Premier Iemma moving in the right direction on Land Clearing...but definitely more to do

The Wilderness Society (Sydney) Inc
Media Release
5 April 2007

The Wilderness Society has welcomed Premier Iemma's ministerial shake-up, identifying the new mega environment department (including environment, climate change and water) as the way forward for ending illegal land clearing in NSW.

Most significantly, the shake-up has seen the dissolution of the Department of Natural Resources and it's functions moved into the new super environment portfolio to be run by Minister Koperberg.

"The Wilderness Society has been campaigning for years to have control of land clearing laws moved into the Department of Environment where it belongs" said Reece Turner, NSW Land Clearing Campaigner with The Wilderness Society.

The old Department of Land and Water Conservation was notoriously incapable and this culture persisted in DNR. Having a Minister responsible for Primary Industries and Natural Resources was a proven recipe for disaster.

Other changes include the transfer of the Soil Conservation, Marine Parks, Catchment Management Authority and Coastal Protection Acts to DECC.

Before the election, Premier Iemma promised $3.5m ongoing funding for a satellite monitoring system to detect illegal land clearing and vowed to end illegal land clearing.

"Premier Iemma has identified ending land clearing as a key environmental objective for his Government and The Wilderness Society intends to keep him to his word", said Turner.

Last year the NSW Auditor General released a report revealing that in 2005 74,000 hectares of bushland was cleared, mostly in western NSW. 40% of this was cleared illegally.

 "There are huge greenhouse gas implications for ending land clearing in NSW. Current clearing rates still produce at greenhouse gas pollution equal to 2.8 million cars on the road every year", said Turner.
Greenhouse gas pollution is released when trees are bulldozed and are burned or left to rot.

"There is still a lot more for the Iemma Government to do to ensure land clearing ends in this state but the Premier's recent announcements and new departmental shake-up are a great start", concluded Turner.