birding-aus

RE: War on the environment nears crisis

To: "Terry Pacey" <>
Subject: RE: War on the environment nears crisis
From:
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 09:21:12 +1100
This topic is becoming a bit tiresome, for me at least.  Yes, it's a 
problem but this to-ing and fro-ing isn't achieving a great deal.  Having 
said that I should push off but ... 

In Terry Pacey's defence clearing for urban areas can be a serious 
regional problem.  My experience in Newcastle for example (where I lived 
for 7 or 8 years), is that incremental clearing of urban bushland is 
resulting in a loss of biodiversity.  The best example of this is not a 
bird but Squirrel Gliders.  Areas of bushland are being cleared around 
Lake Macquarie for subdivisions.  Although these areas contain Squirrel 
Gliders, and in many instances Masked Owl (eating the gliders), it is not 
considered a big enough issue to even stall the development.  The problem 
is there will come a time when they are down to their last patch or two 
with gliders.  This population then becomes regionally significant and the 
developers (and consent authorities will be forced to deal with it). 
Perhaps a bit to late.

Rural land clearing in Australia is happening at an alarming rate and it 
is now on the political agenda - it might be happening slowly but it is 
happening.  The real problem out there for woodland birds is that past 
clearing is now having a significant effect on our birds (the mammals 
responded very quickly a long time ago).  Once common birds are now 
showing up on threatened species lists.  And .. it's going to get worse as 
tree decline continues due to senescence and factors such as rising water 
tables and salinity.

My two bobs worth (and all you'll get from me on this topic).

David Geering




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