DEAR News Of the Area,

THIS Saturday June 5 is the United Nations World Environment Day.

This year’s theme is Generation/ Ecosystem Restoration and is focused on bringing worldwide awareness and resulting action to protect our environment.

How pertinent this is now for this area in which we live.

I wonder how many people are aware that there are huge and numerous areas of logging planned by Forestry Corp for this area in the near future.

The planned percentages are extremely excessive.

This is not a minor operation.

Our local forests have been earmarked for massive logging.

Areas planned include:

The Kalang River Headwaters, Pine Creek bordering on Bongil Bongil National Park, Newry State Forest and Wild Cattle Creek up north.

The irreplaceable loss of these beautiful and diverse parcels, many proven to be habitats for now threatened and endangered species, is nothing short of destruction on a scale we have not seen before.

All this is the wake of the horrendous Black Summer Bushfires.

The way we are going, our iconic koala will be extinct by 2050.

Or sooner if this wanton destruction is allowed to go ahead.

Areas of the lower mid north coast near Port Macquarie estimated koala losses around 20,000. We were fortunate that Newry/ Pine Creek and Kalang at least managed to escape the fires.

All after a massive drought as well.

Only to be earmarked for logging.

These forests are precious and should be preserved for our Koalas and other rare and endangered species.

They need to live and feed somewhere.

It has been proven there is no economic sense to log.

Twenty cents profit per tree being an estimate.

Twenty cents!

Where will our logs go?

Down to Sydney where there is koala habitat being flattened for a massive housing development.

Double destruction.

It is madness that this can be happening in the midst of a Climate Emergency (scientifically proven).

Locals are coming together to speak out and stand shoulder to shoulder together to fight for our forests and our native animals.

Our Indigenous Elders and young people are taking a stand at Newry Forest.

It is their land after all.

Many of us moved here for the beauty of this unique area.

On this day June 5 please consider what is at stake and let your Member of Parliament know how you feel.

Let Premier Gladys Berejiklian know how strongly you feel about saving our beautiful precious and sacred places.

Pen her a letter and be a voice for our native animals and their habitat.

Support the Great Koala National Park.

Let our region be a treasure for generations after us as it was before us.

Let your voice be heard.

Regards

Angela WALLACE,
Bonville.