Stand-alone environment department essential for protecting endangered species

SIMON BRANIGAN, Environment Tasmania MR
Today (Monday), on Threatened Species Day, Tasmania’s peak environment body is urging the Tasmanian Government to re-instate a stand-alone Environment Department to properly protect Tasmania’s growing list of threatened species.

“The decision to axe the Department of Environment, Parks, Heritage and the Arts was the wrong way forward for threatened species protection in Tasmania,” said Simon Branigan, Environment Tasmania’s policy coordinator.

“The merging of parks and environment departments with the logging, resources, mining and infrastructure departments is compromising conservation outcomes and creating clear ministerial conflicts of interest,”

“The auditor-generals report earlier this year outlined the alarming rate at which plants & animals in Tasmania are increasingly under threat. 674 species are listed as threatened under the Threatened Species Protection Act, which is up from 601 in 2001 and proportionally higher than any other state in Australia[1],”

“We urgently need a stand-alone Environment Department that has carriage over threatened species protection, with an Environment minister whose key role is to ensure this happens,” he concluded.

Environment Tasmania is Tasmania’s conservation council, an umbrella body that represents 26 Tasmanian conservation groups, with collective representation of over 6000 Tasmanians.

[1] Auditor-General 2009, Auditor-General Special Report 78 Management of threatened species, Parliament of Tasmania, Hobart

…

BARTLETT GOVERNMENT IS FAILING TASMANIA’S THREATENED SPECIES
Minister for Threatening Species Just Wrings His Hands and Turns His Back
Cassy O’Connor MP
Greens Environment Spokesperson
Monday, 7 September 2009

www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today marked National Threatened Species Day and called on the Bartlett Government and the Minister (for Threatening Species) David Llewellyn to acknowledge their ongoing failure to protect Tasmanian threatened species from further harm and loss of habitat.

Greens Environment spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP said despite the hard work of many good people on the ground in Tasmania, Minister Llewellyn is currently overseeing the addition of dozens of native Tasmanian species to the endangered list, while wilfully ignoring many of the worst threats to their survival.

Ms O’Connor called on Minister Llewellyn to cease turning his back on Tasmania’s threatened species, and to immediately announce the following steps to protect native Tasmanian wildlife:

· The introduction of a comprehensive and properly resourced Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Network, rather than the abandoned process that we currently have;

· The implementation of all recommendations contained in the Auditor-General’s Special Report No. 78, Management of Threatened Species;

· An immediate end to the logging and destruction of identified habitat for the Swift Parrot – which is down to 1000 breeding pairs;

· Abandoning the divisive and destructive $25 million Tarkine loop road in order to protect the last disease-free stronghold of the endangered Tasmanian Devil – which has been devastated by Devil Facial Tumour Disease;

· An investigation into the logging of Weld Valley coupe WR003e which contained the nest of a Wedge-Tailed Eagle – which is down to 130 breeding pairs; and,

· Committing to the completion of all listing statements and species recovery plans as required under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

“If the Bartlett Government and its Minister for Threatening Species David Llewellyn want to make amends for their appalling track record on the fate of Tasmania’s most vulnerable flora and fauna, then the six-step program listed above would be a good start,” said Ms O’Connor.

——————————————————————————–

Attached: Auditor-General Special Report No.78, Management of Threatened Species, March 2009.

…

MEDIA RELEASE – Monday 7th September, 2009

TASMANIAN KIDS URGE PREMIER BARTLETT TO PROTECT THREATENED SPECIES HABITAT

A group of Tasmanian children and their parents joined with two iconic Tasmanian threatened species in the courtyard of the government’s executive office building today to draw and write their message to Premier David Bartlett, urging him to protect threatened species habitat so they don’t lose any more species from their future.

A Tasmanian devil and a swift parrot, both human-sized, helped the children understand that Tasmania has over 670 species of plants and animals listed as threatened and that habitat preservation and curbing climate change are crucial to ensuring their survival.

“Habitat loss and climate change are the greatest threats to species world-wide,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for the Wilderness Society. “Tasmania is no exception and more needs to be done to combat climate change and see key areas of habitat preserved.”

Several official reports were released in 2009, including the Auditor General’s report, Management of Threatened Species, and the report to the Forest Practices Authority, Review of the biodiversity provisions of the Tasmanian Forest Practices Code. Both pointed to serious problems with the way Tasmania manages threatened species.

“Logging in Tasmania’s forests jeopardises the survival of threatened species such as the wedge-tailed eagle, swift parrot, giant freshwater crayfish and many invertebrates,” said Mr Bayley.

“Scientists predict that development projects such as the Tarkine road and Ralphs Bay will have an unacceptable impact on iconic threatened species like the Tasmanian devil and the spotted handfish. The Premier should immediately protect important areas of habitat.

“Protecting native vegetation, including forests, can deliver dual benefits: securing much needed habitat, and storing carbon that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere on logging.

“With the Tasmanian tiger and Tasmanian emu we already have a sad history of species lost due to human activity; Tasmanian kids don’t deserve to lose any more because Tasmania’s current leaders failed to act,” concluded Mr Bayley.

For more information contact: Vica Bayley – 0400 644 939

Vica Bayley

Tasmanian Campaign Director

The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc

130 Davey St, Hobart TAS 7000

Website: www.wilderness.org.au