A new wave of rock removal could spell disaster for farmland wildlife

My (DM’s) perception of threatened species habitats changed the first time I encountered a population of endangered lizards living under small surface rocks in a heavily cleared grazing paddock. That was 20 years ago, at a time when land managers were well aware of the biodiversity values of conservation reserves and remnant patches of native vegetation. But back then we knew very little about the biodiversity values of the agricultural parts of the landscape.

Rocks being removed to make way for farming.

Much has changed. Research has clearly shown the important ecological roles of different elements of the landscape for maintaining biodiversity on farms, especially for vertebrates such as carnivorous marsupials, frogs, snakes and lizards. Rocky outcrops and areas of surface rock, often termed bush rock, are among them.

Areas of bush rock are biological hotspots. They represent island refuges for specialised plants and animals, and help ecosystems to thrive even in heavily cleared landscapes. In Australia, more than 200 vertebrate species depend on rocky outcrops to survive, and many of these species are found only in agricultural areas.

Read the piece from The Conversation - “A new wave of rock removal could spell disaster for farmland wildlife.”

Native vegetation threatned by new draft land clearing legislation

When clearing laws were relaxed in Queensland,
 so much was cleared it looks set to completely
 undo greenhouse gas emissions cuts made
 under the federal government’s Direct Action policy. 

Land clearing regulations are set to be relaxed in NSW, as the government releases draft legislation that would allow farmers to clear native vegetation without approval in many cases, and give others access to “offsets”.

It has also committed $240m over five years to pay farmers not to clear land, followed by $70m a year thereafter.

The government said the changes would improve biodiversity, even though they will allow protected areas to be cleared.

Three laws would be scrapped under the proposal: the Native Vegetation Act, the Threatened Species Conservation Act and the Nature Conservation Trust Act. Parts of the National Parks and Wildlife Act will also be repealed. The legislation will be replaced with two new acts: the Amended Local Land Services Act and the new Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The moves largely follow recommendations of a review completed in 2014.

Read The Guardian story - “NSW land-clearing law will let farmers clear native vegetation with no approval.”

Farmers call for tougher native vegetation laws in fear of being 'lynched'

There is heated debate among landowners
about the preservation of native vegetation.

Native vegetation laws have long sparked heated discussion, but collective anger from farmers has reached such heights in Victoria that those in support of tighter regulation fear being "lynched" by peers for speaking out.

The latest wave of public debate comes as the Victorian Government proposes more stringent regulation around tree-clearing, in response to continued decline of native vegetation on private land.

Dozens of producers attended meetings held by the state's peak farm lobby group, Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF), to express concerns about the proposed regulation.

The loudest voice is coming from grain producers, who say they need to remove individual trees from paddocks to allow easier access for modern cropping machinery.

Read the ABC Rural story - “Native vegetation debate heats up, farmers in support of stricter laws fear being 'lynched' by peers.”