His provocative attack question’s why the community should sign-off on a plan that sees 1,133ha of koala habitat protected when the original mapped area included 8,419ha of private land in the shire.

“Bellingen Shire Council undertook to introduce a Koala Plan of Management in order to reverse the species alarming decline in one of the richest areas for koalas in NSW but appears set to approve a plan which leaves significant areas of high quality koala habitat unprotected,” Mr Shoebridge said.

“Land not protected by the Koala Plan of Management will be open to private native forestry operations. Based on this faulty logic the council has re exhibited the draft Koala Plan of Management further reducing the area to be protected by 40 per cent.”

Mr Shoebridge claims despite a study and two exhibitions the council has gradually compromised its objective to protect koalas by giving into pressure to strictly limit the areas impacted.

“The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has made clear in its advice to council that if koala habitat is not identified under the Koala Plan of Management then it will remain open to logging under private native forestry approvals,” Mr Shoebridge said.

“Omitting or delaying the protection of the core Koala Habitat to the west of the Never Never River will place this habitat in immediate peril.

“The Koala Habitat Management Study clearly stated that the protection of vegetation mapped as primary koala habitat is vital to halting the decline of koalas in the Mid North Coast.

“Protecting koala habitat through this Plan of Management is essential to ending the destructive impact of private native forestry operations.

“With private native forestry there is no independent consideration given to identifying the presence of koala habitat before approval to log is granted by the EPA. This is despite the fact that forestry is a well-recognised cause of koala population decline.

“The council’s decision to protect koalas on private land is vitally important given that there are no plans to protect koala habitat in the 36 per cent of the shire covered by State Forests.” Mr Shoebridge said.

Greens NSW MP and Environment spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC said:

“NSW has already lost around a third of its koalas since 1990. As logging, land clearing and inappropriate development continue to threaten koalas across the mid-north coast region it is absolutely essential that we protect more koala habitat, not less.

“We already know that the EPA has limited resources for oversight and compliance of the forestry industry in New South Wales, which makes it even more crucial for Council to ensure protection of primary koala habitat in their plan of management.” Dr Faruqi said.

A copy of the Greens NSW submission can be found at:

http://davidshoebridge.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/150513-Greens-NSW-Submission-to-Bellingen-Koala-Plan-of-Management.pdf

Bellingen Council will be making a decision on the re-exhibited Koala Plan of Management after submissions close on June 15.