Court should find the North East RFA does not lawfully exempt logging in the north east RFA region from federal biodiversity assessment and approval requirements.
This is the first time a NSW RFA has been challenged in court, and, if successful, may have implications for other RFAs in New South Wales, as a well as Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia.
It's all about catchments:
Susie Russell (NCEC) attributed the severity of recent floods to the compounding influences of decades of logging and clearing in the upper catchment and along the gullies, creeks and rivers, along with rising greenhouse emissions, calling for action on protecting and restoring catchments to redress increasing flooding.
“It shouldn’t need much investigation to reveal that the catastrophic north coast floods resulted from the compounding influences of: decades of logging and clearing in the upper catchment and along the gullies, creeks and rivers; rising greenhouse emissions leading to rising global temperatures, particularly ocean temperatures and thus massive evaporation leading to the ‘rain bomb’ event; and the failure of engineering solutions.
“Without a widespread well funded Total Catchment Management plan that stops the ongoing destruction and begins a serious program of catchment repair, this disaster will be repeated all too soon,” Ms Russell predicted.
“This doesn’t just apply to the Richmond Catchment, it is every catchment. They are all in desperate need of repair. The destruction of the native vegetation, particularly the forests, that hold the land together and hold and slow the water, has to stop,” she said.
Seeing forests differently:
The Nature Conservation Council is hosting An Alternative Vision for South Coast Forests event in Moruya on April 4, with a panel including Professor David Lindenmayer, answering the question "why is it that we are still logging our native forests in an era when almost no income is sourced from hard-wood state forests?"
"No sooner than three weeks after the fires I could see logging trucks taking partially burnt timer out of Mogo State Forest even though we had just lost so much forest," [Ms Taylor-Mills] said.
"In a time when the forest was so stressed and so much had been lost, animal habitat was being carted away."
https://www.batemansbaypost.com.au/story/7681776/a-panel-discussing-visions-for-south-coast-forests/
Counting Carbon:
The NRC have released another dodgy study, this one measuring forest/woodland carbon over time. They estimate that including wood products storing carbon off-site and excluding soil carbon, that the carbon in NSW forests is 164 million tonnes less in 2020 than in 1990, with the 2019/20 fires releasing 90 Mt carbon to the atmosphere. They identify 39% of the carbon stored carbon in native vegetation as being within National Parks and 13% within State Forests. There are numerous dodgy assumptions, such as treating all forests as having originated in 1920, with no allowance for the extra carbon stored in oldgrowth forests, allowing for off-site storage of forest products, and not accounting for changes in soil carbon.
They estimate that including wood products storing carbon off-site and excluding soil carbon:
… the results indicate that there was a general decline in forest carbon stock from 1990 through to the mid-2000s, after which there has been a marked increase in forest carbon until 2020 and the impacts of the 2020 fire season. This trend suggests that the state of NSW has transitioned from being a net source of carbon from forests, to being a net sink up to 2019. Following the 2020 fire season, NSW forests were a net source of emissions. The results indicate that the carbon in NSW forests is 164 million tonnes less in 2020 than in 1990.
Between 1990 and 2019, there was an average decline of close to 0.8MtC per annum ... There was a general decline in forest carbon stock from 1990 to 2010 of close to 4MtC per annum, and gain the average gain in forest carbon stock between 2010 and 2020 of 3MtC per annum.
With the exception of 2003 and 2020 fire seasons, the majority of change in forest carbon stock across NSW was driven by forest cover loss and forest cover gain (Figure 41 & Figure 42). In general, most of the change occurred in areas outside of the NSW state forest and national park estate (Figure 43), which is reflected in the forest carbon stock estimates.
The impact of the 2019/2020 fire season on forest carbon represents the largest annual change in forest carbon across the 90 years modelled under this assessment. The fires are modelled to have directly resulted in 90 Mt carbon moving from the forest biomass (AGB & DOM) to the atmosphere, and an additional 63 Mt carbon from the living to the dead organic matter pools (Figure 45).
While these uncertainties reflect the uncertainties with specific input parameters, testing the results against empirical measurements is beyond the scope of project. In this context, it is recommended that a sensitivity assessment be completed to determine the implications of the modelling assumptions, in particular the initial condition assumptions. It is also recommended to compare the modelled outputs with the measured data to assess accuracy of the output.
A graph identifies Proportion of Forest Carbon Stock in 2020 in non-plantation forests by land tenure, identifying 39% of stored carbon as being within National Parks and 13% within State Forests.
There are some dodgy underlying assumptions, such as:
- any area of native forest present at the start of the simulation (i.e. 1935) was 15 years old in 1935, and growing toward maximum biomass - so there was no bonus for oldgrowth forests.
- Assumptions regarding loss of carbon in fires
- Assumptions regarding off-site storage of carbon in wood products
- Failing to account for changes in soil carbon
Powering plantations:
Forestry Corporation has put out the first Registration of Interest (RoI) for renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, to be built within its state-run pine plantations.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/nsw-puts-out-call-for-wind-farms-to-be-located-in-pine-plantations/
Right to trespass on spiritual site:
The walk to the top of Wollumbin (Mount Warning) was initially closed in March 2020, and the traditional owners don’t want it reopened due to its immense spiritual significance, though the NPWS continue to dither about their intentions as Right To Climb agitate for it to be reopened.
AUSTRALIA
Environmental budgeting:
This week’s budget included $1 billion for the rapidly deterioration Great Barrier Reef, $840 million for East Antarctica, $170 million for Koalas, threatened species and tree planting, $27 million for national parks, and $192 million to put the fix in on environmental laws. Unfortunately throwing money at the problems they are aggravating will not fix the underlying policy vacuum.
https://thelatch.com.au/budget-2022-climate-change-australia/
The Morrison government has been slammed for delivering yet another federal budget that fails to grasp the urgency of climate change, fails to support an accelerated transition to renewable energy and offers no support for boosting electric vehicle uptake.
The clean energy sector, climate researchers and environmental groups have all criticised the budget delivered by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday evening, which will see federal spending on climate change measures fall year-on-year for the next four years.
[Climate Council] “At the same time, significant funds are being spent on so-called ‘low emissions hydrogen’ and the costly and unproven carbon capture and storage. And a further $50 million is being directed to accelerate polluting gas projects.”
First is a A$100 million round of the Environment Restoration Fund – one of several grants programs awarded through ministerial discretion which has been found to favour marginal and at-risk electorates.
Second is $62 million for up to ten so-called “bioregional plans” in regions prioritised for development. Environment Minister Sussan Ley has presented the measure as environmental law reform, but I argue it’s a political play dressed as reform.
Constraining carbon farming:
In another low, the Federal Coalition government has created a rule for new native vegetation projects covering more than 15 hectares, or more than one third of a farm, to obtain the approval of the Agriculture Minister, allowing the Minister to prevent plantings if they are considered to be detrimental to farming and regional communities.
"We don't want to see entire farms locked up becoming havens for weeds and feral animals as families leave the land," Mr Littleproud said.
"I will not hesitate to act to protect community and agricultural interest over corporates and passive investors."
Under the changes, native forest regeneration projects must also report on pest and weed management compliance with state and local laws.
… industry group The Carbon Market Institute (CMI) opposed the changes because of "a lack of supporting evidence, inadequate consultation, constraints on landholder decision making, additional administrative burden, and stifled confidence among investors and service providers".
Bushfires destroy the ozone layer:
The 2019/20 Black summer bushfires reduced the ozone layer over Australia by about 1 per cent in March 2020, a 1 per cent increase in ultraviolet radiation is associated with a 2 per cent increase in skin cancer.
It’s very concerning, however, that the smoke released by bushfires, which are on the increase as a result of global warming, contains a particularly toxic mix of chemicals that further damages the ozone layer and delays its recovery. It’s particularly worrying for Australians that a new study utilising three different datasets has demonstrated that the 2019/20 Black summer bushfires reduced the ozone layer over Australia by about 1 per cent in March 2020. That may not sound like much but 1 per cent is the amount that the ozone layer has been increasing every decade since the introduction of the Montreal Protocol. A 1 per cent increase in ultraviolet radiation is associated with a 2 per cent increase in skin cancer.
https://johnmenadue.com/environment-pollution-destroys-lives-the-ozone-layer-and-bushland/
SPECIES
Fragmented birds need protection:
A recent study found that higher bird occurrence occurred in strictly protected forest fragments over 50ha in size, but required over 175 ha of partially protected fragments.
We compiled a global dataset on almost 2000 bird species in 741 forest fragments varying in size and protection status, and show that protection is associated with higher bird occurrence, especially for threatened species. Protection becomes increasingly effective with increasing size of forest fragments. For forest fragments >50 ha our results show that strict protection (International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN] categories I– IV) is strongly associated with higher bird occurrence, whereas fragments had to be at least 175 ha for moderate protection (IUCN categories V and VI) to have a positive effect.
https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.2485
Fragmenting fences:
Worldwide, fences are increasingly fragmenting animal populations, stopping migrations, cutting animals off from essential resources, and directly killing many through collisions or entanglement.
Recent research shows that these impacts extend far beyond blocking animal migration routes and include furthering disease transmission by concentrating animals, altering the hunting practices of predators, and impeding access to key areas of water and forage. Fences may also prevent “genetic rescue” if an isolated population is decimated by disease or a natural disaster.
The world’s longest fence, and an object lesson in how fences change the natural world, is the Wild Dog Barrier Fence, which stretches 3,488 miles across the corner of southeast Australia. Researchers say the massive fence has created two “ecological universes” on either side of the wire. On the inside of the fence, where farmers trap, shoot, and poison the dingoes that do manage to get through, it has caused a trophic cascade. The lack of dingoes on that side of the fence has meant many more kangaroos, which has led to overgrazing, soil erosion, the loss of soil nutrients, and has even altered the geomorphology of sand dunes and stream flow. This has reduced cover for the dusky hopping mouse, an imperiled species, and made it far more susceptible to predators.
Fence construction is growing rapidly throughout the world. An extension of the dingo fence is underway to add another 460 miles.
Genetically improved Koala released:
Queensland’s first Koala propagated with “high genetic merit” has been released into the wild in south-east Queensland - north-east NSW to follow?.
Jagger is the first koala to be bred as part of the Living Koala Genome Bank pilot program, led by the University of Queensland (UQ), and was on Friday released into Elanora Conservation Park on the Gold Coast.
“Jagger is disease-free, has been fully vaccinated against chlamydia and – thanks to his diverse genetics – will protect koalas against the dangers of inbreeding,” UQ Associate Prof Stephen Johnston said.
… we propagate koalas with high genetic merit
“Our hope is that we can now apply our concept to other wildlife parks in Queensland and possibly northern NSW, to safeguard the future of koalas, and we’re currently consulting with government to do just that.”
Stephen Johnston from UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences said Jagger was the result of a selective breeding program designed to produce koalas which could be introduced into the local population and add to its genetic diversity.
Jagger has been bred to closely resemble the genetic make-up of other koalas in the region while bringing enough diversity to avoid inbreeding.
Witnessing Koala’s decline:
A group of conservationists have declared 3 May as Wild Koala Day, on which everyone is being encouraged to register to plant a tree, sign a petition to protect a forest, or phone a politician to show them we care about koalas and that they need to stop killing koala trees.
http://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/
Another opinion piece laments the Koala’s decline, WWF likening it to our orangutan.
In 10 years the koala has gone from no listing, to vulnerable, to endangered. With the "koala wars" receded and a new environment minister in place, but clear conflict between development and conservation, it remains to be seen what NSW does next.
Banning rat baits:
Bayside Council is assessing other options to rat poisons known as Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticide (SGAR) because they are thought to be contributing to a sharp increase in deaths of endangered Powerful Owls, and will also advocate for an end to the use of the second generation rodenticides nationally.
https://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/news/powerful-owls-protected-poison
The apocalypse of droughts, fires, and floods take their toll:
The apocalypse is taking a toll on wildlife, first there was the big dry, then the big incineration, and now the big inundations (that won’t stop), each compounding each other and making sure few escape. The floods have taken a high, but unquantified, additional toll on wildlife, including aquatic species.
"Without the stable banks, it's hard for them to build their burrows," she said.
The Black Summer bushfires tore across eastern and southern Australia, and Dr Hawke said the platypus population in most fire-affected areas, including on Kangaroo Island, was struggling.
"On the mid-north coast, we're seeing quite low numbers, so there are these areas where you could say the bushfires did have a real impact on the population," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-27/platypus-habitat-damaged-by-bushfire/100939668
Freshwater turtles washed out to sea, wombats, echidnas, birds and bandicoots waterlogged, snakes dehydrated and starved, kangaroo joeys abandoned, and thousands of livestock dead are just some of the challenges wildlife carers are facing four weeks after devastating floods in northern NSW.
Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital vet Dr Bree Talbot said animals that survived the recent floods face an uphill battle. Food sources, habitats and entire populations may have been disrupted and those left behind might not be able to survive.
Rewilding backyards:
The Camden Haven Courier has the sixth in a series by Dunbogan Bushcare and the National Parks Association Mid North Coast branch in the Restoring Natural Values of the Dunbogan-Crowdy Bay National Park Habitat Corridor Project, this time focussing on rewilding backyards for birds.
https://www.camdencourier.com.au/story/7672517/how-to-turn-your-garden-into-a-birds-haven/
Dog’s nutrient load:
A Belgian study in peri-urban bushland found that dogs’ urine and faeces deposit 11 kg of nitrogen (N) and 5 kg of phosphorous (P) per hectare per year, significantly increasing nutrient concentrations.
These levels of ‘fertilisation’ by dogs can have very negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Higher nutrient levels can lead to increased plant growth of nutrient-demanding species which outcompete others and cause loss of species. This is not what is wanted in urban and peri-urban bushland where species diversity is valued and nurtured, and it’s a particular problem for many parts of Australia where the native flora has evolved and thrive on nutrient-poor soils.
The authors recommend:
- Greater awareness of the issue by organisations responsible for the management and restoration of urban bushland;
- Education of dog walkers about the problem and highlight the necessity of removing dog faeces in urban bushland, just as in parks;
- In ecosystems adapted to nutrient-poor soils, establish off-leash dog parks, enforce use of short leashes, and even apply dog bans.
https://johnmenadue.com/environment-pollution-destroys-lives-the-ozone-layer-and-bushland/
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Fossil fuelled fools:
In our contribution to global heating Australia’s fossil fuel subsidies increased $1.3 billion in the last year to a total of $11.6 billion in 2021-22, according new Australia Institute research.
The total value of future fossil fuel subsidies already committed in Federal, state and territory budgets is $55.3 billion – more than 10 times the balance of Australia’s Emergency Response Fund ($4.8 billion in Dec 2021), while $11.6 billion is 56 times the budget of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency.
