Tree destruction... long but please read

[Brett Howland <>]

The point raised by Rosemary about death by a ‘thousand cuts’ is an extremely important one.  

Most ACT reserves have already had received their ‘thousandth cut’, and subsequently support far less species than they did previously.  ACT is very proud of their 53% area of protected land, but total area means nothing when many reserves are small, isolated, and surrounded by urban development.

It is vital that the sad decline of many of our reserves is not repeated at reserves that can still support and protect a range of species, such as Mulligan’s Flat-Goorooyaroo woodland reserves. These reserves already harbour many species (e.g. suburb parrot, ring-tail possum, red-necked wallaby, dwyer’s snake name etc)  lost from other ACT reserves, and until recently were surrounded by a buffer of farmland and remnant bushland. Unfortunately the first ‘cut’ in the form of the suburb Ford has been inflicted, which despite the greenwash propaganda, will negatively impact on the ecological value of the reserves. Nevertheless, the impact from Ford will not be as great as the planned suburb Throsby, which effectively fragments the reserves in two and ensures the whole southern end of the reserve, is surrounded by development. It is critical that this next cut to the ACT’s biodiversity is stopped!  

I have sent letters to both the Greens and John Stanhope, which received inadequate responses indicating that the development would go ahead despite its known destructive impact. Furthermore, the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts informed me that these developments were not referred or assessed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act  1999, even though the reserves trigger the Act by containing multiple matters of National Environmental Significance, such as the endangered ecological community of Yellow Box-Red Gum Grassy Woodland.

 I would like to request that more people send letters to all relevant authorities and raise awareness on the impacts of death by a thousand cuts through the ACT’s selfish and greedy need for on-going urban sprawl.

Finally, this latest sad chapter in ACT urban development leaves us to consider whether now is the time to also raise awareness and protect the Molongo Valley/Murrambidgee Corridor/ex-Stromlo Forrest and insist on sustainable urban planning of this new area.