Pressure on Tassie’s ecosystems

CONCRETE state government action must be taken to remedy some of the serious degradation highlighted in the federal State of the Environment report, the Greens say.

Party spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said the report – released on Tuesday by Federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek – paints a devastating picture of Australia’s ecosystems and biodiversity.

“This report is a wake-up call – and the Rockliff Liberal government needs to end regulations that give developers and resource extraction industries unfettered access to damage critical habitat,” Ms Woodruff said.

“Inaction on climate change, reckless habitat destruction, a failure to properly monitor changes, and woefully inadequate environmental laws have perpetuated a disastrous environmental decline across the Australian landscape, including in Tasmania.

“In this context it is unforgivable the Tasmanian Liberal government has already missed two statutory deadlines for Tasmanian State of Environment reports, with the third rapidly approaching.”

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb also wondered there the local report was, which is supposed to be released every five years.

“The legislated required Tasmanian State of the Environment Report risks being listed as endangered or extinct itself, since it has not been sighted since 2009,” she said.

Federal independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, said the report underlined the need for urgent action on climate change and the establishment of a new Environment Protection Authority.

“A surge in threatened species and extinction risk, collapsing ecosystems, habitat loss and widespread degradation are all very clear signs ... of an environmental emergency,” Mr Wilkie said.