Calls to ‘shut down’ controversial business after illegal act in national park

Towering trees in a national park have been cleared due to a mapping error, a multi-million dollar timber harvesting enterprise has revealed. Around 1.44 hectares, an area slightly smaller than the Sydney Cricket Ground playing surface, was chopped down prompting an apology from the operator.

Parks and Wildlife NSW confirmed Forestry Corporation NSW was responsible for the act, and it’s agreed to restore the illegally cleared land and pay $500,000 in compensation as part of a legally binding agreement called a Deed.

The penalty will likely further hit the beleaguered state-owned company’s bottom line – on Friday, it revealed its native forestry business has lost $29 million over a single year. It said a key reason for its woes was legal action and protests against its operations.

The Department of Environment told Yahoo News it was unable to provide images of the harvested site. In a statement, its secretary Anthony Lean described clearing of vegetation in the national park as “a very serious offence”.

“By entering the Deed, Forestry Corporation has admitted the consequences of its actions and will fund critical restoration projects to reverse the damage caused to the national park. Additional protocols must be put in place to ensure such a breach is never repeated,” he said.

Want more stories about our weird and wonderful natural world? 😳🪲 Subscribe to our newsletter.

Bindarri National Park sits west of Coffs Harbour. Source: Google Earth/AirBus/Landsat/Copernicus/DataSIO

The mapping error occurred at Bindarri National Park, near Coffs Harbour, in 2018, and the illegal logging occurred in 2019 and 2020. Conservation non-profit Wilderness Society believes it has identified the site where the act occurred.

The group was critical of the government’s decision to opt for a Deed rather than litigation. Its NSW campaigns manager Victoria Jack said, “It’s obvious the NSW government has known about this shocking breach for some time as a deal that will allow Forestry Corporation to avoid prosecution has been struck. Announcing this deal in the days leading up to Christmas is an obvious attempt to avoid public scrutiny.”

Ecologist Mark Graham described the logging as “outrageous”, and he echoed Wilderness Society’s criticism of the Deed, saying it would allow the individuals responsible to avoid prosecution.

“I know Bindarri well. It’s one of the most biodiverse landscapes in the world that they’ve gone into the park and illegally cleared,” he said. “Forestry Corporation needs to be shut down.”

Bindarri National Park is home to birds, wallabies, possums, quolls, koalas, platypus, owls and bats. Source: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

Although Victoria and Western Australia have shut down their state-owned logging companies, the Minns government has backed Forestry Corporation, which controversially logs endangered koala and greater habitat.

The forestry sector in NSW is worth around $3.3 billion and it supports 14,900 jobs. An independent assessment proposed winding back Forestry Corporation’s native forestry enterprises if it remains unprofitiable and conservationists have suggested it transition to plantation timber harvesting.

Bindarri National Park is home to birds, wallabies, possums, quolls, koalas, platypus, owls and bats. It lies next to Orara West State Forest, which is managed by Forestry Corporation and it claims the error was made because a timber plantation sits on the border was rezoned and split between the two parks in 1999.

“We deeply regret this incident and sincerely apologise for this error which resulted in the harvesting of approximately 1.44 hectares within Bindarri National Park in contravention of the National Parks and Wildlife Act,” its general manager of hardwood forests Daniel Tuan said.

Love Australia’s weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.

Image Credits and Reference: https://au.news.yahoo.com/calls-to-shut-down-controversial-business-after-illegal-act-in-national-park-061722075.html