Liquidating forest assets:
A company producing “sustainable” aviation fuel (SAF) from forest biomass carbon was the winner of Canada’s “The Sky’s the Limit Challenge”, and of course they claim there are no carbon emissions from liquifying forests.
Enerkem is proud to announce that, as the project leader in partnership with CRB Innovations, it has been selected by an independent panel of international aviation experts as the winner of “The Sky’s the Limit Challenge” hosted by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), from among the four finalists. This prestigious honour underscores its significant achievement in producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from forest biomass carbon. The resulting biogenic fuel will contribute to a 93 per cent reduction in GHGs from air transport per unit of fossil fuel replaced by SAF.
TURNING IT AROUND
Back to school strike:
As one of more than 30 School Strike For Climate events held across the country on Friday, a crowd of about 1,000 people protested outside Kirribilli House in Sydney, though Scomo was absent.
Thirteen-year-old Ella O'Dwyer-Oshlack should be at school but she now doesn't have one.
The Lismore girl lost her house during the northern NSW city's flood catastrophe, just two years since the region was affected by bushfires.
She says she feels let down by the government and is "terrified" about the future.
"We have leaders that don't lead us in the right direction, in fact we are going in the exact wrong direction," she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-25/nsw-floods-highlighted-school-strike-for-climate/100938942
Time for political revolution:
The successful appeal by environment minister Sussan Ley to the full bench of the Federal Court to reverse the Sharma decision, where Justice Mordecai Bromberg declared last July that the federal environment minister has a duty of care to the wellbeing of Australian children, emphasises the lack of legal recourse to affect climate heating and urgency of voting the climate fools out and getting some good crossbenchers in.
Less attention was paid to a key take-home message: the EPBC Act gives the minister power to approve coal projects, even if they’ll have adverse effects.
It doesn’t, in a general sense, protect the environment from these effects. It doesn’t protect the public from consequent harm, even if deadly. And it doesn’t, actually, tackle climate change at all.
Alarmed? You should be.
But the other two were dissuaded by their view that the EPBC Act doesn’t in fact protect the environment in a general sense. Nor does it explicitly aim to mitigate climate change. It operates in a piecemeal way, rather than concerning ecosystems as a whole, or our dependency on them.
We heard this same message just recently via the ten-yearly, independent review of the legislation. It concluded that the EPBC Act is outdated, and not fit for the purpose of environment protection.
Let’s look at this case as a call to action. The Federal Court has essentially said it can’t act. …
But the decision certainly doesn’t mean the government can’t act. In fact, that’s exactly who the judges indicated must.
“This is yet another lost opportunity to get some real climate action with the urgency we need,” lamented XR Australia spokesperson Miriam Robinson. “There have been numerous international cases brought, with mixed success along similar lines, but none have yet been successful.”
But there’s hope mounting within the general populace that the pending election holds potential for change, as commentators are predicting a minority Labor government, with the balance of power in the hands of a climate-concerned crossbench of Greens and progressive independents.
Robinson sees the coming vote as “absolutely pivotal”. She further explained that even though XR is “beyond politics”, she asserts that the general populace should get out there, get engaged and put in a vote for the non-major candidates that are prioritising climate.
Forest Media 25 March 2022
NEW SOUTH WALES
NEFA is in court on Monday challenging the indefinite extension of the North East NSW Regional Forest Agreement without a new assessment of climate change, threatened species and oldgrowth. Should we win, the North East NSW RFA will no longer exempt logging operations from assessment and approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, or exempt wood from the requirements of the Export Control Act 2020, with potential ramifications for all other RFAs.
This week marked International Day of Forests, a time to acknowledge the importance of forests, recognise the threat they are under, and demand action to protect them, NEFA released a statement calling for an end to logging of public native forests and stopping landclearing. Timberbiz reports at length on Justin Field’s attack on the wood supply agreements, giving Forestry Corporations feeble response that they have voluntarily changed their practices in burnt forests and their 100 year modelling shows they have plenty of timber. The NCC’s call to end logging of public native forests is still getting attention as is Forestry Corporation being fined $45,000 for felling habitat trees in Mogo State Forest.
In a further erosion of civil liberties, amidst the hyperbole following Blockade Australia’s Port Botany action the NSW Government has raised the penalties for blocking bridges and tunnels tenfold to $22,000 or two years jail and promised to change the law to extend these penalties to all Sydney’s roads and its transport and industrial facilities, and set up a police strike force including dogs, aircraft and mounted police, to deal with future protests. Meanwhile the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions has been forced to drop charges against a series of anti-coal protesters by Blockade Australia — who blockaded rail lines for coal transport in the Hunter Valley for over a week – because they couldn’t prove an intention to endanger lives.
To offset their carbon emissions Telstra is reforesting 240 hectares at Yarrowyck in northern New South Wales, with 158,000 native trees and shrubs, which is expected to store around 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years.
AUSTRALIA
An attempt by the Victorian opposition to amend legislation along NSW lines to prohibit third-party legal challenges to logging was unsuccessful, amidst claims the industry could be forced to close within months.
An important study found that in Western Australia, as in the Australian ALPs, burning makes forests on average seven times more flammable for 43 to 56 years, due to the proliferation of shrubs following fire and the long time taken for the shrubs to self-thin. They argue that unlike prescribed burns, burning by indigenous practitioners was precise and focused and they did not attempt to burn vast areas at once. They argue for limiting controlled burning to around settlements and suppressing fires elsewhere to allow understories to become open again. As NSW suffered from floods, western Tasmania suffered its worse drought in 40 years, leading researchers to argue for adequate funding for a draft fire management strategy to stop further attrition of Gondwanan refuges.
The ANU’s Australia's Environment 2021 Report still garners attention, while Australia’s flooding cycle has provided significant relief, its likely to only be temporary as wildlife continue their decline.
The ACF identify that the Federal Government has approved 200,000 ha of endangered species habitat for clearing in the past decade, mostly for mining, this is in addition to the vast areas logged under Regional Forest Agreements. No wonder the Morrison Government now want regional mining agreements so they can stop being accountable for mining approvals.
An Environmental Lawyer argues that after 50 years we should restore Lake Peder, while linking it to the birth of the Green Party.
SPECIES
In the Blue Mountains the floods washed Eastern Pygmy-possums out of their hollows and Grey-headed Flying-foxes out of their roosts.
Echonet has an article about Ballina Shire’s current Citizen of the Year, Maria Matthes, where she talks about her flood experiences and Koalas’ attachment to their feed trees. DPI Forestry’s Brad Law has now had his research published claiming that logging has no impact what-so-ever on Koalas – it doesn’t matter how many of their feed trees are cut down. Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has listed Yellow-bellied Glider as vulnerable on the advice of the Federal Threatened Species Scientific Committee, adding to the uplisting of Koalas as Endangered due to the 2019-20 bushfires.
They have been getting the pasture just right, not too bare and not too dense, for the release of 10 captive bred critically endangered Plains-wanderers, nicknamed Goldilocks. A European study has found that rising temperatures are decreasing the survival and body size of a bird species, though the effects are less in urban areas, likely due to pre-adaption. The Great Glossy Count is on March 26 to assess their current status.
A researcher has uncovered 111 cases of quolls eating corpses, in one case before they died, though due to our assault on the environment there are not enough left to now be a problem.
Australians are being encouraged to keep their cats indoors to stop them killing around 250 million native animals every year. A new report says controlling rabbits with viruses has saved Australian agriculture $81.8 billion, while allowing native plants to recover and causing feral cat and fox numbers to plummet.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
The United Nations secretary general António Guterres has singled out Australia for not setting stronger 2030 targets as Australia announces more subsidies for the gas industry. Australia is attempting to water down targets and commitments in October’s Convention on Biodiversity Kunming Declaration aimed at stopping the world’s extinction crisis.
Prof Andrew Macintosh says the growing carbon market overseen by the Australian government and the Clean Energy Regulator, which gives credits for projects such as regrowing native forests after clearing, is ‘a fraud’ on the environment, taxpayers and consumers, delivering little increased carbon storage and often reductions.
Scientists have assessed that tropical carbon loss has doubled over the last 20 years as a result of excessive forest removal, mostly for agriculture, showing that current reporting and mitigation measures are not working. A new study led by a National University of Singapore researcher has found that the amount of CO2 taken in by land ecosystems, such as forests, could be linked to the availability of water, which is in short supply during droughts.
Thanks to climate change the drought-stricken Southern Plains of the United States have been affected by a rash of wildfires, the largest blaze burning nearly 220 square kilometres. A new analysis has identified that between 2001 and 2019 wildfires were responsible for 26-29% of global forest loss. A study has found that in the arctic brown carbon from wildfires is having twice the warming effect of black carbon from high temperature combustion of fossil fuels - as wildfires increase, they increase warming which increases wildfires.
Unprecedented heatwaves occurred simultaneously in the Arctic and Antarctica, with temperatures reaching 30 and 40oC (respectively) warmer than average, alarming scientists and emphasizing the need for urgent climate action.
TURNING IT AROUND
The United Nations promoted International Forest Day, noting they cover 30% of the earth’s surface, support 80% of biodiversity, supply clean water and air, regulate the climate by creating rain and cooling the land, absorb a third of our carbon emissions, are crucial for fighting climate change, and provide livelihoods for millions of people. Alarmed that we still degrade and destroy some 10 million hectares of forest each year, while warning that if the rises in temperature become higher than 1.5 degrees, then we will risk losing all control of the climate resulting in ecosystems collapsing without the possibility of restoration afterwards. There is a turning tide on the value of forests, with plenty of good forest stories from around the world, including the Western Australian decision to protect 400,000 ha of its state forests. Loggers saw it as an opportunity to promote logging, particularly because it was meant to be about sustainable production and consumption. Planet Ark chimed in to support their financiers, extolling the logging of native forests.
All forests promote local climate stability by reducing extreme temperatures in all seasons and times of day, though they are also responsible for cooling the earth by half a degree, with the cooling effect increasing to more than one degree in the tropics.
The Atlantic has an article adapted from Thomas E. Lovejoy and John W. Reid’s forthcoming book, Ever Green: Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet talking about forest fragmentation and the need to protect the world’s five big forests. Suzanne Simard has an impassioned plea in The Guardian to save the forests, reflecting her deep understanding. Ninety scientists have written to the Canadian government requesting that protection of old-growth forests be a big part of the soon to be released plan to meet greenhouse gas targets.
James Griffin, NSW Environment Minister, argues in The Australian that we need to urgently invest in enhancing natural capital. In light of the Federal courts ruling that the Federal Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, does not owe a duty of care to Australia’s children, Professor David Kinley argues that Australia needs to change its laws to recognise human and environmental rights
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
NEFA challenges NE NSW RFA
NEFA is in court on Monday challenging the indefinite extension of the North East NSW Regional Forest Agreement without a new assessment of climate change, threatened species and oldgrowth. Should we win, the North East NSW RFA will no longer exempt logging operations from assessment and approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, or exempt wood from the requirements of the Export Control Act 2020, with potential ramifications for all other RFAs.
NEFA’s court case ‘North East Forest Alliance Inc v Commonwealth of Australia & State of NSW’ challenging the extension of the North East NSW Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) will be heard in the Federal Court of Australia before Justice Perry on the 28 and 29 of March. NEFA’s challenge is being run by the Environmental Defenders Office.
NEFA is challenging the 2018 decision to extend the North East RFA, effectively indefinitely, largely based on the Comprehensive Regional Assessment (CRA) undertaken in 1997 and 1998, without a new assessment.
“Because of the data limitations we argued that the RFA should only last 10 years, though we were over-ruled to make it 20 years. We participated in good faith. We would not have taken part in the CRA had we thought there was any chance of its being extended indefinitely because the data was not good enough. We relied upon the promise there would be a reassessment by 2018.
“We are aware of the studies since undertaken by scientists, the improved data, changes to forests, growing threats, increasing numbers of threatened species, increased understanding of climate heating impacts, and changes in the logging industry and regional communities, that should have been part of a new CRA before extending the North East NSW RFA.
“NEFA considers a reassessment now would conclude that all public forests should be protected.
International Day of Forests
This week marked International Day of Forests, a time to acknowledge the importance of forests, recognise the threat they are under, and demand action to protect them, NEFA released a statement calling for an end to logging of public native forests and stopping landclearing. (there are more extensive stories under Turning it Around).
On International Day of Forests, North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) says it is essential that we recognise that forests support our civilisation, climate and biodiversity.
In a statement for International Day of Forests for NEFA President Dailan Pugh said that forests are under unprecedented threat due to increasing droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods, at the very time we need them to take our carbon out of the atmosphere and store it safely in their wood and soils, and to mitigate flooding by storing and slowing the water during extreme rainfall events.
‘Forests improve our health, generate rainfall, cool the land, regulate streamflows, sequester and store carbon, reduce flood risk by storing water and slowing flows, reduce landslips by reinforcing soils, and support most of our biodiversity.’
‘We must act immediately to turn the accelerating climate and biodiversity crises around before it is too late. Two easy changes we need to make are stopping logging public native forests and stopping clearing forests.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/03/its-international-day-of-forests/
Forestry fights back:
Timberbiz reports at length on Justin Field’s attack on the wood supply agreements, giving Forestry Corporations feeble response that they have voluntarily changed their practices in burnt forests and their 100 year modelling shows they have plenty of timber.
It says that on the north coast, models show it would be able to continue to supply timber at existing levels over the long-term as forests are harvested and regrown time and again.
There were strict environmental rules in place for all forestry operations and Forestry Corporation was committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations.
To read Forestry Corporation of NSW full statement head to https://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/about/releases/clarification-on-native-forest-management
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/forestry-corp-counters-criticism-of-its-management-of-native-forestry/
Ending logging of public forests doing the rounds:
The NCC’s call to end logging of public native forests is still getting attention.
“The latest annual report shows NSW taxpayers unwittingly paying to cut down forests the people want protected.
“It’s not just ecologically and economically unsustainable, it is morally indefensible.
Mr Gambian said the government should not renew the 30 wood supply agreements with timber mills that will expire in 2023 but rather start talks with workers and the industry about transitioning out of native forest logging.
“Will it lock in destructive native forest logging for years to come or will it develop a plan to transition to a sustainable, plantation-based timber industry?
https://www.newsofthearea.com.au/calls-to-stop-logging-native-forests-89661
Mogo fines still garners attention:
Forestry Corporation being fined $45,000 for felling habitat trees in Mogo State Forest still garners attention.
Rights to protest further curtailed:
In a further erosion of civil liberties, amidst the hyperbole following Blockade Australia’s Port Botany action the NSW Government has raised the penalties for blocking bridges and tunnels tenfold to $22,000 or two years jail and promised to change the law to extend these penalties to all Sydney’s roads and its transport and industrial facilities, and set up a police strike force including dogs, aircraft and mounted police, to deal with future protests.
