There is still very little detail available about the secret 'deal' between the State Government and Hancocks but this background may help to set the scene for anyone who hasn't been involved in the process.
The Strzeleckis are unique forests which are a mosaic of old growth including rainforest, reforestation/plantings, plantations and regenerating forests. The public forests of the Strzeleckis have been excluded from public land planning processes which set aside comprehensive and adequate reserves. The Strzeleckis have the least amount of land set aside in any forested region of Victoria. The minimum for public land is 15% of the original vegetation while the Strzeleckis has only 2% protected in Parks and Reserves. The Strzeleckis have most recently been identified as one of the most important regions for the sequestration of carbon, which occurs at much higher rates than previously considered, creating an even more pressing reason to secure their preservation.
The starting point for the issue was that there should be no harvest of timber in the Cores and Links. The Cores and Links are key sites linking Gunyah Gunyah Reserve in the West to Tarra Bulga National Park in the East. There are 5 core areas, Gunyah, College Creek, Jack River, Tarra Bulga (already reserved) and Merrimans Catchment. These are all sites of National, State or Regional conservation significance and have been identified as areas of high biodiversity value. The five core areas and associated habitat links were identified in previous studies as focal points for biodiversity and included areas of Cool Temperate Rainforest and populations of rare, threatened and endangered flora and fauna, which are vulnerable to disturbances.
In October 2006 the State Government made a commitment to protect the areas known as the Cores and Links by entering into a partnership with HVP (previously Grand Ridge Plantations), the Secretary to the Department of Sustainability and Environment for and on behalf of the State of Victoria, the Trust For Nature (Victoria), the Strzelecki Forest Community Group (SFCG), the Council of the City of Latrobe, the Council of the Shire of Wellington, the Council of the Shire of South Gippsland and Australian Paper Pty. Ltd. through a Heads of Agreement (HOA).
The HoA was designed to provide an opportunity for HVP to meet its contractual arrangement to the Maryvale Mill with a “one off harvest” (until the volume of 600,000 cubic metres pulp was reached), of designated areas within the Cores and Links.
The HoA detailed the process whereby the best biodiversity outcome would be delivered linking Tarra Bulga National Park to the Gunyah Gunyah Rainforest Reserve. This agreement provided a degree of transparency and accountability with full community consultation at every level of the process.
Breach of Trust: On the 30th May 2008 the community was informed via a media release that the past 10 years of negotiations between the company and the community through the Strzelecki Forest Community Group had been abandoned by the company and the government for a “secret agreement” which allowed the Core Areas of Rainforest to now be harvested. These areas had been given total protection under the HoA.
In the new agreement signed this week, 15/08/08, it has been indicated that the core areas will be harvested for pulp. A small amount of research of HVP maps indicates that what the company considers "plantation" constitutes more than 75% of each of the core areas. While only 1500ha of the 8000ha Cores and Links area being returned to public ownership will be subject to a one-off harvest ( with those areas progressively regenerated and placed in public reserves over the next 20 years), the horror of College Creek is that it, as well as Gunyah and Jack were NEVER to be harvested. This latest deal will see huge areas of native forests destroyed at a time when it is becoming even more crucial to preserve them.
College Creek is a most contentious area. It is a site of national significance
covering approximately 850Ha of which the company claim 75% is plantation. It has been found to have a higher biodiversity value than Tarra Bulga National Park (BIOSIS Research Report, November 2001 and Latrobe City assessment 2001). It has significant stands of Cool Temperate Rainforest with rare and threatened species of national and state significance (Latrobe City Natural Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2008-2013 Consultation Draft).
The entire Cores and Links must be preserved for it to retain viability in the longer term.
Tags:
hancock victorian plantations, logging, rainforest, strzeleckis
Posted at: 07:45 AM | Add Comment