PORT Stephens is fortunate to be home to the iconic koala however the species is in crisis with extinction forecast for 2050 unless drastic action is taken.

Koala Koalition EcoNetwork Port Stephens (KKEPS) was formed last year.

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The organisation’s primary goal is to protect and grow the koala population in Port Stephens; with one strategy being to identify legislative/policy restraints and contradictions to real protections, and lobby for improvement.

KKEPS has written a number of submissions against habitat destruction as group members believe the cumulative impacts on our environment has been largely ignored, at all levels of government.

There are a substantial number of existing and proposed hard rock quarries or extensions in our area, some of which require koala habitat removal, as well as many direct and indirect impacts on fauna and residents.

KKEPS spokesperson Caitlin Spiller told News Of The Area, “When you consider the cumulative impacts of these quarries along with the growth of sand mines and housing developments, both already approved and proposed, it paints a very sad picture for our koalas.

“The saying ‘death by 1000 cuts’ has long been used about our threatened species and it’s never been more obvious here in Port Stephens, where the koala population has reduced as a direct result of approved clear fell developments.”

KKEPS’ consulting ecologist Georgina Cutler said, “The combined effect of multiple developments can have a significant effect on the wider regional environment resulting in habitat degradation and the fragmentation of key species populations.

“Direct impacts from quarries and building developments include the reduction of overall habitat available, noise disturbance, reduction in air quality, while further indirect impacts from supporting infrastructure and roads can result in the isolation of habitats and species.

“Highways and increased traffic can pose a significant threat to wildlife by influencing both animal movements and mortality risk.

“The need for ecological connectivity is fundamental in conserving wildlife as it allows individuals to move among core habitat areas, providing stability to regional populations.

“It is inevitable that each new development requiring clear felling has implications to local species populations, therefore it is fundamental to assess the impact from a regional perspective,” Ms Cutler added.

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has recently published the Cumulative Impact Assessment Guidelines for State Significant Projects (2021), which states that ‘Cumulative impacts are a result of incremental, sustained and combined effects of human action and natural variations over time and can be both positive and negative’.

‘They can be caused by the compounding effects of a single project or multiple projects in an area, and by the accumulation of effects from past, current and future activities as they arise.

‘These guidelines outline the new requirement of Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) at the strategic-level and site-specific level of State Significant Projects.’

While KKEPS welcomes this new requirement, many local rock, sand and housing proposals have escaped its requirement – those that aren’t State Significant Projects and those with Environmental Assessment Requirements issued before 1 October 2021, and for Environmental Impact Statements received on or before 31 March 2022.

“For too long site specific mitigation measures have not taken into account past or future neighbouring developments.

“Essential to managing cumulative effects is the establishment of common goals and specific thresholds for acceptable impacts, coordinated across all relevant stakeholders.”

“Without this coordination and assessments it is difficult to demonstrate that while any single development may have a negligible impact, the accumulation of multiple developments within the same region may constitute a major impact,” Ms Cutler warned.

KKEPS has welcomed the statement in the new Guidelines which reads ‘Managing cumulative impacts is a shared responsibility – involving all three levels of government working closely with industry and the community – and is a major factor in all government decision-making’.

“KKEPS is calling on Port Stephens Council to consider cumulative impacts in its planning instruments and require CIA’s at the local planning and consent level, before it’s too late for koalas and other threatened species here,” Caitlin urged.

By Marian SAMPSON