Protect the Bush Alliance

A new book written by Sharyn Monroe sets out the issues facing farmers, Nature Conservation Organisations in all States, and other advocates of the protection of areas of High Conservation Value, particularly those dedicated as Nature Refuges and others  under protective covenants.

“Rich Land, Wasteland is an exposé on the true costs of coal mining and coal seam gas on our communities in Australia. On a nearly year-long trip Sharyn discovered that towns and districts are dying. Homeowners and farmers are being forced out by mining—broken in spirit and in health. Once reliable rivers and aquifers are drying up or becoming polluted. Once fertile agricultural land is becoming unusable. What was once a rich land is becoming a wasteland”.

For enquiries  about the Bush Alliance, phone: Paul Donatui 07 3367 0878 or Sheena Gillman 07 3201 1982

 

RIO+20 at a loss to find a way forward!!

The 20th anniversary of the RIO Earth Summit in 1992, was held recently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and apparently from one who was there, they were unable to come to terms with a definition of a ‘Green Economy’, while stating it was part of the conference by-line: ‘The Future We Want’.

A beautiful Bolivian environmental activist and scientist, Nele Marien, cited the foreword from this author’s PhD thesis to describe a ‘Green Economy’, duly referencing the work in the Harvard style. It has been abbreviated in her blog, and here is what she said:

Continue reading

Wait a minute, there’s been a hell of a lot going on!

Ross Gittins, Economics writer for the Sydney Morning Herald, published an article entitled “Environmental accounting is closer to reality”, in Weekend Business Opinion (June 23-24). It was a good article. However it failed to acknowledge, or even give cognisance to what has really been going on.

My (not yet acknowledged) emailed response to him is here: Continue reading

Feral hunters and birdwatchers in the same National Park?

Barry O’Farrell is making his claim for the most stupid act of a NSW Premier ever. Allowing uncontrolled hunters to access National Parks to cull feral animals, while  bushwalkers, campers, picnickers could possibly be present, is quite simply inviting disaster. What was wrong with the National Parks Authority controlled helicopter culling anyway, they even provided the service for nothing on adjoining privately held land of high conservation value.

Keep the cowboys out of the National Park Estate!!

Scant Hope for the Worlds Forests!

 HUNGRY DRAGON

China has become a black hole for the world’s timber, much of it harvested illegally. Consumers should think twice before buying wood products made in China. Distinguished Professor William Laurance of James Cook University in Cairns deplores the current state and future of timber harvesting throughout the developing world without regard to the possible consequences. See his article Continue reading

Property Law applies to Ecosystem Goods and Services

Polly Higgins, a London Lawyer, has devoted her practice to only one client: The Earth!

Her process diagram to the left establishes credibility for a derived value approach to ecosystem goods and services, which are the ‘commodity’, of the ‘inert thing’, being Real Property (LAND).

Moreover only humans have a concept of value, and thus the responsibility to ensure the protection of nature as trustees for future generations.

See here

Chucking the baby out with the bathwater!

All states in Australia, and the Commonwealth, operate their reserve systems under the CAR principle (Comprehensive, Adequate, Representative), that is to say that the selection of nature reserves, National Parks, and State Conservation areas, are made on the basis that the ecosystems and species types selected are NOT already Comprehensive, Adequate or Representative in the Nature Reserve System.

Loss of ANY reserve for individual financial gain, or Govt royalties, is SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE, as they can be neither replaced nor replicated.

Over three decades of Conservation Biology and we are now losing control!

The SLOSS debate emerged in the mid 1970s and continued into the mid ’80s (SLOSS is an acronym for ‘single large or several small’), referring to the choice preference of one large conservation area over several small fragmented conservation areas, for long term viability and of preservation of genetic stock . Unfortunately the current policies of the State governments over the minerals rights on private and public land is causing increased fragmentation of both conservation areas and adjoining land. Read about the SLOSS debate here Continue reading