Ecocide

Most of us are probably familiar with terms such as suicide, homicide, infanticide, patricide, genocide and other similar terms for acts of atrocity, all of which have legal definitions that are recognised around the world.

In the 1970s, an American biologist, Arthur Galston, coined the term ‘ecocide’ in his campaign to stop the use of Agent Orange to defoliate large tracts of land during the Vietnam war.

More than twenty years later, Pauline ‘Polly’ Higgins, a Scottish barrister asked herself, “What would it take to create a legal duty of care for the Earth?” She saw the need to hold perpetrators to account for the long-term damage to the environment.

Over the years, various legal bodies in a wide number of countries have attempted to introduce laws to protect the natural environment from wilful destruction.

In June 2021, an independent panel of top international lawyers drafted a definition of ecocide: unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts. (This definition came 75 years after the terms ‘crimes against humanity’ and ‘genocide’ were coined at Nuremberg)

The definition is part of an ongoing effort by Stop Ecocide International to have the crime of ecocide recognized as the fifth core crime of the International Criminal Court.

It cannot be denied that our natural environment is being slowly devastated by the actions of developers, corporations AND governments (at all levels) with weak, compromised or unheeded rules or regulations.

Lane Cove Council's solution to an act of ecocide (Credit: The Guardian)

Australia is number 5 on the list of the world’s worst deforestation countries (the only western nation in the top 10) and we also have one of the highest rates of animal extinctions. In the meantime, our environment minister is struggling to produce legislation to establish an Environment Protection Agency.

Let’s hope our planet is resilient enough to survive.

 

Drouin's Kurrajongs

The Kurrajong, Brachychiton sp, is a tree indigenous to north-east Vic, eastern NSW and southern Qld. ‘Kurrajong’ is from the Dhurug language of Sydney and means ‘fishing line’. Koori nations used parts of the tree as a food source, basket weaving and for making rope and nets. In 1853, the Australian poet and playwright, Charles Harpur, wrote a play, The Bushranger, in which he referenced the bushranger character being ‘kurrajonged’ – hanged!

The bulbous trunk is the source of the alternative common name Bottle Tree. The swollen trunk consists of fleshy fibrous material which enables the tree to absorb water and help it through drought periods. Early botanists (and others) gave the tree various genus names over the years. ‘Brachychiton’ is Greek: ‘brachys’ = 'short', and ‘chiton’ = 'tunic', a reference to the loose seed coats

Originally there were seven Kurrajongs planted as nature strip shade trees in Princes Way (west), between numbers 214 and 226. They were planted some time between 1950 and 1970. Recently, one tree was removed after being hit by an out of control vehicle. Even more recently, another has suffered significant wind damage.

The Kurrajong makes a good urban, streetside tree. It is a hardy species that tolerates a variety of soils and can survive long drought periods. It provides shade and habitat and seldom grows more than 10-15m tall. The Kurrajong makes a fantastic feature tree for small gardens too.