Urgent call to halt land clearing in NSW – Yahoo News Australia

An urgent motion for a moratorium on land clearing on the NSW South Coast is before Shoalhaven City Council as a property developer prepares to raze a local forest.

Manyana residents have been protesting project developer Ozy Homes clearing the forest to make way for nearly 180 housing lots, given so much local bushland has recently burned.

The urgency motion mayor Amanda Findley put to council - which requires a report - was passed 12 votes to one.

If the report is supported at next Tuesday's council meeting urgent representations will be put before Planning Minister Rob Stokes.

Ms Findley says clearing of the forest must be halted because the trees offer a refuge for animals who lost other crucial habitats during the summer's unprecedented bushfires.

"There are animals living in there now that have nowhere else to go because the local forest is so badly burned," Ms Findley told AAP.

Bill Eger, 60, has lived in the area for 35 years and recently helped fight fires that blazed through Conjola National Park.

He said it was hard to think he risked his life alongside emergency services and other members from the local community to save land that would potentially be destroyed by a developer.

"After putting our lives on the line, to save these pockets of ground, to have it then taken out by Ozy Homes ... what's the point," Mr Eger told AAP.

"What are we doing here, why are risking our lives to save these endangered species and little critters, if they're going to be bulldozed a few months later."

Mr Eger is particularly worried about the greater glider possums which had their habitat decimated by the Currowan fire.

"It took 22 years for the gliders to come back to the Conjola National Park, they were making a comeback until the Currowan fire wiped out nearly everything in that park," he said.

Ozy Homes was forced to delay bulldozing about 20 hectares of the Manyana forest following the bushfires for three months and set up fauna boxes to re-home native animals.

"The attempts to try and transfer animals from homes in thriving bushland to burned-out bushland is a ludicrous proposition at this point in time," Ms Findley said.

The council is asking Mr Stokes to halt logging until there is a better understanding of the ecological impacts of the fires in the area.

Protesting residents continued to observe COVID-19 social distancing rules on Wednesday morning by running, cycling and doing yoga in case they needed to physically block workers from entering the site.

Manyana Matters spokeswoman Jorj Lowrey said she understood Ozy Homes was to start clearing land on Wednesday and was pleased those plans had been delayed.

Following yesterday's gathering of more than 100 people, Manyana Matters spokesman Peter Winkler said residents would remain on-site throughout the week.

"The local community will remain vigilant and will launch into action if required," Mr Winkler told AAP.

Comment was sought from Ozy Homes and Mr Stokes.

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Urgent call to halt land clearing in NSW - Yahoo News Australia