"Old forests axed from logging ban" Simon Benson Daily Telegraph 22/11/96 quoting Craig Darlington of South East Forest Conservation Council (Canberra) "Bob Carr promised to end export woodchipping in NSW by the year 2000. If that is indeed true this is certainly the wrong way to go about it."

[2/3/2003... Carr ALP electoral play for green vote in NE NSW for marginals there and Sydney evidenced by NEFA report here of 65,000 ha protection decision]

- Avon River SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Badja SF, 2001-2, 1996 ecology action sydney photos, The Wilderness Society literature, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Bagawa SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Bald Knob SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Bebo SF 2001, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Bangadilly SF 1996, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Barradine SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Barrington Tops SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Beaury SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Bellangry SF 2002 NEFA media release 8/5/02

- Benandarah 2000, 2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Biddon SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Bodalla SF, 1996-2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003, Steve Ryan TWS 7/1/00

- Bolaro SF, 1998 Steve Ryan TWS email 7/1/00, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Boyne SF 1996-2001 State Forests via Chipstop 2003

- Brother SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Bulahdelah SF 1998 TWS 16/12/98 media release

- Bungawalbin State Forest, 2000/1, Richmond Environment Network email, NEFA media release 29/3/01.

- Bungabbee SF 2001, NEFA media release 29/3/01

- Buckenbowra SF TWS Wildernews 1999, 2000 (imminent, and refers to 13 other forests at risk), State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Campbell SF 2001, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Chaelundi SF 2002, compartments 170, 185-7, 190, 192-3 State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Chichester SF 2001-2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Cobbora SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Colymea SF 1996 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Conglomerate SF, 2000-2, Richmond Environment Network email, NEFA flyer, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Copeland SF 2001, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Conjola SF 1996, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Clouds Creek - see Conglomerate

- Cumbil SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Currambene SF 2002, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Currowan SF, 1998, 2000, 2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Clyde SF, 1996 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Dampier SF, 1996-2002, TWS email 7/1/00, ecology action photos, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Denobollie SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Divines SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Etoo SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Ewingar SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Flat Rock SF 2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Gibberagee SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Gladstone SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Glenugie SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Goonoo SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Irishman SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Kangaroo River SF 1999, NEFA media release 9/7/99 ("Labor's 1995 Forestry Policy has been dishonoured and subverted ...." Suzi Russel, John Corkhill)

- Leard SF 2001, State Forest via reputable source 2003

- Lincoln SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- McDonald SF 2002, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- McPherson SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Meryla SF 1998 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Manly Dam forest, Sydney 1998-9, Green Left Weekly 30/6/99 at p2

- Marengo State Forest, 2001 NSW forest networker email, The Advocate p5 23/8/01

- Minnon SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Mogo SF, 1996-2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003, Steve Ryan TWS email 7/1/00

- Monga SF, 2001-2, ecology action photos, TWS, SEFA media release 18/8/01

- Moruya SF 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003, 1999 Steve Ryan TWS email 7/1/00

- Myall Lakes SF 2000-1, ecology action photos, TWS Sydney flyer 2000

- Myall River State Forest 1999-2002 20-23/2/01 p3, p16, p2, p7/8 Newcastle Herald quoting The Wilderness Society, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Nambucca SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- North Brooman, 1998, 2002 Steve Ryan, TWS email 7/1/00, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Oakwood SF 2003, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Olney SF 2001-2, TWS Newcastle email, State Forests via reputable source 2003, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Ourimbah SF (Watagans/Jilliby Reserve proposal), 1999-2002, NEFA leaflet)

- Orara East State Forest 20/3/01 The Advocate page 3 quoting Coffs Conservation Alliance

- Orara West 2001, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Peak Alone SF 2000, ecology action photos

- Pilliga SF, Jim Tedder North Coast Environment Council 19/8/96

- Pilliga East SF 2001-2002 State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Pilliga West SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Pine Creek SF, 2001, Native Forest Network (re koala habitat) letter, RIC mr

