We have all been dismayed at the reported loss of native
wildlife throughout the recent devastating bushfires. Images and stories of
dead and fleeing animals have created a global response. Estimates of a billion animals lost and some species brought to the brink of extinction have
prompted donations of food, equipment and medical supplies on an unprecedented
scale.
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| Photo credit: abc.net.au |
However, ecologists have been reporting devastating losses
of wildlife and vegetation for decades. Australia has one of the worst records
for species extinction worldwide. According to the New South Wales Government
figures, 517,956 hectares of native bushland were cleared from 1998 to 2015.
WWF-Australia estimates that this killed at least 9.1 million mammals, 10.7
million birds, and 67.1 million reptiles – more than 86.9 million animals in
total—based on averages of measured animal densities (link wwf.org.au).
Recommendations from environmental impact studies, EIS,
conducted prior to many development projects are often watered down or even ignored
by developers with little or no penalties applied (link The Conversation Sept 2019). This non-adherence to law is happening at all levels, from major
coal-mine developments on farmland and wilderness, to small housing estates in
urban centres.
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| Photo credit: nationaltrust.org.au |
Required offsetting is either not carried out or is
conducted in a completely inappropriate manner resulting in continual
degradation of ecosystems, fragmentation of habitat and losses of species from
an area. Offsets don’t necessarily require a like for like replacement and
consequently the actual number of animals or plants that are lost from an area
are sometimes not replaced at all.
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Offsets also tend to result in smaller and more isolated
patches of habitat being available to native flora and fauna creating a
significant decline in biodiversity. These small areas make the animals and
plants within them even more vulnerable and prone to extinction during a
bushfire.
Late last year, the Federal Government launched a review of
the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (link EPBCAct review). Some experts are concerned that the review may end up weakening
environmental protection in Australia and developers will be able to continue
to avoid complying with regulations even more blatantly.
Sustainable
development requires steadfast compliance
