Reports have reached us – from Voice of America and the Sydney Morning Herald – about the Australian government’s decision to ban logging in an important breeding site for the Superb Parrot.  Listed as vulnerable, the species has fewer than 5,000 breeding pairs left.

This beautiful bright-green parrot (the subject of John Cooper’s article in our “In the Wild” section this month) is under threat from land clearance and lack of new growth in its woodland habitat, and the government wants to protect the species by banning logging in the wetlands near the New South Wales town of Deniliquin, 725 kilometers southwest of Sydney.

The decision has, however, angered the timber industry, as well as the New South Wales state government, both of which consider the the ban to be unnecessary, and point out the damage to the local economy – and jobs.

The country’s largest red gum forests are listed as “of international importance” under the Ramsar Convention, a global treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, and the deadline to end logging has been extended indefinitely while negotiations continue.

Satisfying the concerns of conservationists and the need to safeguard employment during a time of recession is not likely to be easy for the Australian government, says VoA, and opponents of the ban say that, since the Superb Parrots nest in trees along the edge of the forest, logging operations do not disrupt its habitat.  The Wilderness Society and the National Parks Association, however, say that Forests NSW – the main forestry lobby in the state – is breaching federal laws designed to protect threatened birds in areas recognised as internationally significant wetlands.

NSW Premier, Nathan Rees has written to the state’s Natural Resources Commissioner, Dr John Williams, asking for a forest agreement to be developed for the Riverina red gums. “The NSW Government is committed to achieving a long-term balanced outcome for the region, having consideration for both the high conservation value areas of the forest and the sustainability of jobs in the region,” Mr Rees said.

The commission will assess the remaining Riverina red gums before any decisions can be taken on which areas to conserve and which may be subjected to further logging. The terms of reference for the assessment are to be completed by the end of the month [27 July: situation to be updated before going to press].

http://www.voanews.com
http://www.smh.com.au