- Scotchman SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Sheas Nob SF, 2001, Clarence Environment Centre news clipping, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Sherwood SF , 2000, Richmond Environment Network email, NEFA flyer

- South Brooman, 1996-2002, State Forests via ChipStop 2003, Steve Ryan TWS email 7/1/00

- Shallow Crossing SF 1997, 2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Stewarts Brook SF 2001, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Stroud Mountain - see Myall River SF

- Tallaganda SF 1996-2002 Steve Ryan TWS email 7/1/00, 2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Terry Hie Hie 2001, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Timbarra Plateau and forest (clearing, blasting for gold mine), 1997-2001, various sources

- Tomerong SF 1996 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Tomago clearing koala habitat Newcastle Herald 5/1/96, Daily Telegraph

- Toonumbar SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Trinkey SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Tuckers Knob SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Viewmont SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Wandella SF, 1996-2002, ecology action sydney, TWS email 7/1/00, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Wandera SF 1996, State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Watagans - see Olney, Ourimbah, Wyong SF

- Wang Wauk SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Way Way SF (reference?)

- Wild Cattle Creek State Forest 1996, 2002 over from 1995, NEFA media, letter 9/11/95, NEFA media release 7/7/95, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Wingello SF 1996, 1997 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Woodenbong 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Wyong SF, (Watagans/Jilliby Reserve proposal), 1999-2002, NEFA leaflet

- Yalcogrin SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

- Yadboro SF 2002 State Forests via ChipStop 2003

- Yarindury SF 2002, State Forests via reputable source 2003

Nalbaugh SF?

* 19/3/2001 SMH page 3, plant scientist John Benson resigns in disgust from Carr's Native Vegetation Advisory Council.

* Daily Telegraph's Simon Benson - 'Illegal land clearing is out of control' p8 29/3/01 states ' More than 30,000 hectares of native forest and bushland is being illegally cleared every year across NSW with the Government's knowledge, according to secret documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

18/9/00 Daily Telegraph p24 'Land-clearing rates at twice official level' and p19 8/8/01 reports 42,000 ha approved in the first six months of 2001, 77,000 approved for 2000 (no count of illegal clearing)

* Also see http://sydney.foe.org.au/forests/nswclearing.html dated 13/3/2001 sourcing material from the ALP govt itself of 21 July 1999.

* Also see 'Plundered forests at mercy of farmers' James WoodfordSydney Morning Herald 23/1/01 'Farmers are using legal loopholes to destroy the equivalent of at least 2,200 football fields worth of woodlands each year...', '9 million trees need to be planted in the Murray-Darling Basin ...'

- Stockton Bight sand dunes with 8 year mining lease, 2001, activist leaflet/TWS Newcastle

- Timbarra Plateau and forest (see in point 4 above)

- Tomago koala habitat

- Lake Cowal for a a gold mine using cyanide

- ADI (Lend Lease owned) site at St Mary's, Western Sydney - 1,500 ha site

- Kosciuzko National Park - threat of ski resort development in 8,000 ha of wilderness Sydney Morning Herald article (date) by Noel Plumb



5A. The notorious Transgrid affair - state owned electricity authority illegally clears a swathe through Namadgi, Brindabella, Kosciuzko National Parks causing outrage in the ACT and NSW governments (Canberra Times p1 29/5/01, SMH p1). Huge questions arise as to how government ministers and departmental advisers were so ignorant of their portfolio responsibilities that this occurred over at least 35 km. This reality makes the condemnations of the clearing by Premier Carr quite strange - it was done by his government instrumentality for which he is unltimately responsible.



6. Generic observations for north east nsw



A. according to Dailan Pugh of NEFA, March 1999:



"For the 240 forest ecosystems 39% of the targets are achieved. There are 38% of forest ecosystems under 50% of their targets, with 14% under 10% of their targets. Some 359, 400 ha of forest ecosystems on public lands still require reservation to meet national reserve criteria." in 'Carr fails to protect forests' northern forest flyer March 1999.



