Page 600 - Week 02 - Thursday, 20 February 2020
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That this Assembly:
(1) notes:
(a) Yellow Box-Blakeley’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland (Yellow Box Woodland) is endangered in the ACT;
(b) unleased Territory land east of Antill Street, North Watson, contains significant Yellow Box Woodland conservation values, such as old growth, hollow bearing Yellow Box trees, as well as listed wildlife such as Rosenberg’s Monitor;
(c) the land east of Antill Street is currently zoned as CZ6—Leisure and Accommodation, which allows for dense residential development;
(d) preserving this land from development would protect the existing endangered Yellow Box Woodland, and provide a buffer between the urban environment and the remaining Mount Majura Nature Reserve; and
(e) the important conservation values of this area would be heavily impacted by Monash Drive if it were built, which the National Capital Authority has refused to remove from the National Capital Plan; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) commit to preserving and protecting Yellow Box Woodland ecosystems in the ACT from damage and urban encroachment;
(b) investigate rezoning the unleased Territory land east of Antill Street (section 84 block 1, section 85 block 1 (part), section 86 block 1, section 87 block 1 and section 75 block 7 (part)) to protect it from development and preserve its Yellow Box Woodland; and
(c) report to the Assembly on the investigation into the rezoning and the status of the Yellow Box Woodland by August 2020.
This is a motion about ensuring that we protect areas of precious environmental value in the ACT. Protecting and enhancing the ACT’s natural environment is particularly of great concern to the Greens and our members, but it is also a concern to many in our community—I would say probably to almost everyone in our community.
Canberra is the bush capital. We have a beautiful natural landscape that people value and enjoy. But we are also host to a range of threatened species and ecological communities. This includes flora and fauna that are vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. They include ecological communities such as yellow box Blakely’s red gum woodland and natural temperate grasslands, and they include species such as grassland earless dragons, pink-tailed worm-lizards, and swift parrots. This is flora and fauna at risk of actually disappearing, which would be a tragedy and which would deplete our natural ecosystems.
Anyone who has seen some of these ACT creatures will know that many of them are quite cute. Lizards are not usually considered to be cute, but take a look at a grassland earless dragon and I guarantee that its little reptilian grin will tickle your heart. We have an obligation to protect these threatened species and ecological communities. Unfortunately, these important environmental areas are too often damaged or otherwise interfered with. Precious environments are often under threat from development or other human activities.
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