Despite what Mr Speakman says, the protesters are not mere vandals. They included a 71-year-old woman and a 57-year-old woman, who by all indications are sincerely concerned about climate change, a concern shared by the Herald. It seems excessive to lock up a woman in her 70s for two years for expressing her views on this subject.
While the government is justified in arresting people who trespass or cause major disruption, the protesters at Botany were few in number and peaceful. Police could have dealt with them under existing laws.
In 2016 NSW passed laws against protests around coal seam gas fields, raising fines to $5500 or seven years in jail. …
While certain sections of the media might like the idea of using police-state tactics against “woke” activists, the new laws could cause more problems than they solve.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/crackdown-on-protests-is-an-overreaction-20220324-p5a7ps.html
The new penalties were supported by the Labor leader, Chris Minns, who dismissed fears that the extension of police powers posed a threat to civil liberties, saying the protests had caused “serious damage to the NSW economy”.
“It’s almost impossible to think of anything more disruptive, or damaging to the environmental cause, or the cause for climate change than the actions of these people,” he said.
But the Greens MP David Shoebridge savaged the government, calling it a “politically motivated crackdown on legitimate political expression”.
“NSW Police has launched Strike Force Guard to proactively investigate and target those involved in the planning and facilitation of this type of protest activity, in addition to current operations,” Mr Toole said.
“I have been clear from the start; we will not stand for this kind of blatant disregard for the law and its impact on the livelihoods of all workers and business owners impacted by these foolish acts.
“Strike Force Guard will ensure Police are always one step ahead of the protesters to make sure we crack down on this economic vandalism.”
Strike Force Guard will include general duties officers and detectives from Central Metropolitan Region, analysts from State Intelligence Command, operatives from Operations Support Group and the Public Order and Riot Squad, and specialist officers from Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, PolAir, Marine Area Command and Police Rescue.
In in addition to monitoring and responding to unauthorised protest activity, Strike Force Guard officers will also conduct intelligence-driven taskings, including highly visible patrols around significant infrastructure across Sydney.
Meanwhile the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions has been forced to drop charges against a series of anti-coal protesters by Blockade Australia — who blockaded rail lines for coal transport in the Hunter Valley for over a week – because they couldn’t prove an intention to endanger lives.
Telstra offsets:
To offset their carbon emissions Telstra is reforesting 240 hectares at Yarrowyck in northern New South Wales, with 158,000 native trees and shrubs, which is expected to store around 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years.
https://exchange.telstra.com.au/why-were-creating-a-forest-using-experimental-tech/
AUSTRALIA
Bid to prohibit legal challenges to Victorian logging lost:
An attempt by the Victorian opposition to amend legislation along NSW lines to prohibit third-party legal challenges to logging was unsuccessful, amidst claims the industry could be forced to close within months.
The Opposition tried to convince cross-bench MPs to back amendments to government legislation before the Upper House last yesterday, which would block third-party legal action against timber harvesting.
But the amendment to the Government’s Conservation, Forests and Lands Amendment Bill 2022 was lost, after key cross-bench MPs refused to back it.
Former harvest and haulage contractor and Coalition assistant forestry spokesman Gary Blackwood said the timber industry would be shut down within three to four months unless action was taken to end the barrage of environmental groups’ legal actions now.
Controlling controlled burning:
An important study found that in Western Australia, as in the Australian ALPs, burning makes forests on average seven times more flammable for 43 to 56 years, due to the proliferation of shrubs following fire and the long time taken for the shrubs to self-thin. They argue that unlike prescribed burns, burning by indigenous practitioners was precise and focused and they did not attempt to burn vast areas at once. They argue for limiting controlled burning to around settlements and suppressing fires elsewhere to allow understories to become open again.
As coal-fired climate change makes bushfires in Australia worse, governments are ramping up hazard-reduction burning. But our new research shows the practice can actually make forests more flammable.
We found over time, some forests “thin” themselves and become less likely to burn – and hazard-reduction burning disrupts this process.
In the summer of 2019-20, the Black Summer bushfires ravaged Australia’s south-east. In the decade before the fires, the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service doubled the area of prescribed burns compared to the previous decade.
In fact, the area of national park burned that decade was the largest in the state’s history. But as we now know, it had little effect.
Where prescribed burns had very recently been carried out, the bushfires were marginally less severe, about half of the time. But the bushfires ultimately burned ten times more forest than any other Australian forest fires on record.
To find out, we looked at the forests of south-western Australia, where hazard-reduction burns are very frequent.
We examined official records showing where fires had burned over 65 years in national parks. The results were stark.
Forests were unlikely to burn for five to seven years after a prescribed burn. This finding supported earlier work in the same region. But there’s more to the story.
Other studies have shown fires cause a massive flush of understorey growth in WA’s karri and jarrah forests.
During bushfires, the understorey is the main driver of large flames which cause destructive crown fires.
Our research corroborated these earlier findings. We found as the understorey grew back, becoming taller and denser, fire risk greatly increased for the next 37 to 49 years.
As the below graph shows, 43 to 56 years after a fire, the forests had thinned their shrub layers. We found this meant they were, on average, seven times less likely to carry a bushfire than forests burned more recently.
In other words, burning made forests on average seven times more flammable for 43 to 56 years.
In the hottest and driest climate conditions, old, self-thinned forests even out-competed recent prescribed burns – those up to seven years old. Bushfires were three times less likely in old forests than they were in recent prescribed burns.
Our previous work in the Australian Alps found similar trends; mature forests there are dramatically less likely to burn.
Early Australian colonists recorded many Australian forests as park-like with open understoreys.
This reflected First Nations’ care for country. In southwest Australia, as in many parts of the continent, Indigenous fire use was precise and focused. Unlike prescribed burns, Indigenous practitioners did not attempt to burn vast areas at once.
Cooperating with country today means moving away from prescribed burning across large areas. Frequent burns may be useful only close to homes, or in other locations where we know with confidence they can achieve an ecological goal or help firefighters stop a burning edge.
Elsewhere, we should work with forest landscapes and allow them to become open again. We can support this process by refocusing fire management to quickly suppress fire when it does break out.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac5c10
Tasmanian drought threatens Gondwanan legacy:
As NSW suffered from floods, western Tasmania suffered it’s worse drought in 40 years, leading researchers to argue for adequate funding for a draft fire management strategy to stop further attrition of Gondwanan refuges.
There is increasing scientific recognition of the risk of the Gondanwan ecosystem collapsing from climate change driven fires. A new draft fire management plan outlines key steps to ensure these iconic forests survive for decades to come – and it must receive dedicated funding.
The cool moist climate, combined with the skilful, intentional application of fire by Aboriginal people, have conserved ancient, unique trees for millennia. However, the changes in fire patterns following colonialism have caused some Gondwanan refugia to collapse.
Wet provides a hiatus to our deteriorating environment:
The ANU’s Australia's Environment 2021 Report still garners attention, while Australia’s flooding cycle has provided significant relief, its likely to only be temporary as wildlife continue their decline.
It found that in 2021 the oceans were storing 6.5 per cent more heat year-on-year, and we experienced the sixth warmest year on record.
Ms Rapley said one of the biggest concerns highlighted was the continual and rapid decline of animal and plant species, a major indicator of where things are at.
In the last five years, 34 new species have become threatened including eight bird, four frog, and two fish species.
The Nature Conservation Council said there remains a lack of political will to address the dire reality.
"The government spends $50 million on improving koala habitat and $2 billion on diesel fuel subsidies," Mr Tremain said.
"They're not serious about the problem."
We can use this window of opportunity for social change to really ask 'what is the future we want to build?'" Ms Rapley said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-19/australian-environment-report-2021-good-and-bad/100920726
Feds approve 200,000 ha of endangered species habitat for clearing:
The ACF identify that the Federal Government has approved 200,000 ha of endangered species habitat for clearing in the past decade, mostly for mining, this is in addition to the vast areas logged under Regional Forest Agreements. No wonder the Morrison Government now want regional mining agreements so they can stop being accountable for mining approvals.
A major investigation has found 200,000 hectares of endangered species habitat has been green-lit for destruction over the last decade by the Federal Government.
Areas supporting koalas, spot-tailed quolls, gliders and swift parrots were among those earmarked to be cleared, a new report by Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) alleges.
Researchers concluded approximately 72 per cent of the approved area was for mining projects, followed by transport, residential development and energy supply.
In December, a report from WWF-Australia found state and federal approved clearing in Queensland has the potential to derail Commonwealth carbon reduction commitments.
While state-based logging projects and agriculture contribute to the most habitat loss, they generally don’t require federal scrutiny, so they were not included in ACF's findings.
https://www.acf.org.au/investigation-reveals-extent-of-habitat-destruction
Birth of the Greens:
An Environmental Lawyer argues that after 50 years we should restore Lake Peder, while linking it to the birth of the Green Party.
Fifty years ago this week, the world’s first “green” political party was born in Tasmania after the state government purposefully flooded the magnificent Lake Pedder.
The loss of Pedder helped trigger the formation of the United Tasmania Group (UTG), which is generally credited as the world’s first political party with a foundation in environmental values.
While the UTG didn’t win seats in that or subsequent elections it contested during the 1970s, it was the forerunner to the Tasmanian Greens and, nationally, the Australian Greens.
The name “Green” for environmentally minded political parties, however, came later. Indeed, it was derived from another Australian-first: the “Green Ban” movement in Sydney in the 1970s that united building workers and community groups to save cultural and natural heritage from destruction.
SPECIES
Flushing out pygmies:
In the Blue Mountains the floods washed Eastern Pygmy-possums out of their hollows and Grey-headed Flying-foxes out of their roosts.
Wildlife carers have been called to help six displaced Eastern Pygmy-possum joeys in as many days - half the number normally rescued in a whole year.
"I think their hollows have been washed out," Ms Burgess said.
Ms Burgess said there had also been a big spike in rescues of the Grey-headed Flying-fox after floodwaters devastated their usual roosting areas in Emu Plains, Windsor, Richmond and Yarramundi.
https://www.hawkesburygazette.com.au/story/7665890/tiniest-residents-left-homeless-by-floods/
Koalas get attached to their homes:
Echonet has an article about Ballina Shire’s current Citizen of the Year, Maria Matthes, where she talks about her flood experiences and Koalas’ attachment to their feed trees.
‘Individual koalas have an attachment to the individual trees and when they’re affected, they get quite stressed. I’ve even seen little ones have a go at defending their tree,’ she said.
‘They stress,’ said Maria. ‘We had a case at Meerschaum Vale a a few years ago where a fellow chopped down a tree that grew the wrong way over his house and was dropping branches.’
That tree was home to a koala called Sweetie.
‘It wasn’t a huge tree, but he dropped it down. She did go and eat a little bit elsewhere. But every time you saw her she was always sitting in a nearby jacaranda or palm tree, just staring at where her tree used to be.
‘People always fail to recognise that strong attachment individual koalas have to their chosen trees.’
‘What we saw with the highway, it’s very clear that with loss of habitat, stress levels really quickly escalate.’ She says all koalas need to be valued, no matter where they live.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/03/koala-champion-escapes-floods/
Making Koalas like logging:
DPI Forestry’s Brad Law has now had his research published claiming that logging has no impact what-so-ever on Koalas – it doesn’t matter how many of their feed trees are cut down.
Naïve occupancy was close to 100% before and after harvesting, indicating koalas were widespread across all arrays. Average density was higher than expected for forests in NSW, varying between arrays from 0.03–0.08 males ha −1 . There was no significant effect of selective harvesting on density and little change evident between years. Density 5–10 years after previous heavy harvesting was equivalent to controls, with one harvested array supporting the second highest density in the study. Within arrays, density was similar between areas mapped as selectively harvested or excluded from harvest. Density was also high in young regeneration 5–10 years after heavy harvesting. We conclude that native forestry regulations provided sufficient habitat for koalas to maintain their density, both immediately after selective harvesting and 5–10 years after heavy harvesting.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-08013-6.pdf
Yellow-bellied Glider recognised as nationally vulnerable:
Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has listed Yellow-bellied Glider as vulnerable on the advice of the Federal Threatened Species Scientific Committee, adding to the uplisting of Koalas as Endangered due to the 2019-20 bushfires.
“If we do not end native forest logging and land clearing now, we will lose these species forever.”
The Committee found the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, which destroyed more than five million hectares of forests, were a key factor that had increased risks to both species, along with land clearing, habitat fragmentation, and climate change.
“The NSW Government is still logging forests that were smashed by the Black Summer bushfires or forests that have become precious refuges for koalas and gliders that fled the flames,” Mr Gambian said.
https://www.newsofthearea.com.au/yellow-bellied-gliders-listed-as-vulnerable-to-extinction-89741
Goldilocks likes pasture just right, not too bare and not too dense
They have been getting the pasture just right, not too bare and not too dense, for the release of 10 captive bred critically endangered Plains-wanderers, nicknamed Goldilocks.
Also known as plains-wanderers, 10 of the animals, which were hatched in captivity, have been released in native grassland near Hay, in NSW's south-west.
It is hoped the inaugural project will boost Australia's dwindling population, estimated to be at less than 1,000 in the wild.
"Overgrazing is the biggest deterrent to the bird because it likes to have ground cover that's sparse, but not too sparse or too congested.
Chief Executive of Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Cameron Kerr said plains-wanderers were a unique Australian bird, whose genetic history dated back millions of years, “which is why breeding and releasing these birds back into the wild is so important”.
https://psnews.com.au/2022/03/22/goldilocks-bird-finds-new-house-bearable/?state=aps
Heating decreasing the survival and body size of birds:
A European study has found that rising temperatures are decreasing the survival and body size of a bird species, though the effects are less in urban areas, likely due to pre-adaption.
Rising temperatures decreased the survival and body size of forest bird nestlings more than their urban counterparts, shows a new article in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Increasing urbanization and the climate crisis present varied challenges for wildlife, and this is one of the first studies looking at the combined impact of these factors on warm-blooded animals.
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-extreme-forest-dwelling-bird-chicks-city.html
Making Glossy Black Cockatoos count:
The Great Glossy Count is on March 26 to assess their current status.
The demise of its favourite feeding tree was accelerated by the Black Summer bushfires, which destroyed swathes of natural habitat.
Griffith University’s Associate Professor Guy Castley says long-term drought and fire have no doubt taken a toll on the glossy black.
“The species faces a number of threats but the primary driver is habitat loss across much of its range,” he said.