"For the 444 rare and threatened plant species 22% of the targets are achieved. There 59% of plants under 50% of their targets and 29% under 10% of their targets." in 'Carr fails to protect forests' northern forest flyer March 1999.

 

"According to the Government's own data 5,500 hectares of oldgrowth forests have been logged in the north-east since March 1999. ... The outcomes are equally grim for ecosystems in the region with more than 40,000 hectares of poorly reserved forest ecosystems having been logged in the 3 year time period. This includes some 2,500 hectares of rare, endangered and vulnerable ecosystems".

• A. 'The Eden Decision achieved 39% of required koala habitat in reserves. Because information on koala habitat requirements is still rudimentary this can only serve as a rough guide to the outcome for koalas.' per Chris Allen South East Forest Conservation Council, 13th December 1998.
• B. 'Daishowa's Corporate Affairs Manager, Vince Phillips told the Senate Committee inquiring into the Regional Forest Agreement Bill on 1 February that "about 80" log trucks go into the chipmill every day. ...Now the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Eden Arms Depot (released a couple of weeks ago) reveals an average of 130 trucks a day travel along Edrom Rd, with nowhere else to go but to the chipmill, per Harriett Swift, ChipStop 18 Nov 1999

8. General policy approach of the Carr Govt supporting entrenched native forest logging industry -



A. Bob Carr made these hopeful but ultimately misleading comments on January 27th 1996 in the Daily Telegraph page 37 (9 months after election March 25th 1995)

"We're now moving into a period of consolidation. To a large extent the first year has been setting the agenda - now there is a lot of effort to come in the implementation.

"Take forestry. We allocated a lot of money so we don't lose our high conservation value forests but it is now a matter of setting up alternative industries.

"We must establish hardwood plantations, mobilise investment to set up plywood factories to add value to the products they have been exporting in raw form, retraining workers from clapped-out timber mills to move with their families to these better quality, safer and better paid jobs."

Suffice to say there is no plantation transition strategies out of native forests from the Carr Govt in the last 5 years.



B. Admission by logging minister Yeadon in 2002, when he engaged the author in conversation 2/5/02 1.30 pm outside Governor Macquarie Tower Sydney in words following or similar.

Tom McLoughlin - 'The Premier broke his promise on behalf of the government "to save the forests" on election night in 1995'.

Minister Yeadon - "We never promised to protect all the forests."

McLoughlin - "Carr promised to end woodchipping by 2000.

Minister Yeadon - "It's true he did promise that but I never did, and I NEVER WOULD."

(The Daily Telegraph ran a story that woodchipper Harris Daishowa had closed but regretably it was the result of an April Fools joke media release on 1/4/090.)



C. Extract of media release National Forest Summit (NFS) of environment groups December 2001:

"The NFS recognises and supports the role of non-violent direct action throughout Australia in protecting native forests. The NFS calls on the Carr government to immediately halt logging of Badja and Shea's Nob State Forests and to begin negotiations to protect high conservation value forests throughout NSW. The NFS will write a joint letter to Premier Carr calling on the NSW government to desist from its inappropriate approach in dealing with Forest Rescues, particularly in Badja and Shea's Nob State Forests."

D. Daily Telegraph 20/3/02 at page 23

"The 2001 State of the Environment Report claimed conditions had deteriorated since a similar report to the Federal Government warned of the need for action five years ago.

NSW was singled out for continuing land clearing rates which had accelerated."

E. Media releases on Carr's legal framework for entrenched logging late 1998

CARR WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY,

 Media Release and one page Analysis,

"What is even more galling is that the already compromised State Position, developed jointly between State Forests, NPWS and the Resource and Conservation Assessment division of DUAP under ministerial guidance, was further and significantly compromised following a Government meeting on Tuesday. It was at that meeting that the decision to open up wilderness and more oldgrowth for logging was made.

"Today, Carr has truly earned his place in history. Not for what he did for the forests but for how badly he did them over."

Mr. Pugh said. North East Forest Alliance, 12/11/98,

...................................

