NEWS 30 May 2022 |
The Victorian Government has affirmed their commitment to establishing expert-recommended new central west parks. We welcome the allocation of $4 million to conduct the obligatory boundary surveys as a step in the right direction.
Unfortunately, since the release of the VEAC Central West Investigation, it’s been two steps back for every step forward.
It been almost a year since the government’s original announcement to create the park – which at the time was already 18 months overdue.
The Andrews Governments’ plan to continue logging forest habitat in Wombat Forest (the proposed Wombat-Lerderderg National Park), Mount Cole (the proposed Mount Buangor National Park), and Pyrenees Ranges (proposed Pyrenees National Park) until 2030 doesn’t make any sense.
With decades of wood supply outside of the proposed park areas and report after report detailing the urgent need to halt our state-wide ecosystem decline, Labor’s determination to fund the logging of national park-worthy places is baffling.
With no clear timeline for properly legislating the parks and native forest logging in several proposed park areas, local community and conservationists remain concerned.
Whilst environment minister Lily D’Ambrosio is saying all the right things, “This is an important step to help protect our incredible range of native plants and wildlife”, the reality is that the 370 threatened plants, animals, insects and communities will not be protected until these parks are legislated.
