Land and Environment Court Decision Spells Doom for Sydney’s Koalas
Today’s decision by the Land and Environment Court against Save Sydney’s Koalas will spell extinction for the healthiest koala colony in the State, says Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and Spokesperson for Environment and Wildlife.
The Land and Environment Court dismissed Save Sydney’s Koalas’ case against Lendlease which argued that the Campbelltown Koala Plan of Management was not applied to the Lendlease’s development consent and therefore the development should not go ahead.
“We can’t afford to lose any more koala habitat, but this court decision allows Lendlease to fragment and destroy the habitat of one of the healthiest koala populations in the state,” says Ms Faehrmann.
“The Gilead development will sit smack bang in the middle of the Campbelltown koala population’s east west corridor that is vital for their continued existence. This decision means Lendlease is not required to take any further action to protect koalas from this development.
“This court decision effectively renders Koala Plans of Management irrelevant for developers. Whatever the local rules are, developers can simply buy biodiversity offset credits and bulldoze koala habitat.
“How can the Government accept the destruction of koala habitat on the basis that it has been supposedly ‘offset’? There’s not enough koala habitat left as it is. Planting a few seedlings will not stop the local koala population from being decimated by this development,” said Ms Faehrmann.