'Bob Carr's New Forestry Law, Old Growth and Wilderness Forests Sacrificed Rural Communities Threatened "The Premier's decision to protect less than one third of the forests scientifically identified as needed for new national parks means that some 300,000 ha of old growth forests and up to 100,000 ha of wilderness in north east and south east NSW remain ou ide the reserve system." ...."State Forests is placed above the environmental planning controls under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act which apply to every other State agency or private developer, miner or logger in NSW. "

 Noel Plumb 19 Nov. 1998 NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION OF NSW INC

.......................................

17 November 1998

'New forest law most regressive environmental legislation in 20 years'

'Conservationists today released legal advice which reveals that if the Government's Forestry and National Parks Estate Bill 1998 is passed unamended it would be the most regressive environmental legislation in twenty years....

'The advice from the Environmental Defenders Office (attached) notes that "this is the first environmental legislation in 20 years to specifically remove open standing provisions. The advice summarises that the Bill significantly erodes the protection of forests environments for the next 20 years by:

- exempting forestry operations from normal environmental impact assessment procedures

- removing public participation rights and promoting secrecy in agreements, and

- removing the public's rights to enforce the law and prevent breaches of environmental laws.

'The advice also notes that the Bill removes the ability to protect wilderness values under the Premier's own Wilderness Act.

John Connor, Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Jeff Angel, Total Environment Centre, Noel Plumb, National Parks Association

.........................................

WICKED PRO-WOODCHIP ACT MEANS ELECTORAL MAYHEM FOR ALP AND CONFLICT FOR 20 YRS,

Media Release, Friends of the Earth, 26/11/98

"The irony is that Boral's timber division - the driving force behind this draconian legislation - is on the skids with return to shareholders for the Boral group as a whole crashing since 1988. By comparison plantation based CSR has recently posted a 125% turn around in its timber division. 'This is not surprising.' 'Sadly, 3 million tonnes of plantation sawlogs worth $100 million in royalties to the taxpayer remain unharvested in NSW which has 26% of Australia's extensive plantation estate,' concluded Mr McLoughlin."

..............................

STATE FOREST LOGGING IN NEW NATIONAL PARKS: CARR'S FOREST PLAN FAILS FIRST HURDLE, Media Release, The Wilderness Society, 16/12/98 "Logging operations are still occurring in compartment 167 & 168 of the Bulahdelah State Forest, which surround "The Grandis" (until recently, NSW tallest tree). This sets a disastrous precedent for NSW national parks and highlights the lack of respect S tate Forests exhibits for high conservation forest areas, and indeed for the term 'national park'. "This is a smash & grab operation by State Forests in the states new national parks, rather than cleaning-up and getting-out of these areas State Forests are taking all they can get and leaving the mess for national parks to deal with", Said Mr Steve Rya n, Forest spokesperson for The Wilderness Society."



CONSERVATIONISTS DUMP FAILED FOREST MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, Media Release, Nature Conservation Council, 17/12/98 "Mr Wright said that, Ms Lyn Orrego and Ms Pauline Nolan, the representatives nominated by the Nature Conservation Council to the Technical Working Group on Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management, would resign today. He said that the NCC would not se eking to further participate in the technical working group supervised by the Resource and Conservation Division of the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning. "Without a forest reserve system that meets the nationally agreed reserve criteria and which guarantees the survival of the hundreds of species of threatened forest dependent plants and animals, no NSW forestry operations and no timber from NSW state for ests, can come close to being ecologically sustainable," he said."



FOREST OUTCOMES CONDEMNED, Media Release, Nature Conservation Council, 18/12/98 'Outcomes from the forest assessment process for the Eden and North East NSW regions, have been condemned for breaching most of the key components of NSW Labor Party's Forestry Policy and contravening the National Forest Policy, in a unanimous resolution carried at a special Summit meeting of NSW forest conservation groups, held in Sydney this week. "The Premier has effectively ignored the results of the scientific assessments of forest values and in so doing has failed to acknowledge the significant public interest in, and community expectations for, scientifically credible conservation outcomes," he said.