“The overall population is estimated at less than 10,000 mature birds in the latest Action Plan for Australian Birds but is declining in many areas,” he said.
https://www.aap.com.au/news/survey-to-help-save-declining-cockatoos/
The birds, who feed on casuarina trees, have been hit by both a debilitating loss of habitat and a reduction of food supply.
"There's been a massive loss of habitat through fires. These birds nest in large hollows, and when there are severe fires, these hollows are burnt out completely."
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7669332/nationwide-search-for-this-spectacular-bird/
Beware native cats:
A researcher has uncovered 111 cases of quolls eating corpses, in one case before they died, though due to our assault on the environment there are not enough left to now be a problem.
Quoll populations in Australia have been declining for more than a century. Tasmania’s remaining eastern quoll population, for example, fell more than half in the decade to 2009 and numbers have not recovered since.
And a sorry account tells of a man lost in the forest at Winchelsea in Victoria. Found near death, he said quolls and other animals “had eaten his fingers and his toes. They had bitten his face and torn his nose away”. He died soon after.
In some cases, fox and cat control has allowed quolls to return to places they’ve been absent from for many years. But more conservation measures are needed.
Keeping cats indoors:
Australians are being encouraged to keep their cats indoors to stop them killing around 250 million native animals every year (interview).
Every year, domestic cats kill around 250 million wild animals.
Cat Protection Society of NSW CEO Kristina Vesk told Ben Fordham it’s not hard to keep the animals inside.
“Provide them with lots of enrichment … things like high perches and places to climb, window boxes to sit in and look out at the world.”
https://www.2gb.com/how-to-keep-your-cat-indoors-to-stop-them-killing-native-wildlife/
Controlling rabbits:
A new report says controlling rabbits with viruses has saved Australian agriculture $81.8 billion, while allowing native plants to recover and causing feral cat and fox numbers to plummet.
The report, Benefits of Rabbit Biocontrol in Australia: An Update, also reveals that the removal of rabbits just as good for the environment, allowing native vegetation to thrive, causing feral cat and fox numbers to plummet, and native mammals to bounce back.
https://www.liverpoolchampion.com.au/story/7666629/the-86-billion-bunny-bounty/
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Australia reaffirms their tag as fossil fools:
The United Nations secretary general António Guterres has singled out Australia for not setting stronger 2030 targets as Australia announces more subsidies for the gas industry.
Australia has been named and shamed by the United Nations secretary general António Guterres, in an extraordinary speech that called out the governments of wealthy nations for not setting stronger 2030 emissions reduction targets.
In an address to the Economist Sustainability Summit overnight, Guterres targeted his criticism at wealthy countries, including the members of the G20, saying that they were overwhelmingly responsible for global emissions, and so had an obligation to act.
And, unusually for a person in his position, Guterres singled out Australia as being among a group of countries he described as “holdouts” on announcing stronger 2030 emissions reduction targets.
On Tuesday, federal energy minister Angus Taylor announced that the federal government would provide a further $50 million in subsidies to the gas industry, supporting the development of a further seven gas infrastructure projects.
On Tuesday, federal energy and emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor said the Morrison government would provide an additional $50.3 million in subsidies to the gas industry to support the construction of more gas infrastructure.
“It is nonsense to pretend that Australia has a gas supply problem. Australia produces five times more gas each year than is used for domestic purposes, but the vast majority is exported,” Baxter said.
“The federal government already has the power to compel gas exporters to ensure that Australia’s gas needs are met first, but it refuses to use it. Instead, they insist on goading this parasitic industry into doing more harm to Australian productivity by throwing ever more taxpayer funds at it.
… and seeks to water down Kunming declaration:
Australia is attempting to water down targets and commitments in October’s Convention on Biodiversity Kunming Declaration aimed at stopping the world’s extinction crisis.
With over 40,000 species at risk of being wiped out globally, the UN Convention on Biodiversity is meeting in Geneva this month to draft a framework of principles to help reverse the trend.
Despite Australia making these bold environmental commitments, Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) are warning the country could insist on making number of subtle changes during current negotiations that could weaken the framework.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/extinction-crisis-fear-australia-watering-down-global-agreement-222517173.html
Australia’s payments for carbon capture a fraud:
Prof Andrew Macintosh says the growing carbon market overseen by the Australian government and the Clean Energy Regulator, which gives credits for projects such as regrowing native forests after clearing, is ‘a fraud’ on the environment, taxpayers and consumers, delivering little increased carbon storage and often reductions.
His critique – outlined in four new academic papers – has major implications for the credibility of the Coalition’s $4.5bn “direct action” emissions reduction fund, through which the government buys carbon credits from rural landholders and other businesses.
Macintosh and his colleagues analysed 119 human-induced regeneration projects in New South Wales and Queensland. They found that despite the government issuing 17.5m carbon credits to these projects – with each credit meant to represent one tonne of carbon dioxide absorbed by growing trees – the total forest area had barely increased.
For 59 of the projects, the amount of forest was found to have reduced. They still received 8.2m carbon credits, worth more than $100m.
Taylor announced in January that generation of credits would also be allowed through plantation forestry, emissions cuts at industrial sites, and the use of biomethane and “blue carbon” – storing carbon in coastal wetland ecosystems.
Loss of tropical forest carbon doubles in 20 years:
Scientists have assessed that tropical carbon loss has doubled over the last 20 years as a result of excessive forest removal, mostly for agriculture, showing that current reporting and mitigation measures are not working.
They disclosed a dual increase in gross tropical forest carbon loss globally from 0.97 gigatons of carbon annually in 2001–2005 to 1.99 gigatons of carbon per year in 2015–2019 as a result of quick forest loss.
The doubling and acceleration in the loss of forest carbon, including biomass and soil organic carbon, is primarily driven by agricultural expansion which differs from current estimates of land-use change emissions in the assessments of the global carbon budget that shows a flat or decreasing trend.
Feng, Y., et al. (2022) Doubling of annual forest carbon loss over the tropics during the early twenty-first century. Nature Sustainability. doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00854-3.
https://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=31413
Forests carbon capture declines in droughts:
A new study led by a National University of Singapore (NUS) researcher has found that the amount of CO2 taken in by land ecosystems, such as forests, could be linked to the availability of water, which is in short supply during droughts.
The lead author of the study, Assistant Professor Luo Xiangzhong from NUS' geography department, said: "The key message from our study is that extreme droughts in the tropics are particularly important to the global carbon cycle."
But, while the study established a correlation between changes in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and drought events that have hit the world's tropical belt over the past 60 years, the exact way forest habitats are impacted by drought is still not very well understood, he said.
"This means that we are unsure if we can estimate forest carbon uptake correctly under future climate scenarios," Prof Luo said.
At night, the forest breathes as humans do. On satellite images, plumes of CO2 can be seen coming out from the three forest basins during these times.
But when the sun is up, the plumes disappear. Instead, these habitats take in CO2 through photosynthesis, converting the carbon into sugars that are stored in tree trunks, leaves or the soil, keeping the carbon out of the atmosphere where it can trap heat.
He said that droughts can influence carbon uptake even after a drought ends.
"We often assume ecosystems can fully recover to their normal status after extreme droughts. But droughts may have some long-lasting impacts, such as shifted species composition, higher fire possibility and deadwood decomposition," he said.
"All of these processes release carbon, but they do not necessarily happen during droughts and are often ignored."
Fires spread:
Thanks to climate change the drought-stricken Southern Plains of the United States have been affected by a rash of wildfires, the largest blaze burning nearly 220 square kilometres.
Fires to blame for over a quarter of forest loss:
A new analysis has identified that between 2001 and 2019 wildfires were responsible for 26-29% of global forest loss.
No high-resolution global satellite-based assessment of forest loss due to fire, employing consistent definitions and methods across biomes, has been available to date. In order to address this information gap, Tyukavina and her colleagues have developed the first ever 30m resolution (a 30 meter pixel represents a square patch of the land with a 30m side) global map of forest loss due to wildfires between 2001 and 2019. The study was published recently in Frontiers in Remote Sensing.
The new map with its more refined scale, showed that the proportion of global forest loss due to fires between 2001 and 2019 is 26 to 29 percent, which is higher than what was previously estimated. It showed relatively consistent increases in wildfires across the globe, with boreal forests having the highest proportion of forest loss (69–73 percent), followed by subtropical forests (19–22 percent), temperate forests (17–21 percent), and tropical forests (6–9 percent).
https://www.earth.com/news/one-third-of-global-forest-loss-has-been-caused-by-wildfires/
Brown is worse than black:
A study has found that in the arctic brown carbon from wildfires is having twice the warming effect of black carbon from high temperature combustion of fossil fuels - as wildfires increase they increase warming which increases wildfires.
Their study revealed that brown carbon from burning biomass – including from wildfires – was responsible for at least twice as much warming as black carbon from fossil fuel burning.
Worryingly, they say this could spark a vicious cycle, leading to even more wildfires in the near future.
'The increase in brown carbon aerosols will lead to global or regional warming, which increases the probability and frequency of wildfires,' said Professor Pingging Fu, senior author of the study.
'Increased wildfire events will emit more brown carbon aerosols, further heating the earth, thus making wildfires more frequent.'
The researchers point out that in the last 50 years, the Arctic has been warming at a rate three times that of the rest of the planet – and say that it's likely that wildfires are one of the leading drivers.
According to work by the University of Colorado Boulder, on average, US wildfires have become four times larger and three times more frequent since 2000.
The findings come off the back of a report by the United Nations that found global wildfires could increase by up to 50 percent over the next 80 years due to global warming.
Heatwaves poles apart:
Unprecedented heatwaves occurred simultaneously in the Arctic and Antarctica, with temperatures reaching 30 and 40oC (respectively) warmer than average, alarming scientists and emphasizing the need for urgent climate action.
An alarming heatwave is taking place simultaneously in the Arctic and Antarctic – a development described as “unthinkable” by scientists.
Records have been shattered in parts of Antarctica, with the temperature more than 40C warmer than average. Meanwhile in parts of the Arctic, the mercury shot up more than 30C higher than normal.
The heatwave has stunned scientists.
“They are opposite seasons. You don’t see the north and the south (poles) both melting at the same time,” National Snow and Ice Data Centre scientist Walt Meier told NBC News.
Scientists say it’s still too early to tell whether climate change is responsible for an extreme heat wave in Antarctica that shattered records as it brought temperatures soaring as high as -12°C, a full 40°C/70°F warmer than normal for this time of year.
“It is impossible, we would have said until two days ago,” tweeted Stefano Di Battista, …
Eastern Antarctic temperatures at this time of year typically register between -60° and -45°C. It is even more unusual that the weather pattern occurred in March, which marks the onset of Antarctica’s low-sunlight fall months, reports The Washington Post.
Climate change is affecting other parts of Antarctica, as well. High temperatures are reducing the mass of ice sheets on the western side of the continent and threatening to destabilize the Thwaites Glacier, a slab the size of Florida that contributes about 4% of annual global sea level rise. The Antarctic heat wave comes on the heels of a bout of exceptional warmth in the Arctic that reached close to the melting point.
The Antarctic continent as a whole on Friday was about 4.8C warmer compared to a baseline temperature between 1979 and 2000, the Associated Press reported. On the same day, the Arctic as a whole was 3.3C warmer than the 1979 to 2000 average.
“Right now we’ve got the lowest sea ice extent on record in Antarctica,” Arblaster said. “A lot of the sea ice around Antarctica that might be there normally close to the continent is now ocean. It would be really interesting to understand if there’s any connection between the low Antarctic sea ice extent and these warm temperatures.”
TURNING IT AROUND
International Forest Day
The United Nations promoted International Forest Day, noting they cover 30% of the earth’s surface, support 80% of biodiversity, supply clean water and air, regulate the climate by creating rain and cooling the land, absorb a third of our carbon emissions, are crucial for fighting climate change, and provide livelihoods for millions of people. Alarmed that we still degrade and destroy some 10 million hectares of forest each year, while warning that if the rises in temperature become higher than 1.5 degrees, then we will risk losing all control of the climate resulting in ecosystems collapsing without the possibility of restoration afterwards.
On March 21, 2022, we celebrate International Forest Day for the 10th year in a row to raise awareness of the importance of forests. Our lives are just as dependent on the land as on the sea regarding both food and livelihood. Moreover, forests are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land and accommodates more than 80% of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects. Forests cover 30% of the earth’s surface and are vital habitats for millions of species, they are sources of clean air and water, and of course crucial for fighting climate change. A study from the UN shows that forests actually can lift one billion people out of poverty and create additional 80 million green jobs.
… Also, the world’s forests act as shields from zoonotic diseases, which means that their destruction will have fatal consequences for the global public health. In fact, 1 out of 3 outbreaks of new and emerging diseases, e.g. HIV and SARS, are linked to deforestation and other land use changes.
… However, experts around the world have warned that if the rises in temperature become higher than 1.5 degrees, then we will risk losing all control of the climate resulting in ecosystems collapsing without the possibility of restoration afterwards.
Another report from last week specifies that the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon, is approaching irreparable damage due to forest fires and deforestation. This emerges from a new study from the journal Nature Climate change. They state that the Amazon is losing resilience and is at a crucial threshold of rainforest dieback. Factors such as droughts, forest fires, climate change and deforestation jointly reduce forest resilience. If the forest dies, it can have gargantuan repercussions for the whole globe; the Amazon covers large parts of South America and is home to around 25% of the earth’s total biodiversity. Furthermore, it is an important collector of CO2 in the atmosphere, and without forests the temperature will increase and the soil will not hold water, resulting in floods.
https://unric.org/en/international-forest-day-2022/
“They act as natural filters, providing clean air and water, and they are havens of biological diversity…[and] help to regulate our climate by influencing rainfall patterns, cooling urban areas and absorbing one-third of greenhouse gas emissions,” explained Secretary-General António Guterres.
Commemorated annually on 21 March, the international day reminds everyone that the sustainable management of forests and their resources, are key to combating climate change, and to contributing to the prosperity and well-being of current and future generations.
Even though these priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate.
While commitments to halt the wanton destruction of trees have rung out “loud and clear”, and slowing has been registered in some regions, “each year we still degrade and destroy some 10 million hectares of forest,” he said.
“It is essential that the world implements the recent Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use and other instruments designed to protect our forests,” underscored the Secretary-General.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1114262
Boreal and tropical forests are indispensable in the dual fights against climate change and biodiversity loss. These “lungs of the earth” are among the most carbon-dense biomes on Earth, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide and converting it into life-giving oxygen and buying us critical time to transition to a decarbonized future. Their protection is essential to achieving global climate and biodiversity targets. Yet, each year, tens of millions of acres of climate-critical tropical and boreal forests are lost or degraded, with catastrophic climate, biodiversity, and human rights impacts.
