PROPONENTS of the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) and the Greens are split over the Federal Greens supporting the Government’s Improved Native Forest Management method (INFM).
The INFM method allows state governments to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by voluntarily ceasing planned harvesting in defined areas of public native forests.
A motion to disallow the method, put by the Nationals, was defeated in the Senate 34 to 27 votes, with three Greens Senators crossing the floor.
The Greens said their support came after negotiating for a mechanism in legislation to significantly reduce logging, a legal precedent to stop coal and gas using offsets, and assurance that native forests can’t be reclassified as plantations.
Groups such as the North East Forest Alliance and the National Parks Association of NSW support the INFM while others, such as the Forest Ecology Alliance and the Bellingen Environment Centre, do not.
The issue is, basically, that many people feel that the national parks, and the GKNP in particular, should be created for their conservation value and not used to offset big polluters.
Others want the GKNP created as soon as possible, because, despite State Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe, standing in the North Coast Regional Botanic Gardens in early 2023 and telling NOTA that, if elected, the Labor Government would create a GKNP, forestry operations have continued.
NSW Greens MP, environment spokesperson and environmental lawyer, Sue Higginson said, “The Minns Labor Government has already broken its promise when it comes to the Great Koala National Park.
“It spent two years in Government intensely logging these most valuable forests, and has now blackmailed the environment and climate movement into reluctantly accepting that there will be climate pollution offsets attached to their protection.”
She said that The Greens had secured significant wins as part of this decision.
“We have guaranteed that credits from INFM projects won’t be sold to fossil fuel projects, logging will completely end in large areas, there will be a permanent overall reduction in logging, and the definition of plantations will be made clear to exclude seeded forests,” Ms Higginson said.
“This decision has been one of the most difficult that we have faced.
“Good people with the best intent have reached different opinions on this.
“We respect each other, must hold together, and move forward in our shared fight for forests, the environment and climate. We can’t afford to stop.”
By Andrew VIVIAN
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