Mr Connor said that the NSW forest conservation groups present at the Forest Summit believed that the Premier had betrayed their goodwill and co-operation and had co-opted their good names for use in NSW government propaganda via radio, print and televis ion advertising."

9. There are lists and maps of intended logging zones in literally hundreds of state forests in NSW over the last 7 years but we are still gathering these together and intend to check they did in fact get logged.



10. The file record over the last 3 years shows a tenacious public interest fight against Carr ministers and Carr himself to prevent burning of native forests for power and/or charcoal production. This was a great victory for the NSW environment movement the given following reports -



A. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the same in 'New fuel for power stations: native forests' 26th Nov 1999 By JAMES WOODFORD, Environment Writer Sydney Morning Herald


'The NSW Treasurer has opened the way for the harvesting of State forests to provide fuel for power stations amid warnings from environmentalists that this would be a return to ''prehistoric energy''.

Under one proposal by the electricity industry, about 1.5 million tonnes of State forest trees would used as fuel, about twice the amount taken for timber and woodchipping.

Mr Egan has warned that the commercial survival of State Forests - manager of all publicly owned native forests in NSW - may depend on such a radical decision, which could involve timber collected from all regions.'

B. the text of a media statement from the NSW Forest Summit: "Burning NSW Forests - beyond belief 14 August 2000" which refers to a threat of "2 million tonnes of so called waste to be produced from forestry operations" per year at risk from power furnaces and charcoal production.


11. The summer edition of the umbrella service group Nature Conservation Council in NSW has the following damning front page story on the Carr performance on the general environment prior to the promises of the current election campaign:

'Selling out the environment'

Kathy Ridge (pictured, lead story, page 1 Environment NSW, the quarterly newsletter of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW Summer 2002/3

At the time when the landscape of NSW and its dependent regional communities are suffering the worst drought in 100 years, the Carr government has backed away from the very reforms that would have delivered a more robust environment.

The last two months has [sic] seen the NSW government fail to put in place twoof the most important strategic natural resource management frameworks - the Native Vegetation Management Strategy, and the State Water Management Outcomes Plan.

Both policy frameworks were designed to guide the work of regional natural resource committees, including Catchment Management Boards, Regional Native Vegetation Committees and the Water Management Committees.

Without clear policy positions being articulated by the government, community based planning has been an utter failure dogged by poor data, insufficient resources and lack of transparency and accountability in committee processes.

it has also limited the discussion of the value of the outcomes within government. Each of the draft regional vegetation plans are of varying quality with no cohesive statewide direction being discernible. The extensive, not to mention expensive, Water Sharing Plan process is going to deliver less than a 0.5 per cent increase in water for the environment statewide, and very little of that increase is protected as environmental health water.

Agains the backdrop of landscape scale failure to address land clearing and over extraction from our rivers, the ongoing destruction of old growth forests, woodchipping and charcoal threats, loss of valuable public lands to developers and suffocating stacks in our suburbs, Carr could well be advised to not rest on his environmental record. .....

It will be a long 'hot' summer, both politically and environmentally speaking.'

12. REPORT FINDS LOGGING UNSUSTAINABLE media release by North East Forest Alliance (undated)



"The NSW Auditor-General's report tabled in State parliament yesterday finds that current timber commitments from public forests are unsustainable and that there are serious doubts that State Forests NSW can meet its 20 year Timber Supply Agreements" said Susie Russell, spokesperson for the North East Forest Alliance



"The Audit Office clearly states that it does not consider the timber supply strategy outlined in the north-east Forest Agreements constitutes sustained yield. It notes that 'contracted supply volumes were set by the NSW Government.... before sustainable wood flow yields were determined' and 'The total volume of timber to be supplied in terms of the agreements is in excess of what [State Forests] predicts could be sustained over a 100 year period.' "



"It is evident that the NSW Government will never be able to claim it is managing its public forests on a sustainable basis until such time as they dramatically cut timber commitments to a more realistic level." Ms Russell said.