Forest ecosystems provide innumerable benefits. They are reservoirs of genetic diversity— hosting the majority of our planet’s terrestrial biodiversity, which is critical for the discovery of new medicinal compounds, and essential for our planet’s overall resiliency in the face of widespread disasters. Many Indigenous Peoples’ ways of life and livelihoods are tied to the health of forests. Furthermore, forests absorb enough carbon dioxide to offset one and a half times the amount of carbon emissions released by the United States each year. Forests like the boreal store vast amounts of carbon, locking it away from the atmosphere. But, when forests are lost or degraded, carbon that trees have captured from the atmosphere and stored for centuries is released. In 2020, 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide were added to the atmosphere from tropical forest loss alone. The Canadian boreal alone stores twice as much carbon as the world’s oil reserves, and logging’s impact on these carbon stores is a significant contributor to Canada’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, much of these forest’s impacts occur in violation of internationally recognized Indigenous rights.
The world stares at a global crisis precipitated by large-scale deforestation and damage to the environment. Reckless human activities have aggravated the climate crisis, raising a big question mark on the prosperity and well-being of current and future generations. Global deforestation continues at an alarming rate. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that 10 million hectares were cleared each year globally between 2015 and 2020.
… good news stories:
There is a turning tide on the value of forests, with plenty of good forest stories from around the world, including the Western Australian decision to protect 400,000 ha of its state forests.
Monday was International Day of Forests, a perfect moment for taking a walk under your local trees and reading a roundup of forest victories from around the world.
This year notes a turning tide in the global awareness of the value of trees.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/mark-international-forest-day-with-these-conservation-victories/
The day reminds people to value and save forests and the importance of forests in the lives of living creatures. It is quite evident that forest plays an essential role in proving food, water, shelter to animals as well as human beings.
https://sambadenglish.com/international-forest-day-2022-theme-history-significance/
Dominica can boast not only about the fact that it has in excess of 60% vegetative cover, but also the country with perhaps the greatest percentage % of
Protected Areas (21%) in our hemisphere and last but by no means least a forest ecosystem which has proven itself to be both relevant and resilient bearing in mind ravages caused by Hurricane David some 38 years ago and most recently Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria. On all occasions, as with other like natural disasters, the forests have re-emerged in a rather quick time.
https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/release-on-international-day-of-forest-2022/
… the loggers have their spin:
Loggers saw it as an opportunity to promote logging, particularly because it was meant to be about sustainable production and consumption.
Proclaimed by the United Nationals General Assembly, this year's International Day of Forests carries the theme 'forests and sustainable production and consumption', which is especially relevant for WA's industry.
Forest Industries Federation WA chief officer Adele Farina said while the industry had faced many challenges, the International Day of Forests was the ideal day for positive reflection.
"Our industry in WA is world-class and nationally we have the ability to be self-sustainable in timber production, which is vitally important, particularly considering recent events," Ms Farina said.
https://www.bunburymail.com.au/story/7664305/fifwa-to-hold-world-forestry-day-dinner/?cs=12
Planet Ark chimed in to support their financiers, extolling the logging of native forests.
David Rowlinson, Planet Ark Environmental Foundation’s Make it Wood Campaign Manager, said Make it Wood supported Australian forestry and the use of wood in construction.
“The Australian forestry sector is one of the most highly regulated and well regard-ed in the world,” Mr Rowlinson said.
Mr Rowlinson said using wood as a construction material helped to mitigate climate change.
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/forestry-australia-shines-a-light-of-forest-science-and-skills/
Forests are cool:
All forests promote local climate stability by reducing extreme temperatures in all seasons and times of day, though they are also responsible for cooling the earth by half a degree, with the cooling effect increasing to more than one degree in the tropics.
Researchers from the US and Colombia found that overall forests keep the planet at least half of a degree Celsius cooler when biophysical effects – from chemical compounds to turbulence and the reflection of light – are combined with carbon dioxide.
In the tropics – from Brazil and Guatemala to Chad, Cameroon and Indonesia – the cooling effect is more than one degree. In short, while all forests provide multiple benefits, some are more important than others in keeping the climate stable.
These physical qualities allow trees to move heat and moisture away from the Earth’s surface where we live, which directly cools the local area and influences cloud formation and rainfall – which has ramifications far away.
… tropical deforestation immediately increases extreme heat locally and decreases regional and local rainfall.
Michael Coe, the tropics program director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center and a study co-author, said: “Without the forest cover we have now, the planet would be hotter and the weather more extreme. Forests provide us defense against the worst-case global warming scenarios.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/23/forests-climate-crisis-carbon-cooling-effect
We find that tropical deforestation leads to strong net global warming as a result of both CO2 and biophysical effects. From the tropics to a point between 30°N and 40°N, biophysical cooling by standing forests is both local and global, adding to the global cooling effect of CO2 sequestered by forests. In the mid-latitudes up to 50°N, deforestation leads to modest net global warming as warming from released forest carbon outweighs a small opposing biophysical cooling. Beyond 50°N large scale deforestation leads to a net global cooling due to the dominance of biophysical processes (particularly increased albedo) over warming from CO2 released. Locally at all latitudes, forest biophysical impacts far outweigh CO2 effects, promoting local climate stability by reducing extreme temperatures in all seasons and times of day.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.756115/full
One of the main biophysical effects of deforestation the researchers looked at was how the loss of forest cover impacts heat distribution. High tree canopies, like those found in forests, push heat away from the surface and distributes it higher in the atmosphere.
“Imagine a smooth surface, the wind just flows straight across and the heat from the sun comes straight down,” she said, “But with the canopy and its surface like a crown of broccoli, those air parcels bounce around and the heat is dispersed.”
“Forests are also important to regional hydrological cycles; once you cut the trees, you remove the pump that transfers water from the surface to the atmosphere, which affects down-wind rainfall,” Vercho said.
Forests are also a main source of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which are one of the many factors involved in cloud formation. “The BVOCs produced by forests increase the concentration of water droplets in clouds, which makes them brighter so they reflect more energy back to space.”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/947514
Time to honour and protect forests:
The Atlantic has an article adapted from Thomas E. Lovejoy and John W. Reid’s forthcoming book, Ever Green: Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet talking about forest fragmentation and the need to protect the world’s five big forests.
But to meet the climate challenge, we have to accomplish one other essential task: Save the world’s biggest forests. The planet is a linked physical-biological system in which large wooded expanses keep both local and global conditions stable and livable. They metabolize the carbon our economies so relentlessly put in the air in a process that circulates life-giving water around our landscapes. This physical work is accomplished with a biological mechanism involving trillions of organisms belonging to millions of distinct species in a constant whir of transacted matter and energy, moving from one being to another, from earth to sky and back.
All forests can help, but large forests are of supreme importance for the climate. The five largest ones left—the megaforests—include boreal forests in Russia and North America, and the tropical forests in the Amazon, Congo, and New Guinea. …
Losing the forest would change more than the reading on the thermometer. Wind, rain, fire, and ocean currents would be rewritten. If we lose too many trees, everything changes.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/climate-change-deforestation-carbon/627114/
Suzanne Simard has an impassioned plea in The Guardian to save the forests, reflecting her deep understanding.
Trees live amid an orchestra of organisms. Whispering, gossiping, eavesdropping, all working together in symphonic harmony. Recent research shows that trees are in constant communication with one another through an underground biological neural network made of mycorrhizal fungi. …
The big trees look after the little ones by donating parcels of food and information, serving as “mother trees”. …
The first step is to reconnect with the natural world, viewing ourselves as partners, not dominators, and fulfilling our responsibilities to look after each other, our non-human kin, and the planet. …
Second, we must stop converting natural forests into industrial plantations or agricultural land, and demand that existing plantations should be allowed to revert. …
Third, we need climate policies that put as much emphasis on protecting forest carbon sinks and preventing greenhouse-gas emissions from logging as they do on preventing fossil-fuel emissions. …
Ninety scientists have written to the Canadian government requesting that protection of old-growth forests be a big part of the soon to be released plan to meet greenhouse gas targets.
“We are deeply concerned by the evidence of continued deforestation and degradation of primary forests globally and in Canada because of the resulting impact on greenhouse gas emissions and the biodiversity crisis,” says the open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Smith criticizes industry claims that using wood for biofuels is carbon-neutral, pointing out it takes decades to replenish the carbon such fuels emit.
“You’re looking at 10-20 years before you get any (carbon storage) out of them,” she said.
As well, the letter says government isn’t accounting for all the carbon currently being released by forestry.
By failing to account for factors such as carbon released from logged-over soils, DellaSala said his research suggests B.C. is under-reporting emissions from its forestry industry by as much as 88 per cent.
Need to invest in natural capital:
James Griffin, NSW Environment Minister, argues in The Australian that we need to urgently invest in enhancing natural capital.
More than 50 per cent of global gross domestic product is dependent on nature, according to the World Economic Forum.
The problem is that we’re using more of nature than we’re giving back to it.
The risk is not just to our nature, species and ecosystems, but to our quality of life – those stocks of natural capital.
The urgency is real: biodiversity and ecosystem collapse is ranked as one of the top five most likely and harmful risks to humans in the next 10 years, according to the World Economic Forum.
Australia ranks fifth-highest on a list of 140 countries that would experience economic losses if environmental challenges are not immediately addressed.
There is an immediate need to increase private sector investment in natural capital and conservation projects.
Legislating environmental responsibility:
In light of the Federal court's ruling that the Federal Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, does not owe a duty of care to Australia’s children, Professor David Kinley argues that Australia needs to change its laws to recognise human and environmental rights.
Following last week’s ruling by the Federal Court in that the Federal Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, does not owe a duty of care to Australia’s children, we might now ask whether it’s time that Australia catches up with the rest of the world in recognising a right to a healthy environment.
In much of the rest of the world, the situation is very different. Most other countries recognise the right to a healthy environment, either in their constitutions, ordinary human rights laws, or relevant regional human rights treaties. Aside from China, Russia, and the Middle East, it is mainly only common law jurisdictions that lack such legal recognition (the Republic of Ireland is an exception in that regard).
As a result, vanguard and successful environmental litigation based on human rights arguments, while not exactly run-of-the-mill, is not only expected — it is actively embraced by many national courts.
There have been other like cases in courts across Europe, including in Belgium, Germany, and Ireland, as well as before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. But also such litigation has been pursued across the globe, from Argentina and Brazil to India and Indonesia. Indeed, according to the latest Global Climate Litigation Report published by the UN Environment Programme, there are more than 1,500 climate-related human rights cases currently being litigated around the world.
Evidently, across all these jurisdictions, the presence of legal guarantees to the protection of the environment and human health have not only helped governments and corporations focus on their responsibilities and “moral obligations” (as Anjali Sharma puts it), they have also provided courts with the tools to force them to do so.
And so it could and should be in Australia.
Surely, we owe it to our children, our judges, and ourselves to provide better legal tools than that to tackle climate change.
https://www.abc.net.au/religion/david-kinley-human-right-to-healthy-environment/13804888
Forest Media 18 March 2022
NSW
It’s lamentable that the Koala’s saviour, North Coast-based Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack, has resigned from the NSW Parliament over the Federal Government’s decision to increase emergency payments to flood victims in the National Party seat of Page by $2000, but not in the ALP seat of Richmond, describing it as “probably the most unethical approach I have ever seen," A win for ethics, a loss for Koalas. Soon after Morrison extended the payments.
In response to a question by Justin Field in estimates, NSW Forestry Minister Dugald Saunders confirmed they are negotiating to extend North Coast logging contracts for five years to 2028. Leading Field to call for a halt, and NEFA to call for Premier Perrottet to block the extension because of the massive loss of resources in the 2019/20 fires, the increased need to protect fire refuges for affected Koalas, the need to restore hollow-bearing trees, and the urgency of protecting forests as carbon sinks to mitigate climate heating. The Forestry Corporation’s loss of $20 million last year logging public native forests, equating to $441 per hectare, has been amplified by a chorus of voices calling for it to end. The EPA has fined the Forestry Corporation $78,000 for the removal of hollow-bearing trees in Mogo State Forest and failing to protect feed trees and swift parrots in Bodalla and Boyne State Forests.
Bob Brown Foundation report that earlier this year Queensland Commodity Exports ceased receipt of plantation timber from New South Wales due to the risks posed to conservation values within NSW plantation areas.
Concerns grow over development of cabins on the Light to Light Walk within Ben Boyd National Park on the Far South Coast, with the community sidelined as costs blowout from $7.9million to $14.48million. The Camden Haven Courier has an article about increasing habitat values of backyards as part of the Restoring Natural Values of the Dunbogan-Crowdy Bay National Park Habitat Corridor Project.
AUSTRALIA
The Australian Forest Network is hosting a webinar with Professor Brendan Mackey, Christine Milne AO and Virginia Young this Monday from 4-5pm on “A campaigner’s guide to the dangers of forest carbon offsets. https://forms.gle/XKufjVtiTQdn5SiT7
Australia’s carbon credit processes are accused of distorting the market, rorting and rewarding bad practices.
We now have our political leaders acknowledging that climate change is causing unprecedented disasters, but the fix is in as in the next breath they want more coal and oil.
The Bob Brown Foundation stepped up their campaign by immobilising all logging machinery ripping into ancient native forests in the Wentworth Hills area of Tasmania’s Central Plateau. Environment groups are concerned changes to Victoria’s logging rules will make it easier to log by limiting court’s ability to consider the precautionary principle, and thereby undermine court challenges.
Trees are our allies in flood control, holding soils together to reduce stream bank erosion and landslips, while slowing floodwaters and sheltering smaller plants - roles we can enhance. As floods become more frequent, deeper and prolonged trees can also be victims.
ANU’s annual assessment of Australia’s environment using 15 key indicators, such as water availability, bushfire, population pressures and vegetation health, shows a significant improvement, rising 4 points from 2020 to 6.9 for 2021, primarily because of the rains, aided by COVID slowing population growth and emissions. The outlook for 2022 is not so bright with excessive rainfall, lifting of COVID restrictions, and a threatened coral bleaching event.
The Commonwealth is allocating $130 million to replicate the RFA regional assessment process in non-forest areas to exempt themselves from the need to consider individual developments under the EPBC Act and hand responsibility over to the States. While conservation groups want more information, the mining, oil and gas industries are delighted. The RFA’s have been such a success they want regional mining agreements.
There is a lot happening at the federal level to allow farmers to claim credits for additional work they do to enhance biodiversity and carbon with $66.1 million for its Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Package, though unfortunately it won’t reward farmers for their existing native vegetation. The short time frame of 25 years to claim credits for tree plantings is a worry as it allows them to then be logged. The NSW state government is chipping in $125 million for its Primary Industries Productivity and Abatement Program to help tap the growing market for carbon credits for farmers through measures such as targeted revegetation of grazing country, or seaweed feed across the dairy industry to reduce methane emissions.
