Letter to the Editor: Let’s not be driven by fear and division

DEAR News Of The Area,

LAST week the Nambucca Valley Council rescinded an original resolution from 2018 to not support the Great Koala National Park (GKNP).

This now gives the Council an avenue to explore the economic and environmental opportunities provided by the State Government announcement of the GKNP, an election promise, for our local community.

As a community representative I think it’s important for me to emphasise why I support exploring the opportunities presented by the GKNP, whilst also emphasising the role of Council in supporting the transition of businesses and employees from the timber industry.

Change is always challenging, and I for one do not believe in change for the sake of change – rather, I believe in change to achieve a better outcome.

I believe in our sustainable future.

The strong economic proposition to lobby for funding from the NSW Government in boosting agritourism, eco-tourism and Indigenous eco-tourism from the GKNP project cannot be overstated.

I do not support continued negativity which puts our economic and environmental future at risk.

“This is not a debate about climate or conservation, it’s about fairness and commonsense,” a recent media release from the State MPs of Oxley and Coffs Harbour said.

The recent media releases by several state MPs across the NSW Mid North Coast in response to the Great Koala National Park announcement are a great example of misinformed debate and deflection of criticism.

I guess I do fail to see commonsense when we as a species seem hell bent on destroying our own habitat and ecosystem at a rate which is not sustainable.

Most people would not know that 91 percent of the timber industry in NSW already comes from plantation timber with the remaining nine percent harvested from our native state forests.

And here’s the clincher – native forests in NSW were harvested at a $29 million loss and cost to the public in 2023-24 financial year alone.

The economic argument just doesn’t stack up.

And no, regrowth forest monocultures are not as fire-hardy as older multi-species forest.

And no, the animals who lose their habitat do not re-establish other habitats.

In fact, Australia is the only developed country on the global list of deforestation hotspots, with 40 percent of our forests destroyed since European settlement and with one of the highest species extinction rates in the world (Joint Statement, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework). Independent peer-reviewed scientific research shows that the economic value of water catchment and tourism in native forests are respectively 25 and 20 times greater than the commercial value of woodchips, paper pulp and timber from native forests.

And the value of the plantation products is three times greater than the value of the native forest area products.

The economic proposition of switching away from native forest logging to 100 percent plantation forest appears to be a no-brainer.

Put simply, forests purify our drinking water.

Forests are our best hope to reduce carbon emissions.

Forests and water are life.

And we have the opportunity to walk the talk on our commitment to build a thriving economy which is sensitive to our environment and lifestyle.

Let’s not be driven by fear and division but work together for our sustainable future.

Regards,
Dr Ljubov SIMSON,
Councillor, Nambucca Valley Council.