Land Clearing

February 2004

Landclearing by Stealth?

by Peter Robinson

Unbeknownst to most Territorians, the Parks and Wildlife section of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment (DIPE) has released for public comment a "draft management program" to regulate the commercial logging of the Northern Territory's native forests and woodlands on public land (including pastoral lease land and unalienated Crown land).

According to DIPE, it is current government policy to allow, and even encourage, the sale of logs from the NT's woodlands and forests. Commercial logging is already well underway on the Tiwi Islands, and under these new draft guidelines, similar logging could proceed elsewhere across the NT with minimal environmental safeguards.

Under the draft program, no upper limit is placed on the area over which logging can be approved, or the volume of logs that could be sold. Also, there is no requirement for public notification of applications to log; there is no opportunity for public comment on any proposed logging operation; and the proponent has no requirement to prepare a management plan setting out in detail how the logging will take place and how its impacts will be monitored and controlled.

DIPE says this program is based on an undated government policy document written approximately 8 years ago, which asserts that by allowing landholders to log their forests and woodlands there will be an increased incentive for them to conserve their forests and woodlands! Under the draft management program DIPE is proposing a small number of minimal restrictions on logging, e.g. 30 metre stream buffers.

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However, the draft restrictions, or conditions, are so weak and full of loopholes and lacking in scientific foundation that almost any form or intensity of logging could be approved. Even monsoon rainforests and mangroves would be approved for logging under these guidelines. While the plan says logging must be "selective" only, no definition of what constitutes selective logging is provided.

Elsewhere, the document admits that there are no studies of the impacts of logging on flora or fauna in northern Australia; that it is likely that some species will be adversely impacted by logging; and that, "Unfortunately, our knowledge of resource levels, growth rates and the impacts of logging on natural values is limited."

DIPE's ultimate defence of this deeply flawed program is that there is not likely to be any large scale commercial interest in the logging of NT woodlands and forests because there is probably not enough good quality resource of the main target species, e.g. Ironwood (Erythrophleum chlorostachys) and Callitris intratropica - to make it profitable. However, logging companies and other developers have shown in the past that with enough government subsidies, even the most apparently ludicrous projects can turn a profit.

At the moment. the NT government charges a royalty of just $8-$10 "per stem" for trees/logs sold from leasehold land - a price that would not cover basic public land management costs. Loggers will be charged a whopping $40 fee for the permit to log our forests and woodlands.

The end result is that landholders, working with commercial logging companies, could use this 'green light' for logging as a means to effectively clear large areas of land while pretending that they are not involved in landclearing. Even if this absurd proposal generates little interest from leaseholders and loggers it has the potential to add to the serious problems already confronting many ecosystems and species in the NT.

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Some other quotable quotes:

"Tree species that are classified as Near Threatened or are of high conservation significance will only have a permit issued for harvesting if there is a management agreement between the landholder and the Parks and Wildlife Service."

"Habitat trees (trees with hollows) will not be allowed to be taken unless five such trees remain per hectare."

"Increased duration of permits and waivering of royalties will be used as an inducement for landholders that carry out logging to enter into conservation management arrangements."

To view this deeply disturbing plan, go to www.nt.gov.au/timberplan

For more information contact the ECNT:
8981 1984
Email: ecntdaly@iinet.net.au

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