A planning committee is attempting to solve problems with the largest flora reserve in NSW despite a significant lack of funding.
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The committee is currently drawing up a interim plan of management for the Murrah Flora Reserve to be implemented from mid-2017 and is comprised of representatives from National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS), the Gulaga and Biamanga Boards of Management, Rural Fire Service, South East Timber Association and the local community.
Community representative on the committee Jamie Shaw said one problem with the 12,000ha flora reserve was there was not a lot of prime habitat for the koalas left so habitat restoration projects were a priority for ongoing management.
He said there was also a large threat of bushfires to properties adjacent to the flora reserve and, that a large fire had the potential to wipe out the small koala population.
According to Mr Shaw, 2000ha in the reserves were a “powder keg” for bushfires and extremely poor habitat for koalas due to dense regrowth of casuarinas and acacias in the under and mid storys after logging in the ’80s and ’90s.
What the reserve desperately needed was proper funding, he said, as the NSW government and Forestry Corporation had given NPWS only $110,000 a year to manage the reserve which would go to funding one Indigenous Australian field officer, one vehicle “and that’s it”.
“The problem is the state government has given $2million to the logging industry to bring wood to the chipmill from further afield,” Mr Shaw said.
“So they’re happy to pay for that, but not happy to give National Parks more than $110,000 a year to manage the 12,000 ha flora reserve.”
But he said the creation of the reserve was still a great win for conservationists, who were celebrating the move.
“The poor regrowth and logging has happened, so now, as a priority for ongoing management we need to get the money, know-how to protect the koalas and include the Aboriginal community at all times, that’s key for us,” he said.