Sorry if I am annoying you, but the issue of mining on Nature Refuges is
critical to the future of the conservation of Australian birds in Australia
MEDIARELEASE
BLACK-THROATED FINCH HOAX COMMENTS UNTRUE
BIMBLEBOX NATURE RESERVE -- GALILEE BASIN
BirdLife Southern Queensland Convenor Grahame Rogers is concerned about
recent misinformation being circulated in the mediaabout sightings of
the endangered Black-throated Finch in the Galilee Basin.
"Allegations that aviary-bred Black-throated Finches were released so
that sightings could be reported are not only untrue but a mischievous
and ridiculous comment", Mr Rogers said. "It is hard to imagine how this
could be done. The members of the team are in no doubt that they saw
birds from wild populations. "
A seventeen-strong contingent of experiencedmembers of BirdLife
Australia visited the coal exploration area of the Galilee basin in the
last two weeks of April. Black-throated Fincheswere seen and
photographed in 5 separate locations, in most cases by 5 or 6 members of
the team.
The records have been accepted by the Black-throated Finch Recovery
Team, and submitted to the Atlas of Australian Birds. In four of the
locations the Finch has been seen repeatedly over many years, and the
landholders have noted their presence. It is a last bastion of this
endangered species.
These sightings were all in a particular kind of regional ecosystem
(10.5.5) which also occurs on the Bimblebox Nature Refuge, where the
finch was recorded in May 2011. "Even if the Black-throated Finch is no
longer present on Bimblebox itself, the Refuge is worth preserving
because of its unique biodiversity", said Mr Rogers. "The owners have
spent much time restoring it since they purchased the property with
Federal funds, removing many of the introduced weeds and grasses."
"BirdLife Australia is not opposed to mining, but is opposed to mining
in inappropriate places", Mr Rogers said. "Adani claim they have enough
coal to last a hundred years in the Carmichael mining lease in the
Galilee Basin. The 8000 hectares of Bimblebox are a drop in the ocean of
coal in the basin. It's time Clive Palmer looked somewhere else."
BirdLife Australia is a well-respected national organisation formed this
year by the merger of Birds Australia and Bird Observation and
Conservation Australia. Both organisations have been strong advocates
for research and protection of Australia's rich heritage of many bird
species for over 100 years.
Grahame Rogers
Convenor
BirdLife Southern Queensland
Additional material from http://bimblebox.org/
Bimblebox <http://bimblebox.org/?p=832>
May 5th, 2012
Clive Palmer has again come out in the media trying to diminish the
conservation values of Bimblebox Nature Refuge (you can listen to his
interview on the Steve Austin show here
<http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2012/05/clive-palmer-showman-or-savvy.html>).
He has a clear vested interest in casting these aspersions given that he
intends to destroy the property through open cut and underground mining
as part of his proposed China First thermal coal mine. You can hear a
response to Clive Palmer's comments on the Steve Austin show here
<http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2012/05/whos-telling-the-truth-about-bimblebox-nature-refuge.html>.
The problem for Clive is that he appears to have little idea about the
nature refuge, which he has never set foot on. Below are a few simple
facts to set the record straight:
* The property was bought in 2000 by a small group of concerned
landholders and residents to save it from being cleared. The
previous landholders continue to be well respected graziers in the
region
* In recognition of its high conservation values, the National Reserve
System program (at the time of the Howard Liberal Federal
Government) contributed around $300,000 towards the purchase -- see
the documentation here
<http://bimblebox.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Letter-from-Minister-Robert-Hill_for-web.pdf>
* A 'perpetual' Nature Refuge Agreement
<http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wildlife-ecosystems/nature_refuges/the_nature_refuges_program.html>
was signed with the State Government in 2003 which is the highest
level of protection that can be afforded to private land in
Queensland. Bimblebox also forms part of the National Reserve System
of Protected Areas <http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/index.html>
* Bimblebox is situated in the Desert Uplands bioregion, considered a
biodiversity hotspot, but where less than 5% of the area is held is
conservation reserves
* Bimblebox Nature Refuge consists of over 95% remnant woodland
(woodland that has never been cleared) with an understory made up
predominantly of native grasses and shrubs
* There is abundant wildlife on the property, with around 150 bird
species counted so far
* Bimblebox is widely regarded as supporting one of the highest levels
of native plant diversity in the region. Qualified botanists
<http://www.npaq.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167&Itemid=2>
who recently visited the property made a list of at least 220 plant
species
* Bimblebox currently serves as an outstanding example of the
coexistence of cattle production and biodiversity conservation.
Private productive lands are increasingly recognised for their
important role in contributing to landscape scale conservation in
Australia and form a major part of theNational Reserve System
<http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/about/protected-areas/index.html>
* A number of long term research projects are conducted on Bimblebox
that will contribute towards better land management outcomes in the
region
This isn't the first time that Clive has tried to peddle the same lies
about Bimblebox, which we responded to with this simple youtube clip
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWSHsXYdapw>.
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
http://birding-aus.org
===============================
|
