Fears proposed land clearing changes put threatened species at risk

By Nicole HashamJune 20, 2014, 12:15 a.m.

Environmental laws that protect threatened species and limit how farmers clear native bush will be rewritten, prompting fears from conservationists that vulnerable plants and animals are under attack.

Environmental laws that protect threatened species and limit how farmers clear native bush will be rewritten, prompting fears from conservationists that vulnerable plants and animals are under attack.

Environment Minister Rob Stokes has appointed an independent panel to shake up biodiversity laws governing threatened species, native vegetation and national parks, saying many regulations are more than 40 years old.

It follows a push by the Nationals and Shooters and Fishers Party for greater landowner rights when it comes to bush clearing.

The review will consider ways to ensure economic and social factors, as well as environmental values, form part of decision making a so-called "triple bottom line" approach.

It aims to cut unnecessary "red tape", encourage sustainable development and explore "options for self regulation" while conserving biodiversity.

The laws under review determine how landholders clear their properties and promote the conservation of threatened or endangered animals such as koalas, spotted tree frogs, yellow-bellied gliders and some black cockatoos. They also cover threatened native plants, some of which survive only on private land.

Nature Conservation Council of NSW chief executive Pepe Clarke said weakening the laws would be an environmental "disaster", potentially removing the requirement for landholders to improve or maintain soil, salinity, water pollution and native vegetation cover.

"Ten years ago, NSW had the unenviable reputation of being one of the world's worst land clearers," he said. "The last thing the state needs is a return to those days."

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Fears proposed land clearing changes put threatened species at risk