There are calls for the Queensland government to stop approving a growing number of large, foreign-owned wind farm developments in Far North Queensland, involving land clearing adjacent to the World Heritage Area, some arguing there are more appropriate sites.
SPECIES
A study estimates there are now 1.7 million foxes in Australia, spread across 80% of the mainland and on 50 Australian islands, eating 300 million native mammals, birds and reptiles each year. Along with cats, each day across Australia their combined death toll includes 1.9 million reptiles, 1.4 million birds and 3.9 million mammals
A report by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) found the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is poorly implementing the EPBC Act and failing threatened species and ecosystems.
The Queensland government’s most recent Statewide Landcover and Trees Study (Slats), showed landholders cleared 680,688 hectares of woody vegetation in 2018-19, and now TWS has identified that 92,718 hectares of that clearing was in known or likely koala habitats, with 80% for cattle. Sue Arnold considered this exemplifies Queensland Premier Palaszczuk’s doublespeak where she talks up Koala protection while allowing vast areas of Kola habitat to be cleared for houses, highways, mines and cattle. As bad as NSW.
The NSW Wildlife Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) has yet to spend most of the $100 million in donations it raised after the Black Summer fires two years ago. The Raptor Fliers Association of WA uses free-flight falconry techniques to rehabilitate injured or orphaned birds and is licensed by the WA State government, and is trying again to get NSW approval.
When it comes to shooting rare albino Kangaroos, some shooters avoid them while others target them as valuable trophies. Hair ties lost and discarded in and near water are strangling platypus to death, with alarming frequency.
Decimated by chytrid fungus, feral horses and fires there are only 30 critically endangered southern corroboree frogs left living in the wild, so National Parks are successfully breeding them in enclosures spread through Kosciuszko National Park for release in the wild. Wombats have a habit of waiting till a car is almost upon them before dashing across roads for their burrows. A trial of virtual fencing to reduce wombat roadkills in southern NSW does not appear to have been very successful, though the researchers are persisting in testing light and sound-based devices to reduce roadkills.
Cate Faehrmann had an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald talking about the significant but unknown toll of the floods and climate change on wildlife, including Koalas. Hundreds of thousands of fish are known to have been killed in the Richmond River, likely the result of runoff of deoxygenated water from dead pasture on the floodplains.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Another bleaching event is underway on the Great Barrier Reef, its full extent has not yet been quantified. The Australian Psychological Society says in the past five years climate change has become one of the most common issues psychologists discuss with their clients, with the fires and the floods eco-grief is increasing as people realise it is here and now.
Despite the resistance, the biomass behemoth continues to consume forests and belch carbon into the air in ever increasing volumes as governments pretend there’s nothing to see as they cruel our chances of switching to genuinely renewable energy. Drax now control two thirds of British Columbias wood pellet manufacture, shipping oldgrowth forests and jobs off to the United Kingdom in the guise of carbon neutrality. An American study found that forests burnt in wildfires release relatively little carbon, far less than other assessments claim, and far less than logging them (including salvage logging for biomass) does.
Cyclone affected study sites identified that thinned plantations experienced significantly more damage which was attributed to trees in the unthinned plantation helping each other to release strong pressure by frequently crushing their crowns, whereas the trees in the thinned plots had to individually resist the pressure without any help from the neighbouring trees, due to the distance between the trees.
TURNING IT AROUND
An ACF community attitude poll taken before the floods found that climate change is the most important issue for 14% of voters, with six-in-ten Australians not convinced Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is enough with 41% of people believing net zero by 2050 is ‘too little, too late’.
A study found planted native forests store more above-ground carbon, provide more water to nearby streams, and better support biodiversity and prevent soil erosion than plantations. An American researcher extols the benefits of larger trees, by sourcing water from deep down and making it available to surface plants, cooling the air, increasing rainfall and streamflows. Also distributing resources through mycorrhizal fungi, storing and sequestering more carbon, providing decaying timber and hollows, providing large logs and resisting fires. A Japanese study found the variety of threatened fish in catchments increased with forest cover.
Dailan Pugh
NEW SOUTH WALES
Koala’s saviour quits:
It’s lamentable that the Koala’s saviour, North Coast-based Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack, has resigned from the NSW Parliament over the Federal Government’s decision to increase emergency payments to flood victims in the National Party seat of Page by $2000, but not in the ALP seat of Richmond, describing it as “probably the most unethical approach I have ever seen," A win for ethics, a loss for Koalas.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-16/liberal-upper-house-mp-to-quit-over-flood-funding/100914460
Wood Supply Agreements challenged:
In response to a question by Justin Field in estimates, NSW Forestry Minister Dugald Saunders confirmed they are negotiating to extend North Coast logging contracts for five years to 2028. Leading Field to call for a halt, and NEFA to call for Premier Perrottet to block the extension because of the massive loss of resources in the 2019/20 fires, the increased need to protect fire refuges for affected Koalas, the need to restore hollow-bearing trees, and the urgency of protecting forests as carbon sinks to mitigate climate heating.
Justin Field said:
NSW Forestry Minister Dugald Saunders has confirmed negotiations are on foot to extend North Coast logging contracts for five years to 2028 despite a Government report warning that existing logging cannot continue and that post fire logging presents a risk of "serious or irreversible harm" to native forests.
Independent NSW MLC Justin Field said “It’s totally unacceptable that the Minister would even consider extending contracts when the Government still hasn’t responded to the impact of the 2019/20 fires on our forests.
“I’m calling on the Minister to halt all contract negotiations and establish an immediate moratorium on logging in ‘extreme’, ‘high’, and ‘medium’ risk sites identified by the NRC report. The Government must explain how they will sustainably manage our forests into the future before any new contracts are signed.
“The ending of WSAs presents an opportunity to scale down or transition out of destructive native forest logging and we need leadership from the new Forestry Minister and Environment Minister James Griffin to reimagine a different future for our forests,” Mr Field said
NEFA said:
“Even if his Ministers refuse to, Premier Perrottet needs to recognise that extending Wood Supply Agreements at pre-fire levels is clearly unsustainable in multiple ways as it will cause gross overcutting and run-down sawlogs, require removal of Koala feed trees in fire refugia needed to rebuild populations, and require the logging of older mature trees needed as recruitments for future hollow-bearing trees”
“Before committing public resources to private individuals Perrottet needs to ensure there is a full and proper assessment in an open and transparent process that accounts for fire impacts and wildlife needs”, Mr. Pugh said.
It is worth watching the clip from estimates of Justin Field questioning the Minister.
In Budget Estimates this week, Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders admitted he had not read a Natural Resources Commission report leaked last year which found native forests were at risk of "serious and irreversible harm … from the cumulative impacts of fire and harvesting".
President of the North East Forest Alliance, Dailan Pugh, said the extension of logging contracts contradicted the government's verbal commitments to double koala populations by 2050.
"We regularly go out to the forests, we do surveys, we find areas where koalas survived the bushfires," Mr Pugh said.
"They have managed to hang in there and Forestry wants to cut down their remaining feed trees.
"The NRC recommended there had to be increased retention [of the largest trees] yet the government refuses to implement that advice."
Forestry losses amplified:
The Forestry Corporation’s loss of $20 million last year logging public native forests, equating to $441 per hectare, has been amplified by a chorus of voices calling for it to end.
The state-owned Forestry Corporation suffered a $20 million loss last year, with NSW taxpayers forced to pay to log critical native forests.
Upper house Greens MP and forests spokesperson David Shoebridge said native forestry was “a dying industry that is damaging the state finances”.
“If this was a true commercial operation it would be closed. It is only surviving because the state government is essentially choosing to underwrite it for an increasingly small number of jobs,” Professor Macintosh said.
[Justin Field] “There is an economic and ecological imperative to take this step,” he said. “The fires have changed everything, and it’s time for them to take advantage of opportunities in sequestration and nature-based tourism. Industry needs a transition package.”
“If you’ve got the scientists, the accountants and the people all saying it’s time to end native forest logging, what is the government waiting for?” Mr Gambian said.
[Chris Gambian NCC] “The latest annual report shows NSW taxpayers unwittingly paying to cut down forests the people want protected. [2] It’s not just ecologically and economically unsustainable, it is morally indefensible.
“If you’ve got the public, the scientists and even the bean-counters telling you to stop cutting down native forests, the government must listen and act.
Mr Gambian said the government should not renew the 30 wood supply agreements with timber mills that will expire in 2023 but rather start talks with workers and the industry about transitioning out of native forest logging.
https://clarencevalleynews.com.au/save-our-forests-and-save-taxpayers-a-small-fortune/
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/03/logging-costs-taxpayers-20m/
Forestry fined $78,000:
The EPA has fined the Forestry Corporation $78,000 for the removal of hollow-bearing trees in Mogo State Forest and failing to protect feed trees and swift parrots in Bodalla and Boyne State Forests.
The EPA said Forestry Corporation had a "history of noncompliance", and said lesser regulatory actions had not been effective in changing behaviour.
Greens MP David Shoebridge said the Mogo fines related to illegal logging activity in the months after the Black Summer fires.
"Even though so much of the forest had been burnt and destroyed, Forestry Corp still went in and logged these critical habitat trees, without any regard for swift parrots," he said.
"When you talk to the forestry protectors on the ground, these penalty notices represent just a fraction of the trees and other habitat that was illegally destroyed by Forestry Corporation."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-15/logging-forestry-corporation-native-timber-greens/100910456
NSW Forestry Corporation logging contractors cut down at least 70 mature habitat trees in Mogo State Forest on the South Coast in clear contravention of post-fire logging regulations, a NSW Environment Protection Authority investigation has found.
Coastwatchers spokesperson Nick Hopkins, whose own home was destroyed by the fires, said: “The destruction of vital habitat trees so soon after the Black Summer bushfires was utterly appalling. Hollow bearing trees were scattered all over the forest floor like dismembered corpses.
“Our members recorded at least 70 tree hollows that logging contractors had cut down in clear breach of the post-fire orders.
“These hollows are critical for many species that bore the brunt of the catastrophic fires.
Hardwood Plantation exports cease:
Bob Brown Foundation report that earlier this year Queensland Commodity Exports ceased receipt of plantation timber from New South Wales due to the risks posed to conservation values within NSW plantation areas.
Investigations undertaken by citizen scientists and stakeholders reveal that significant areas of biodiversity, including koala habitat, old growth trees, and rainforests are impacted by logging inside plantation areas, and that remnant native forests inside plantations continue to be imperilled.
Parks tourism plan sparks opposition:
Concerns grow over development of cabins on the Light to Light Walk within Ben Boyd National Park on the Far South Coast, with the community sidelined as costs blowout from $7.9million to $14.48million.
"NPWS is not going down the path of conservation. They are more interested in tourism and expanding income, which is taking precedence over the endangered southern brown bandicoot and other vulnerable species," they said.
"Staff involved were not adequately consulted either and if they raised their concerns were gagged to shut up and told to back off.
"It's no wonder people are confused and concerned. The proposed 'huts' are designed by Andrew Burns Architecture, the firm that designed the privately-owned 'huts' on the Three Capes Great Walk in Tasmania, which cost approximately $1000 per night to stay in," Mr Ripon said.
A NPWS spokesperson said after community concerns were raised, it was "now guaranteeing the accommodation along the walk will be owned and operated by NPWS".
"NPWS will explore commercial partnerships to deliver visitor experiences and services that complement the walk."
Rewilding gardens:
The Camden Haven Courier has an article about increasing habitat values of backyards as part of the Restoring Natural Values of the Dunbogan-Crowdy Bay National Park Habitat Corridor Project.
Remember - planting locally-found natives in preference to other plants will greatly help the diversity of our local ecosystems.
https://www.camdencourier.com.au/story/7654076/getting-started-on-backyard-biodiversity/
AUSTRALIA
The dangers of carbon offsets:
The Australian Forest Network is hosting a webinar with Professor Brendan Mackey, Christine Milne AO and Virginia Young this Monday from 4-5pm on “A campaigner’s guide to the dangers of forest carbon offsets. https://forms.gle/XKufjVtiTQdn5SiT7
Australian Forest Network Webinar #2
A campaigner’s guide to the dangers of forest carbon offsets
Join international experts Professor Brendan Mackey, Christine Milne AO and Virginia Young this Monday for a powerful live webinar.
When: 4-5pm AEDT. This Monday, 21 March
Where: On Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85269372561
Professor Mackey will explain the science and Christine will discuss the politics of forest carbon offsets.
Learn what this all means for our forest campaigns and most importantly, what you can do!
Carbon rorting:
Australia’s carbon credit processes are accused of distorting the market, rorting and rewarding bad practices.
The Nature Conservation Council are calling for the Federal Government to maintain carbon offset rules that exclude regrowth on illegally cleared land and the planting of weed species from the national carbon credit scheme.
Minister Taylor has announced carbon traders will be allowed to re-sell credits already bought by the Commonwealth, a move that the Nature Conservation Council say will significantly distort the carbon market and set back Australia’s emission reduction efforts by 112 million tonnes.
[Kathy Brown of EcoNetwork Port Stephens] “According to the Australian Financial Review (March 4, 2022), the Government’s revised rules on carbon credits will also provide funds for them to underwrite new schemes such as Santos’ controversial Moomba gas plant carbon capture and storage project in South Australia, which hinges on access to Australian carbon credit units.
Political fix is in:
We now have our political leaders acknowledging that climate change is causing unprecedented disasters, but the fix is in as in the next breath they want more coal and oil.
But even as Palaszczuk acknowledged the role of the climate crisis in the recent catastrophes, she doubled down on her state’s output of fossil fuels.
“Queensland is lucky,” she said. “We have coal, we have gas, and we have huge renewable investment, which is going to really rapidly increase over the next 10 years.”
What an illustration of the mess in which we find ourselves – reliant on coal to pay for the damage coal brings!
So, logically, Covid-19 should have spurred a ceasefire in the war on nature. But that’s not what happened. Carbon emissions have now rebounded to their highest level in human history, as, in response to the Covid downturn, politicians relied on coal to reboot their economies.
The Nationals’ Matt Canavan, for instance, say that the war means Australians should “stop trying to save the planet by building a green economy, and instead defend Australia by rebuilding our industrial base.”
Meanwhile, carbon budgets seemed to be the last thing on Morrison’s mind when he fronted a “town hall” discussion on Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News on Monday night.
He vowed support for the coal industry, said coal generators should “run as long as they possibly can”, and would be happy with new coal generators if the economics stacked up.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/aemo-defends-rapid-coal-closure-timelines-after-prodding-from-regulator/
Logging stopped:
The Bob Brown Foundation stepped up their campaign by immobilising all logging machinery ripping into ancient native forests in the Wentworth Hills area of Tasmania’s Central Plateau.
