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Barmah-Millewa Collective

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VEAC - Investigation into River Red Gum Forests

Right now you have a once in a lifetime opportunity to protect the magnificent wetlands of the Murray River. Below is some background information. To take action now, click here.

At the last election, the Victorian Government promised to protect River Red Gum wetlands should the Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) recommend they do so.

VEAC’s draft proposals regardig the future of Crown lands in the red gum study area including Barmah has been published. The public has until Monday October 8th to send in submissions to VEAC responding to these recommendations. VEAC will take into consideration these latest public submissions and submit a final set of proposals to the Victorian Government in February 2008.

Quick guide to VEAC’s draft recommendations.

Proposed protected areas and recreation areas include:

1. expanded Murray Sunset NP
2. new Nyah-Vinifera Park
3. new Leaghur-Koorangie NP
4. expanded Terrick Terrick NP
5. new Lower Goulburn River NP
6. new Warby Range-Ovens River NP
7. new Gunbower NP
8. new Barmah NP
9. new Murray River Park

What's good

VEAC’s draft proposals paper made some excellent recommendations:

* The creation or expansion of seven National Parks and the creation of a number of other parks and protected areas including a Murray River Park;

* Exclusion of stock grazing in public red gum wetlands and a 70% reduction in logging;

* Establishing Aboriginal co-management for Barmah and Nyah-Vinifera forests and changing the National Parks Act to allow joint management based on hand back/lease back as is done in Kakadu and Uluru;

* Flood red gum wetlands with 4000 billion litres of water, at least every 5 years, for the survival of native plants and wildlife in the myriad of billabongs, creeks and wetlands on the floodplain.

What's not

To properly protect Victoria's red gum wetlands, VEAC must improve its recommendations to include:

* The Gunbower forest – home of Victoria’s tallest red gums – should be protected from logging as a National Park (the recommendations allow 70% to be logged);

* Kow Swamp should be protected as an important Aboriginal site;

Logging should be phased out of all public red gum forests;

* A two-year deadline should be established for handback/leaseback arrangements to be put in place for Barmah and Nyah forests;

* Many Indigenous Traditional Owner groups have not been adequately consulted in the preparation of these draft recommendations. VEAC must complete a comprehensive and culturally appropriate consultation with Traditional Owner groups.

Take action!