Government Report Recommends New River Red Gum National Parks

River Red Gum Forest line the banks of the Murray River in the internationally listed Millewa Forest. Photo: Peter Cooper

The Wilderness Society has welcomed the release of the NSW Natural Resources Commission’s final report and recommendations to the future management of the internationally significant Murray River Red Gum Forests. The report, released on December 21, follows a campaign by the Wilderness Society to see the creation of new National Parks across the forests, and recommends the creation of over 100,000 hectares of new National Park.

The report recognises both the extreme conservation significance of the forests, which are home to over 100 threatened species, and the extreme stress that the forests face, due to a lack of water. It also shows that the timber industry is logging in an unsustainable manner, is in decline and likely would not survive if allowed to continue. Following this, The Wilderness Society welcomes the report’s recommendations that affected workers and businesses receive restructuring assistance from the government.

However, despite this, and the well recognised effects that industrial logging have had on the forests, over 35,000 hectares of internationally significant areas will remain open to logging.

The Wilderness Society is calling on new NSW Premier Kristina Keneally to not only urgently act upon the NRC’s recommendations and create all of the reserves recommended, but to go a step further and commit to the creation of reserves over the entirety of the regions forests. Such a move is required by both State and National conservation targets.

The report also recommends that areas be managed by their Indigenous Traditional Owners, but again fails to include significant areas within this. The Wilderness Society supports Indigenous management over the River Red Gum Forests wherever this is sought by Traditional Owners.