Temporary hold on clearing a first step in securing tighter controls
16 May 2003
CANBERRA: A temporary hold on land clearing applications in Queensland has been described by WWF-Australia as a necessary brake on panic clearing of remnant native vegetation throughout the State.
Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, announced the temporary moratorium today, saying it would apply while Federal and State governments finalised a major assistance package for farmers and other land holders.
The moratorium has also been endorsed by the Minister for Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp and Prime Minister John Howard.
"This is a timely action which hopefully indicates that both governments are irrevocably committed to ending the devastation of the Australian landscape caused by land clearing," said Peter Cosier, WWF-Australia policy specialist and member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.
Mr Cosier and members of the Wentworth Group are meeting today in Canberra to discuss water reform issues. In a report issued six months ago - Blueprint for a Living Continent - the Wentworth Group stated that landclearing was a major driver of ecosystem damage throughout Australia and called for governments to invest in regional recovery plans for over cleared landscapes.
"The declining health of Australia's rivers is linked to dryland salinity caused land clearing," said Mr Cosier.
"Land clearing can be stopped and this degradation can be reversed. The Wentworth Group believes that stopping the broadscale destruction of remnant native vegetation is the single most important action the Queensland government can take to protect Australia's rivers, wildlife and landscapes."
Mr Cosier said it was important to establish a financial package that would support Queensland farmers affected by the proposed new laws.
"A temporary hold on land clearing applications in Queensland is also an encouraging sign that the government means business when it talks of cracking down on illegal clearing," he said.
"It is also hopefully the first step in a long-term commitment by the Federal and Queensland governments to work with communities throughout Queensland to protect and repair the landscape."
