Land & environment

Australia’s $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan is yielding some unintended consequences as decades of sage warnings went ignored ... Money is the motivator. “Almonds, citrus, and table grapes can all be grown above or below the Barmah Choke, but horticulturalists believe they can each be grown more profitably below the Choke.”

Philip Hopkins. Bushfire policy needs to be driven by rigorous science underpinning politics if the landmark federal-state national bushfire management strategy is to be successful, according to one of the nation’s leading bushfire experts. Dr Kevin Tolhurst, AM, Associate Professor of Fire Ecology and Management at Melbourne University, said fire management was dominated by alternate paths based on politics and science.

The Australian livestock industry will work with Indonesian feedlots to help protect their facilities from disease incursions and subsequent trade disruption via a biosecurity support project jointly funded by the Australian Government and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) ... MLA responded to a question from ARR.News about border closures.

The DAFF statement regarding the interception of items containing fragments of Foot and Mouth Disease brings home the urgent need to ramp up the resourcing of Australia's biosecurity systems and implement 100% screening of passengers returning from high-risk areas ... Fiona Simson responded to a question from ARR.News about border closures.

Narrandera's iconic koalas are at the forefront of an exciting research project to assess the population, health and genetics of the free-ranging colony. The project, led by National Parks and Wildlife Service, swung into action last month when a six-member team of specialist veterinarians, NPWS staff and a professional tree climber arrived in town to undertake field work.

Parts of New South Wales are in the grip of a Varroa mite infestation, the most serious pest for honey bees ... Narrandera apiarist and owner of King Bee Honey, along with his wife Wendy, David Mumford, is one of the region's beekeepers to be affected. The Riverina region has fared well so far compared to other areas which have had hives eradicated.

The latest State of the Environment Report paints a dire picture for the ongoing survival of Australia’s threatened species under ever increasing pressure from feral animals and weeds ... “Invasive species are the common denominator: foxes and feral cats fuelled by rabbits are the major driver of mammal extinctions while foreign plants are a source of major weed problems impacting landscapes throughout Australia. :Andreas Glanznig, Chief Executive of the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions.

Landholders in Myrtle Creek, Busby’s Flat, Upper Cherry Tree, Mongogarie, Pikapene and surrounding areas are invited to Fire and Flood Restoration Workshops at the Rappville Pub this month. All Richmond Valley landholders can join in the workshops which will focus on building community capacity and resilience to extreme events.

The NSW Government is backing growing industry calls for the urgent development of a national mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification system in light of the serious threat of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) entering Australia ... “Individual traceability for sheep and goats will be crucial during an emergency disease outbreak and deliver benefits across the supply chain" : Dugald Saunders, NSW Agriculture Minister.

Following the release of the State of the Environment report, the peak national organisation representing over 1,000 forest scientists and professionals in Australia has joined in supporting Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek’s calls for more reform in the area of environmental law ... “The current approaches to management of Australia’s forests are not working – we believe we need to reform our philosophy of land management, our approach to conservation and how we manage our forests,” Forestry Australia President Bob Gordon.

Outgoing NSW Farmers President James Jackson says there is a great future ahead for Australian agriculture if governments and the public support the vital sector ... “Australia as a nation lags behind on backing farmers, with a government paper on food security this week revealing we have one of the lowest levels of agricultural support across the 37 OECD member countries – and when compared to major emerging economies."

Expected but also dreaded, the Varroa mite that has decimated hives overseas has been detected in Australia ... If it turns out that the mite is here to stay and we have to live in a ‘new normal’, as our counterparts overseas have had to do, it will be a sad time for beekeeping in Australia ... Lindsay Callaway, of Warral Maldon ... is receiving daily updates on the situation from those on the front line.

The sixth annual Gomaren & Doctors Creek Catchment Landcare Group ‘Focus on Farms’ photography competition is underway with a wide range of categories for people of all ages. A key component of the competition is that all photos must be taken in the Darling Downs, defined as the Toowoomba, Southern Downs, Western Downs and Goondiwindi regions.

Patricia Gill. The Denmark Environment Centre is lobbying to block the building of a network of nine mountain bike trails in 68ha of Mt Hallowell’s lower south eastern slopes ... Speaking on behalf of DEC, Murdoch University sustainability lecturer Nicole Hodgson says the high physical impact of building mountain bike trails is not compatible with sustaining the conservation and cultural values of a precious Class A Reserve.

It’s been seven weeks since the election in which Labor promised it would deliver the basin plan in full. Last week, a private jet jaunt around selected parts of the basin saw Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek doubling down on the promise ... Once again, the plan rolls on with decisions made on high and an attitude of propaganda rather than collaboration and information sharing. I suppose when one body implements, oversees, reviews and funds the science, it would be hard to get any outcome other than the one they seek.

Kendall Jennings. Barham-built PS Emmylou has been awarded the Tripadvisor ‘2022 Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award’ ... “Our PS Emmylou overnight cruises have been very popular with domestic visitors over the past 12 months, with many visitors having never considered an Australian river cruise before": Director of Murray River Paddlesteamers, Craig Burgess.

Farmers are finding caravans, gas cylinders, washing machines and even a swimming pool washed into their fields since the floods. Fire and Rescue NSW crews are using drones to help spot and clear this leftover flood debris in cane fields.

Rodney Stevens. It was standing room only at Yamba's Wooli Street hall on Saturday as Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann joined concerned residents at a public meeting convened by Valley Watch to illustrate concerning developments on the floodplain. Attendees learned of Valley Watch's activities, raising awareness of development on the West Yamba floodplain since it first became an issue under the former Maclean Shire Council in 1995.