This protest follows on from a week of protests in the same forest last month, which saw four protesters arrested.
‘We are here today because we want to see an end to native forest logging. Sustainable Timbers Tasmania needs to move out of this area and never return.
Bob Brown Foundation Campaign Manager Jenny Weber added, ‘The relentless logging of native forests by Tasmania’s government logging agency for low grade pulp and paper products is for products that last only days or months. Over 90% of native forest recovered from the forest coupe is destined for woodchips or export chip logs.
‘Much of the forest crushed to the ground is left as waste on the forest floor, then incinerated, contributing to a mass amount of carbon released into the atmosphere,’ she said.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/03/protest-halts-logging-in-wentworth-hills/
Victoria’s weakening of logging rules attacked:
Environment groups concerned changes to Victoria’s logging rules will make it easier to log by limiting court’s ability to consider the precautionary principle, and thereby undermine court challenges.
They say the amendments to the act tabled in parliament in late February would give the minister unchecked power to determine the lawfulness of the logging activity of state-owned logging agency, VicForests.
The government says the changes to the legislation and forestry codes are intended to enable it to introduce “compliance standards” that will effectively codify how the precautionary principle should be applied.
“My concern is that this is really intended to avoid third-party scrutiny by environment and community groups as to whether VicForests is complying with logging laws,” [Brendan Sydes, an environmental lawyer] said.
Victorian Government says it is committed to delivering the Victorian Forestry Plan, which includes ending native timber harvesting by 2030 with a reduction in 2024.
Trees our allies in flood control:
Trees are our allies in flood control, holding soils together to reduce stream bank erosion and landslips, while slowing floodwaters and sheltering smaller plants - roles we can enhance. As floods become more frequent, deeper and prolonged trees can also be victims.
The large and fine roots of trees, such as river red gums, bind and consolidate soil, stabilising river banks and reducing erosion. This reduces the amount of sediment entering waterways, and prevents waters down-stream becoming muddied and clogged with silt.
Large trees can also protect smaller plants such as shrubs by acting as a physical barrier, shielding other vegetation from the forceful momentum of floodwater. This is because the presence of trees slows the floodwaters’ speed, as their trunks, roots and branches block and deflect water, and change the direction of flow.
However, slowing floodwaters can also cause the flood front to widen, inundating areas further away from the usual river course. This is a major consideration when creek and river banks are being revegetated – we want to capture the benefits trees provide, but also ensure that if floodwaters slow down there’s no greater risk to property or life.
Another different but related role is that trees can prevent landslides or landslips. Indeed, landslides have occurred across flood-affected regions such as Illawarra and Kangaroo Valley in NSW, and continue to threaten people and homes.
On slopes, tree root systems consolidate soils and help prevent the movement of super saturated soil, which can flow like a liquid down hill. So it can be a problem when people remove trees from around their homes or along roads as a part of bushfire prevention programs, without thinking that cleared sites and roadside verges might be prone to landslides.
Water-logged soils have low levels of oxygen, which means roots struggle to maintain their normal metabolism, health and function. This also affects the fungi associated with healthy roots. The longer low oxygen levels persist, the less suitable conditions are.
Water-logged soils also mean roots are deprived of their usual sources of energy and die of starvation. And once the roots start to go, there’s a rapid downward spiral in the tree’s condition.
In this land of extremes, trees have always been part of floods and flood prone ecosystems. Yet trees are disappearing at an alarming rate along many waterways.
While climate change poses new threats to trees, it also creates new opportunities for us to work with trees as allies in dealing with climate change and its consequences. We must not work against them.
A good year:
ANU’s annual assessment of Australia’s environment using 15 key indicators, such as water availability, bushfire, population pressures and vegetation health, shows a significant improvement, rising 4 points from 2020 to 6.9 for 2021, primarily because of the rains, aided by COVID slowing population growth and emissions. The outlook for 2022 is not so bright with excessive rainfall, lifting of COVID restrictions, and a threatened coral bleaching event.
On our website, you can also find regional scores for your state or territory, local government area, catchment and electorate. Unusually, scores improved almost everywhere.
While the number of threatened species fluctuate with the condition of their habitat, their long-term decline continues unabated. This is largely driven by invasive species such as feral cats and foxes, logging, urban development, river water extraction and an increasingly hot climate.
For example, despite the good rains and increased wetland extent, researchers counted fewer birds in Eastern Australia than in the previous four years.
Favourable conditions in the Great Barrier Reef led to the rapid, but fragile, recovery of hard corals after three bleaching events in five years. However, a recent heatwave in northern Queensland means a fourth coral bleaching event is on the cards for 2022.
But the biggest environmental impacts [of intense rainfall] are where natural vegetation was cleared for farming, housing or mining. Unprotected, bare soil soaks up less excess rainfall, and the rain and runoff can loosen up more sediment.
This erosion degrades farmland, cuts away riverbanks and the washed-out sediment and nutrients end up in rivers and the sea, where it can smother marine life and encourages outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish that attack coral reefs.
Unfortunately, the pressures of vegetation destruction, invasive species and climate change will degrade our agriculture and ecosystems for decades to come. Incisive reductions in carbon emissions and more careful ecosystem management can avoid these impacts worsening.
Both are within reach, but require the sort of consensus and resolve shown in response to COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion. Our environmental crisis is no less severe.
Removing Green Tape:
The Commonwealth is allocating $130 million to replicate the RFA regional assessment process in non-forest areas to exempt themselves from the need to consider individual developments under the EPBC Act and hand responsibility over to the States. While conservation groups want more information, the mining, oil and gas industries are delighted. The RFA’s have been such a success they want regional mining agreements.
Almost $130m in this month’s federal budget will go to reforms to slash so-called green tape and remove the need for project-by-project approvals in areas that require protections under national environment laws.
Under the changes, $62.3m would be invested in the delivery of as many as ten regional environmental protection plans, which could be divided up to include areas like the Bowen Basin in Queensland and Western Australia’s wheatbelt.
“The ten new regional plans will streamline development approvals, including those for crucial resources projects, by removing the need for a project-by-project approval under national environment law,” he said.
Another $37.9m would go toward streamlining assessment processes – including $10 million to move towards a single-touch approval process.
Places like the Bowen Basin, Mackay and South East Queensland are expected to be included in the 10 plans.
Rather than project-by-project assessments, the regional plans are expected to outline what types of approvals or protections would be in place for particular areas broadly.
It would include protected areas of environmental significance, streamlined assessments and management of the cumulative impacts of projects.
Former competition watchdog Graeme Samuel completed a major review of the EPBC Act last year and found it was failing to protect the environment. He recommended bilateral agreements with state governments to streamline approvals but said new national standards must come first.
Ms Ley has committed to implementing stronger national standards over time but said the single-touch system should go ahead in the meantime.
The federal government has developed a bill to enact the changes, but it requires support from crossbench senators who are refusing to back it until new national standards are in place.
“Now would be a reckless time to make changes that could result in more threatened species habitat being destroyed for commercial projects.” a spokesperson from the ACF said. “Without robust standards to protect nature, fast-tracked approvals will fast track extinction.”
https://junkee.com/disneyland-resort-is-your-happiest-place-on-earth/324205
Tania Constable, the chief executive of the Minerals Council of Australia, said the changes would “help provide greater certainty for businesses to invest in regional Australia, supporting local communities, jobs and furthering sustainable development”.
Andrew McConville, the chief executive of the oil and gas industry’s peak body, the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association, said the announcement would result in “better environmental protection while reducing the costly regulatory burden on business”.
Labor opposed the Morrison Government’s attempts to rehash Tony Abbott’s failed 2014 policy which would hand over environmental decision-making powers to the states without strong environmental standards, a tough cop on the beat or fixing the huge blow-out in decision making delays.
Labor is on your side. You can check out Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s speech on EPBC here and Shadow Minister for the Environment, Terri Butler’s speech here.
You can also read Labor’s dissenting report from the Senate Inquiry into the EPBC Amendment (Standards and Assurance) Bill 2021 which was recently debated in the House of Representatives.
https://www.sharonbird.com.au/environmental_reform
Farming biodiversity and carbon:
There is a lot happening at the federal level to allow farmers to claim credits for additional work they do to enhance biodiversity and carbon with $66.1 million for its Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Package, though unfortunately it won’t reward farmers for their existing native vegetation. The short time frame of 25 years to claim credits for tree plantings is a worry as it allows them to then be logged.
the federal government has budgeted $66.1 million for its Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Package, which it is developing in partnership with the Australian National University (ANU), the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and Natural Resource Management (NRM) organisations to trial pilot projects, develop market arrangements, and kick start private investment in farm biodiversity.
His Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship legislation was tabled in parliament in February. It’s been a very tight turnaround in this election year and there are some concerns that mistakes will be made, however there is clearly a lot of momentum to make things happen.
This world-first program offers farmers two revenue streams: biodiversity payments up front and the opportunity to earn income down the track by selling Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).
Essentially, farmers offer to deliver long-term biodiversity improvements through plantings (for which they are paid in two instalments) in conjunction with specific ERF environmental plantings of native trees and shrubs on land that has been clear of forest for at least five years in order to store carbon (and generate ACCUs). Farmers must maintain both planting projects for 25 years.
“The Certification Scheme aims to provide farmers with tools to prove sustainability across five parameters: carbon sequestration, biodiversity, tree and land cover, and drought resilience,” according to Professor Macintosh. The National Stewardship Trading Platform (NSTP) is a single platform (https://agsteward.com.au) to help farmers participate in emerging environmental markets by:
- Providing planning tools to evaluate biodiversity and carbon projects
- Providing easy-to-use portals to apply to the pilot programs; and connecting them with potential buyers of biodiversity and carbon services.
“We’ve got to make this process easier for farmers,” says Macintosh. “The online marketplace is designed to function like a sort of eBay where buyers and sellers can meet. Ideally, the marketplace will help kick-start private sector biodiversity markets as well.”
[Oscar Pearse] “However, despite this positive precedent, farmers who are already good land managers will still struggle to benefit from the Stewardship Package because everything that’s been done in the past is not credited. This sends the wrong signal because it rewards the worst farm managers.”
“Regen Farmers Mutual can partner with existing farmer and member organisations to supply a range of offsets at scale, which is much more extensive than what individual farms can do. In this way, the Mutual can maximise returns for its farmer members while leveraging the networks they belong to. This is where things get really exciting.”
https://thefarmermagazine.com.au/farmers-being-rewarded-for-biodiversity-initiatives/
… NSW chips in:
The NSW state government is chipping in $125 million for its Primary Industries Productivity and Abatement Program to help tap the growing market for carbon credits for farmers through measures such as targeted revegetation of grazing country, or seaweed feed across the dairy industry to reduce the methane.
NSW’s new scheme, the Primary Industries Productivity and Abatement Program, is open to Indigenous land managers and projects on Crown Land and in National Parks. A competitive grant scheme will provide funding to select projects – conditional on the proponent helping to educate other farmers to follow their initiative.
Getting the wind up:
There are calls for the Queensland government to stop approving a growing number of large, foreign-owned wind farm developments in Far North Queensland, involving land clearing adjacent to the World Heritage Area, some arguing there are more appropriate sites.
SPECIES
Who kills 7.2 million Australian animals every day?:
A study estimates there are now 1.7 million foxes in Australia, spread across 80% of the mainland and on 50 Australian islands, eating 300 million native mammals, birds and reptiles each year. Along with cats, each day across Australia their combined death toll includes 1.9 million reptiles, 1.4 million birds and 3.9 million mammals.
Foxes kill about 300 million native mammals, birds and reptiles each year, and can be found across 80% of mainland Australia, our devastating new research published today reveals.
This research, the first to quantify the national impact of foxes on Australian wildlife, also compares the results to similar studies on cats. And we found foxes and cats collectively kill 2.6 billion mammals, birds and reptiles every year.
Although they eat many of the same species, foxes take larger prey than cats and have a bigger toll on kangaroos, wallabies and potoroos.
Cats eat smaller prey, so eat a lot more of them. Nationally, feral cats kill about five times more reptiles, two and a half times more birds and twice as many mammals than foxes.
In total, feral cats kill 1.5 billion animals every year (not including invertebrates and frogs). Pet cats kill another 500 million animals.
Each day across Australia their combined death toll includes 1.9 million reptiles, 1.4 million birds and 3.9 million mammals.
Our new research highlights the urgent need to increase investment for cat and fox management across Australia. Management will need to be large-scale and strategically coordinated as both species breed like rabbits, so to speak, and travel great distances.
We also need to protect and recover habitat for native animals. Evidence shows good habitat supports healthier native animal populations and gives them more places to hide from predators.
Commonwealth inept management of threatened species:
Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report ‘Management of Threatened Species and Ecological Communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999’ found the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is poorly implementing the Act and failing threatened species and ecosystems.
The department’s administration of the listing process is partly effective. The process to determine what should be considered for listing could be improved by establishing a strategy to ensure it identifies the species, ecological communities and key threatening processes that will have the greatest impact on achieving the objectives of the EPBC Act. Largely appropriate definitions and guidelines have been established to set out when items are eligible for listing, but procedural guidance for undertaking listing assessments does not fully capture all relevant requirements of the EPBC Act and is not complete, up to date or consistently implemented.
The department is partly effective in developing and supporting the implementation of conservation advice, recovery plans and threat abatement plans. Procedural guidance for development needs updating and is not fully followed, and arrangements for review and update are not appropriate. There are arrangements to prioritise some funding programs and align them with conservation advice, recovery plans and threat abatement plans. There are not currently any other effective arrangements to provide coordinated support for or obtain assurance over the implementation of conservation advice, recovery plans and threat abatement plans.
Most listing assessments are completed within statutory timeframes, although some species assessments and most ecological community assessments require extensions. Recovery plans, recovery plan reviews, threat abatement plan reviews and changes to the list are not completed within statutory timeframes. The department is unable to demonstrate that its efficiency has improved over time. Systems and processes partly support timeliness and efficiency.
Measurement, monitoring and reporting arrangements are not sufficient to support the achievement of desired outcomes. The statuses of some threatened species are monitored, but most species are not. The statuses of ecological communities and key threatening processes are not monitored. There is no measurement, monitoring or reporting on progress, or on the contribution of listing assessments, conservation advice, recovery plans and threat abatement plans to their desired outcomes. Available information does not indicate desired outcomes have been achieved.
“Alarmingly, only 2% of species recovery plans have been completed within statutory time frames since 2013.
“The average time it took to establish a species recovery plan was 2,355 days – in other words more than six years.
“The EPBC Act requires recovery plans to be reviewed within five years, but of the 77 recovery plans due for their first five-year review between 2016 and 2021, none were reviewed within the statutory timeframe. This is completely unacceptable.
