Land & environment

Jack Bradshaw. Exposing the hypocrisy of the WA government in banning sustainable timber harvesting in native forest but supporting the strip mining of the same forest.

The last consultation period on new Emissions Reduction Fund rules to enhance monitoring of pest and weed management in ERF projects and manage impacts on agricultural production and regional communities has opened. The rules will give the Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud, the power to prevent certain types of large ERF native vegetation projects ... from going ahead where there is evidence that the project would have an adverse impact on agricultural production or communities.

Carbon Count has announced that its flagship soil carbon project management software has concluded its beta testing phase and is now available to soil carbon project managers across the globe ... the Australian owned and designed SaaS platform streamlines the entire process of running a soil carbon project into a clear and simple workflow; facilitating the trade of soil carbon credits for agricultural consultancies and their landholder clients.

Kirstin Nicholson. The Leitchville Bunyip Sporting Club Inc (LBSC) has been active over the weekend with its annual cod opening weekend and the North Central Catchment Management Authority’s ‘Catch a Carp’ day.

US-backed agricultural investment firm Laguna Bay is selling the Woorndoo Aggregation broadacre cropping portfolio in Victoria’s Western District for about $70 million to two local farming families. It marks the next step in Laguna Bay’s selldown of its Australian assets, arriving one year after it offloaded Banongill Station, also in the Western District, for $80 million to a consortium of local farming families.

The new dog-friendly loop trail of the Harewood State Forest on Scotsdale Road, Denmark is finished ... The project was awarded to Monkey Rock MTB Co, a new trail building company in Denmark. Monkey Rock has specialised in building mountain bike trails and this was their first walk trail project.

Moulamein was graced by fishing royalty at the weekend. Merv Hughes, former Australian cricketer and host of Merv’s Fishing, accompanied by Squizzy Taylor, was on the water filming in the region with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and Department of Primary Industry and Investment to showcase the benefits of environmental water.

Agile Black Hawk helicopters will revolutionise bushfire fighting in South Australia this summer and significantly boost capability for the Country Fire Service’s aerial fleet in a move that also increases protection for the community and firefighters.

Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio has officially launched the battery − developed by renewable energy specialist Neoen and located at the Moorabool Terminal Station near Geelong. The 300-megawatt Tesla system is the largest battery in the southern hemisphere and created more than 150 jobs during construction.

John McNamara and Sue Spence. Strolling across the grassy threshold of Pilot Hill towards the lighthouse you feel you are entering a timeless realm steeped in history and unspoilt natural beauty. The stark white tower is a spectacular sight up close, especially when you look up at it against a bright blue sky; it defies its humble beginning. When the Pilot Station was established in 1854 crossing the river bar was a major obstacle to navigation.

The federal government has released draft legislation on the reinsurance pool for cyclones and related flood damage which could bring down costs for Cape York residents ...Member for Leichardt Warren Entsch said it was anticipated more than 500,000 residential, strata and small business property insurance policies in northern Australia were expected to be eligible to be covered by the reinsurance pool.

Despite recent flood and rain damage in the eastern states, the ABARES Agricultural Commodities: December Quarter is forecasting a history-making agricultural gross production value of $78  billion – $5.4  billion more than predicted just a few months ago. The value of agricultural exports is forecast to hit a record $61 billion.

A stunning snapshot of apiculture has taken out first place in the 2021 National #AgDayAU Photo Competition. This year, the competition received a record number of awe-inspiring entries, all capturing the many diverse agricultural careers right across the country.

The bottom of your kitchen draw isn’t where you would expect to find award winning art, but Darren O’Brien did. The Glenwood resident took out top spot in the open category at the 2021 Waste to Art Competition with Bitza, the junk yard dog who represented the problem of rubbish in our oceans ... Darren described Bitza as a “big pile of crap” and that creating the work had been a labour of love.

Recent catastrophic bushfires and reports of threats to species have highlighted concerns about the management of Australia’s forests. Most prominently, there are increasing concerns that forest management is failing to ensure forest health, build ecosystem resilience and protect threatened species. These concerns are real, but the key drivers are not well understood. A body of opinion and media coverage often presents timber harvesting as the primary threat to forest ecosystems and suggests that creating more national parks will protect threatened species and habitats and reduce the risk of severe bushfires. Yet the situation is far more complex.

Dr Canadell said in response to my comment: “Our study doesn’t discuss forest management.” This statement is Not True ... Dr Canadell and his colleagues failed to consider critical evidence which demolishes the CSIRO argument.

Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC) and the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) were in town to talk with interested community members about water issues affecting the region, in particular, the Singleton Station water license decision.

The community is awaiting follow up from local Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, regarding the petition to close local wetlands to recreational duck shooting and instead make them a sanctuary for the threatened species which call them home. The petition attracted just under 500 signatures, mostly local, compared to a petition by shooters to have duck shooting remain which obtained 21 signatures (11 local).