"We have a biodiversity crisis that is going to be exacerbated by an industry and a government agency desperate to get every last tree to meet impossible supply commitments in a manner that is neither environmentally nor economically sustainable".



"However, NEFA is concerned that the Auditor General has only undertaken a superficial review of State Forests' actual timber assessments. The report accepts State Forests' exaggerated claims at face value, without any in depth review. It is also apparent that

in some of the information supplied to the Audit Office, the Auditor General was mislead by State Forests NSW.



"We are particularly disappointed at the Auditor General's failure to consider any of the numerous concerns revealed in NEFA's 200 page critique of State Forests' timber assessment. We had expected that there would be a detailed review of all the issues we had identified but they have been ignored.



"Given that the NSW Government has intervened to stop the inquiry that the Resource and Conservation Assessment Council had agreed was required. This now means that there will now be no independent in depth review of State Forests grossly inflated resource assessments.



"We will be going back to the Audit Office and asking them again to undertake an in-depth review of State Forests' timber assessment methodology and outcomes. It is apparent that if they don't do it then it will never be done." Ms. Russell said.



For more information contact Susie Russell 6550 4481





NEFA C/ Susie Russell, P.O. Elands,NSW 2429,Australia, +61 0265 504481,

13. Status report of forest protection from The Wilderness Society's Andrew Wong as at 21/11/99

SOUTH COAST FORESTS: REVISED LIST OF ICON AREAS UNDER THREAT, 21/11/99


Presently National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and State Forests have developed a joint agency / NSW government set of options for the South Coast RFA. This consists of three options - to supply industry with 55,000 cubic metres, 45,000 and 35,000 respectively. All three options do not achieve significant areas the conservation movement has identified for protection, and assume old-growth forest outside the reserve system will be logged. A final decision is likely to made on wood supply and reservations based on: the three options; the Commonwealthâ??s opinions; and politics and negotiations etc. that occur from now on.

Below is a description of areas left out of the 35,000 option (and therefore all options proposed by the NSW government) and the 45,000 option. The 55,000 option is not listed, as it would be a disaster for just about everywhere.


LEFT OUT OF 35 K OPTION (AND THEREFORE ALL OPTIONS):

* The bulk of Badja State Forest. This includes all of Badja above the steepest section of the eastern escarpment and south of Woila Creek Road. This area includes the long-standing icon and biodiversity Å?hot spotâ?? of Balook Road (compartments 28, 29, 31 and 46). This area has had a large number of blockades against logging between 1992 and 1994, including a two week blockade. The area contains at least ten threatened species, including the Squirrel Glider and Golden-tipped Bat (two extremely rare species). It also contains extensive areas of gigantic wet old-growth forest with sweeping tree-fern understoreys.

* Large sections of Dampier State Forest. This includes Gulph Creek and Bumbo Creek catchments, the eastern half of Big Belimba Creek catchment, and a link south to Wandella / Deua National Park. Gulph and Bumbo Creeks contain the most extensive rainforests in the South Coast. Big Belimba Creek is a wet old-growth forest valley.

* Wandella - Peak Alone. An area almost completely surrounding Peak Alone, bordering private lands around the edge of Wandella State Forest, has been left out. This includes most of the slopes of the magnificent Peak Alone mountain. This area has very important catchment values, as well as high old-growth and threatened species values.

* Conjola link. The link through Yerriyong, Jerrawangala and McDonald State Forests from Conjola to Morton National Park has been greatly reduced.

* Kianga. An area of Bodalla State Forest near Narooma has been completely ignored. It is a coastal forest (within one km of the coast).

* Bimberamala. Most of the upper catchment of the Bimberamala River (the major tributary of the Clyde River) has been ignored. This area is extremely important for protection of the Clydeâ??s unique pristine nature, as well as for extensive rainforests and as a corridor under the Kings (Canberra - Batemans Bay) Highway (Cabbage Tree Creek is the only chance for gaining an underpass under the highway, essential for wildlife movement).

* Flat Rock. Approximately the western half of Flat Rock, adjoining Pigeon House Mountain in Morton National Park, has been left out.