At 07:03 10/12/99, Barry Traill wrote:
>Dear all,
>
>Premier Beattie probably deserves thanks but actual outcome of new Qld
>legislation on clearing still not clear so strong congratulations may be a
>bit premature. The devil as usual is in the details and not in the
>government press releases. What is certain is that massive broadscale
>clearing will not be stopped. Early analysis suggests that farmers in some
>regions are still likely to clear over 100,000 ha a year (1 million plus
>birds) annually, in Qld.
>
I noticed in the local paper that graziers in the Charters Towers NQ region
are questioning the land clearing figures - saying actual land clearing is
5% rather than the 10% banded about.
I recall at a Economic Development meeting in Cairns a few years ago a
report was tabled stating that only 1.5% of Cairns was under foreign
ownership compared to 3.5% on the Gold Coast. I asked the question: which
1.5%? It emerged that a sizeable chunk of PRIME real estate was under
foreign ownership but this was masked by giving it as percentage of the
total area.
It's the same argument that the 65 dugongs found dead in Queensland waters
this year alone is a small proportion of the world population, when we
don't have any firm figures on how large the world population is.
Back to land clearing: I would like to see the emphasis shifted away from
the figures and look at the quality of the land, soil and vegetation
remaining or at risk of being cleared. Some lands should not be grazed at
all irrespective of the ground cover and canopy, whilst others, properly
managed, can produce beef or lamb (or kangaroo meat where numbers allow)
and preserve wildlife.
I expect a tirade of insulting postings from vegetarians for that!!!!!
Alex Appleman
Townsville
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