“The main index indicates that threatened species populations have declined around 60% in the 20 years since the EPBC Act came into effect.
https://www.acf.org.au/audit-reveals-system-is-failing-threatened-species
Professor Cunningham said historically a threatened listing had been no guarantee of a recovery plan and follow up steps for species recovery routinely didn't happen.
"What's been revealed in the audit is alarming, and what's even more alarming are the actual outcomes, which is a continuing bad trajectory for too many species in Australia," he said.
https://www.singletonargus.com.au/story/7663147/threatened-species-process-inadequate-audit-finds/
The Auditor General’s report into threatened species paints a bleak picture for the survival of Australia’s koalas and wildlife, the Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has said today.
“The independent audit report reveals that Australia’s most endangered species like the koala, the leadbeater’s possum and the swift parrot stand no chance against a bureaucracy that is ineffective and ill-equipped, and a Minister that is ignorant to their plight.
https://www.miragenews.com/auditor-general-report-shows-morrison-745883/
Clearing Koalas for cattle:
The Queensland government’s most recent Statewide Landcover and Trees Study (Slats), showed landholders cleared 680,688 hectares of woody vegetation in 2018-19, and now TWS has identified that 92,718 hectares of that clearing was in known or likely koala habitats, with 80% for cattle.
Sue Arnold considered this exemplifies Queensland Premier Palaszczuk’s doublespeak where she talks up Koala protection while allowing vast areas of Kola habitat to be cleared for houses, highways, mines and cattle. As bad as NSW.
Generate mountains of paper, create advisory groups, councils, expert panels, more strategies, recommendations so that when questioned, the Queensland Government could point to policies.
In December 2019, Palaszczuk released yet another ‘landmark plan to protect koalas’ entitled the South-east Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2019-24.
In September 2020, the Palaszczuk Government handed mining leases to the Olive Downs mining project set to clear 5,500 hectares of koala and glider habitat.
The NSW L-NP Government has copped a massive amount of protest over koala habitat destruction, but it’s clear if there was a “who is worse” competition between that state and Queensland, it would be a tie.
WIRES yet to expend most bushfire donations:
The NSW Wildlife Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) has yet to spend most of the $100 million in donations it raised after the Black Summer fires two years ago.
A review of three charities that raised significant funds after the fires, conducted by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission in 2020, found that WIRES was spending its windfall on bushfire-related activities and was “planning for the long-term distribution of funds on a range of activities in line with its charitable purposes”.
Rehabilitating raptors:
The Raptor Fliers Association of WA uses free-flight falconry techniques to rehabilitate injured or orphaned birds and is licensed by the WA State government, and is trying again to get NSW approval.
Shooting rarity:
When it comes to shooting rare albino Kangaroos, some shooters avoid them while others target them as valuable trophies.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/rare-white-kangaroos-targeted-by-shooters-australia-064025671.html
Strangling Platypus with hair ties:
Hair ties lost and discarded in and near water are strangling platypus to death, with alarming frequency.
Swimmers who enter rivers, creeks and lakes frequently lose them while swimming, but ties and rubber bands can also end up around platypus necks when they are carelessly discarded on land.
The scale of the issue can clearly be seen in one response to Australian Platypus Conservancy’s post, with a Victorian woman claiming to have picked up close to 200 bands in a year.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/little-excuse-horrifying-trend-thats-strangling-platypus-042527176.html
Breeding southern corroboree frogs:
Decimated by chytrid fungus, feral horses and fires there are only 30 critically endangered southern corroboree frogs left living in the wild, so National Parks are successfully breeding them in enclosures spread through Kosciuszko National Park for release in the wild.
"Now, we're talking hundreds, we should be talking millions, so we have a long way to go and a lot to learn."
Deterring wombat suicides:
Wombats have a habit of waiting till a car is almost upon them before dashing across roads for their burrows. A trial of virtual fencing to reduce wombat roadkills in southern NSW does not appear to have been very successful, though the researchers are persisting in testing light and sound-based devices to reduce roadkills.
‘Virtual fencing implemented in regions that have high wombat roadkill rates may aid in reducing road deaths and species conservation,’ she said.
‘Virtual fences are light and sound-based devices, originally developed in Austria, that can be used to reduce roadkill through mitigation.
Dr Stannard noted that NRMA Insurance claims data shows there were over 13,000 collisions involving animals in 2019 (includes kangaroos, wombats, cattle, deer, etc), and rural areas have higher rates of vehicle-animal collisions. On the rare occasion, hitting a wombat can result in human fatality.
She said more research is required to assess virtual fencing, as a roadkill mitigation strategy, including an investigation into a larger number of species in a range of different habitats.
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/03/virtual-fences-save-wombats-from-becoming-roadkill/
Wombats flooded:
The ABC has an interview with Cedar Creek Wombat Hospital where the talk mainly about the impacts on them, though give some insights to the impacts on wombats.
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/newcastle/programs/mornings/wombat-hospital-flood-recovery/13798122
Floods unknown toll on wildlife:
Cate Faehrmann had an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald talking about the significant but unknown toll of the floods and climate change on wildlife, including Koalas.
We are all still coming to terms with the toll that this violent, climate-change-fuelled weather event took on human life, livelihoods, mental health, communities and economies. Now many are also coming to terms with an impact we can never fully quantify – the loss of wildlife, including threatened species like the koala.
This time, the sheer force of the rain that fell in huge sheets and smashed records and homes and buildings and infrastructure also tore out huge chunks of rainforest in massive landslides in the beautiful, forest-clad Terania Creek and The Channon. In these floods all the ground-dwelling mammals, marsupials, reptiles and insects wouldn’t have stood a chance against rapidly rising floodwaters. When landslides are added to the mix, all the tree-dwelling critters like koalas wouldn’t have stood a chance either.
We need to mitigate climate change if our beloved Australian wildlife are to stand a chance and that means decarbonising our economy and keeping coal and gas in the ground by the end of this critical decade.
Known toll on fish:
Hundreds of thousands of fish are known to have been killed in the Richmond, likely the result of runoff of deoxygenated water from dead pasture on the floodplains.
OzFish Unlimited chief executive Craig Copeland estimates hundreds of thousands of fish have been killed in the Richmond River alone.
"We've got juvenile fish, we've got big fish, we've got all the major species. So we've got sea mullet, bream, flathead, whiting, and then all the small fish, we've got toadfish, all sorts of things," he said.
"These fish aren't just dying here, they're dying all the way upstream, so they'll just keep on floating down and end up here all the time."
The reason behind the widespread fish kills across the catchment — already one of the most polluted in the country — is the lack of oxygen in the water.
"It's a bit natural in that after a flood, stuff in the wetlands decompose and comes out and chews up all the oxygen in the water," he said.
THE DETERIORATING PROBLEM
Great Barrier Grief:
Another bleaching event is underway on the Great Barrier Reef, its full extent has not yet been quantified.
“I’m seeing reports of widespread, variable levels of bleaching over significant areas. If it’s not mass bleaching it’s awfully close,” Professor Hughes said.
Professor Hughes said the reef was still at risk of bleaching and it was possible the damage would be as bad as in previous years.
Eco-grief
The Australian Psychological Society says in the past five years climate change has become one of the most common issues psychologists discuss with their clients, with the fires and the floods eco-grief is increasing as people realise it is here and now.
Various terms have been coined to describe the psychological distress which accompanies climate change. There’s climate anxiety and eco-anxiety, as well as solastalgia (from the Latin “solacium” for comfort and the Greek root “-algia” for pain, coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht in 2003 to describe a “homesickness you have when you are still at home”).
Although its use dates back to the 1940s, perhaps the most apt term for the modern state of affairs is “eco-grief”.
“That’s the grief that people are feeling as we watch our planet die around us,” explains Dr Kate Wylie, chair of the Royal Australian College of GPs’ climate and environmental medicine group.
A 2019 survey of about 1600 young people aged 14 to 23 found 82 per cent believed climate change would “diminish their quality of life” and 80 per cent reported being “somewhat or very anxious” about climate change.
Biomass behemoth grows as it consumes our forest’s future:
Despite the resistance, the biomass behemoth continues to consume forests and belch carbon into the air in ever increasing volumes as governments pretend there’s nothing to see as they cruel our chances of switching to genuinely renewable energy.
A mounting stack of conclusive scientific studies failed. Letters signed by hundreds of top scientists failed. Public and social media campaigns, protests, petitions, damning media stories, and commentaries failed. So did intense lobbying by influential policymakers.
Despite more than a decade of nonstop work, forest advocates have been stymied in their efforts to reverse European Union policies that encourage the burning of forests to make energy. Now they are testing a new line of attack — using existing statutes and regulations to take their complaint to the EU court system.
In early February, a coalition of European and US NGOs, led by two European law firms, challenged the European Commission as it develops rules on what it deems sustainable finance for bioenergy and forestry. These rules would support forest biomass expansion as a good and environmentally sound investment. The complainants, however, allege that the new rules, along with existing policies favoring bioenergy, violate the Taxonomy Regulation approved by the 27-nation European Union in June 2020.
Recent studies have concluded that burning forests — with trees and organic waste processed into wood pellets and chips — generates more carbon emissions than coal per kilowatt hour. Also, the clearcutting of native forests, which already constitutes about half of the feedstock needed for pellets and chips, decreases nature’s ability to slow climate change.
Whether through internal review or by trial, Christian Rakos of Austria, president of the World Bioenergy Association, said he believes his industry will prevail and forest biomass will retain its current global position as a fast-growing alternative to burning coal.
The view held by Rakos was challenged by an exhaustive study published last November in the journal GCB Bioenergy on the future demand for wood pellets and its impact on global forests.
Drax increases stranglehold on Canada:
Drax now control two thirds of British Columbias wood pellet manufacture, shipping oldgrowth forests and jobs off to the United Kingdom in the guise of carbon neutrality.
Last year, a massive ocean freighter bound for the UK set sail from Prince Rupert on BC’s north coast, its hold filled with 63,601 tonnes of wood pellets. The event marked the single largest shipment of wood pellets from Canada and was recorded by Pinnacle Renewable Energy, which had weeks earlier been purchased by Drax.
The purchase of Pinnacle gave Drax full or partial control of half of BC’s 14 pellet mills, which accounted for 62 per cent of all the wood pellets produced in the province. Late last year, Drax further increased its control by purchasing the sales contracts of Pacific Bioenergy, a pellet mill in Prince George. Immediately after the purchase, Pacific Bioenergy’s owners announced they were closing shop. Fifty-five people lost their jobs and Drax’s share of BC’s pellet output increased to 66 per cent.
But that’s not our biggest worry. Drax claims consistently that pellet mills use“residual” wood, mostly wood chips generated at sawmills when round logs are turned into rectangular lumber products. But research from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, including photographs and video footage obtained in 2021, tells a different story.
Tens—if not hundreds of thousands—of cubic metres of logs from primary forests, which have never before been subject to industrial logging, are piling up at Drax operations in Smithers, Houston, Burns Lake and outside Quesnel.
In our view, the alternative is clear. Stop cutting down trees just to burn them. Conserve more of what remains of our primary forests and ensure that what is logged in BC is always processed into long-lasting solid wood products first. It’s time to stop letting our forests and forest industry jobs go up in smoke.
https://www.policynote.ca/up-in-smoke/
Burning forests doesn’t emit much carbon:
An American study found that forests burnt in wildfires release relatively little carbon, far less than other assessments claim, and far less than logging them (including salvage logging for biomass) does.
The study showed that while combustion rates were 100% for the smaller branch segments of big trees and up to 57% for whole small trees, the combustion rates were low overall at the stand level — 0.1% to 3.2% — and the landscape level, about 0.6% to 1.8%.
“While many field scientists likely would not find our results surprising, there were recent peer-reviewed published estimates of up to 85% live tree combustion from the Rim Fire,” Harmon said. “Other studies based on a literature review suggest up to 65% of the live trees could have been combusted in high-severity patches. No one in the peer-review process questioned the results.”
He added, “Even in severe fire patches the larger-size trees showed low combustion rates – less than 5%. Large trees account for the majority of a forest’s biomass, leading to the low overall combustion rates at the stand level.”
“Removing vegetation over vast areas is likely to lead to more cumulative carbon emissions than large fires themselves,” added Harmon.
Dead trees decompose slowly as new vegetation grows and absorbs atmospheric carbon, noted the scientists. If fire-killed trees are allowed to remain in place, the natural decomposition process might take decades to hundreds of years to release the trees’ carbon.
However, if those trees are logged to serve as energy-producing biomass, that same carbon could potentially enter the atmosphere much faster, said OSU.
https://www.koin.com/news/wildfires/carbon-still-in-trees-despite-big-forest-fires-osu-study-says/
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-huge-forest-dont-trees-carbon.html
Thinning increases wind damage:
Cyclone affected study sites identified that thinned plantations experienced significantly more damage which was attributed to trees in the unthinned plantation helping each other to release strong pressure by frequently crushing their crowns, whereas the trees in the thinned plots had to individually resist the pressure without any help from the neighbouring trees, due to the distance between the trees.
https://vervetimes.com/forest-survival-strategies-for-extreme-cyclones/
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-forest-survival-strategies-extreme-cyclones.html
TURNING IT AROUND
People want change on climate change:
An ACF community attitude poll taken before the floods found that climate change is the most important issue for 14% of voters, with six-in-ten Australians not convinced Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is enough with 41% of people believing net zero by 2050 is ‘too little, too late’.
Around 7-in-10 people in Australia recognise that action on climate change will deliver long term economic benefits, a poll of more than 15,000 people conducted by YouGov in January for the Australian Conservation Foundation shows.
Six-in-ten Australians are not convinced Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is enough with 41% of people believing net zero by 2050 is ‘too little, too late’.
“The results of this poll overturn the myth that people across Australia are not willing to pay for climate solutions,” said ACF Chief Executive Officer Kelly O’Shanassy.
“People want climate action and many Australians want stronger climate targets for 2030.
“People across Australia want climate action because they know it’s good for their health and will create future opportunities for young people.
“Across the country, a majority think the top climate solution is to replace gas and coal-fired power stations with renewable energy and battery storage.
https://www.acf.org.au/australias-biggest-climate-poll-2022
The YouGov poll of more than 15,000 people found 'Managing Covid-19' and 'Cost of Living' were ranked at equal first place with 21 per cent of voters choosing both as important issues.
Meanwhile, 14 per cent of voters selected climate change as the most important issue when determining their vote.
Overwhelmingly, 70 per cent of voters believe Australia needs to commit to net zero by 2050, while 41 per cent said they were not convinced the action was enough.
In the seat of Richmond, which was recently ravaged by floods, 40 per cent of voters believe further action was needed, compared to 33 per cent satisfied with the current target.