Environmental Conditions breached
Posted by laurenmellor83 on September 21, 2007
A quick look through google earth (as stated by Senator Milne) clearly shows the sort of activity that has caused breaches in the environmental conditions for Great Southern’s plantations on the Tiwi Islands. Condition 3 of the approval states;
The proponents will not undertake future clearing on treeless plains, riparian areas, water courses, or rainforests, and the following buffers are incorporated into site selection
- wet rainforest patches: 400m
The video shows how close the landclearing and plantations are to the high conservation value rainforests, in this case their is a 100 metre buffer rather than the 400 metres as stipulated.
Unfortunately, the google earth image is old and does not show the real extent of land-clearing on the Tiwi Islands. Similarly, the date of the land-clearing is uncertain due to the lack of transparency surrounding the project. Land-clearing and breaches that have occurred since 2005 are not shown although we are aware of their existence (and they look very similar to the example in the video), as is the Commonwealth Investigation team which is investigating the breaches.
Tiwi Islands - Northern Territory 
PeteR said
It is very important that the proposed expansion of forest destruction and woodchip plantation establishment on the Tiwi Islands is not approved by the Commonwealth and NT Environment Ministers. Great Southern Ltd (GSL) are trying to sign up the Tiwi Traditional Owners to increase the area of forest clearing from 30,000 hectares to 80,000 hectares – but GSL will still need Cwth and NT environmental approval for expansion. GSL has not yet formally applied for approval, but may do so at any time. Such an expansion would devastate the environments of Melville and Bathurst Islands for very little benefit to the Island people. Protecting and managing the existing forests for their cultural, biodiversity and carbon sequestration values will provide much greater benefit and much less risk. The 25,000 hectares already cleared should be replanted with native species and used for sustainable, long-rotation, high value wood and craft products, not low value export woodchips.