Protest in Cr Longland's Home Town of Uki

21st February, 2016 - By Menkit

The Heat is on Cr Barry Longland. Hot on the heels of the largest ever petition presented to Tweed Shire council at the 18th February council meeting, Northern Rivers Guardians staged a peaceful demonstration in Cr Barry Longland's home town of Uki at the monthly markets on Sunday 21st February. Loud chants could be heard by market goers, pedestrians  and motorists, many of them giving thumbs up and hoots in support.

The purpose of the demonstration was to back up the world-wide petition containing 33,955 signatures requesting to Cr Longland to revegetate Black Rocks sports field (south of Pottsville), enclave the sports field and koala habitat surrounding it (i.e. fully fence) and call for a rescission motion on the Men's Shed approval and removal of the koala protection gates. If these are not enacted then the koalas at Black Rocks will become locally extinct in the very near future as their death rate from chlamydia is unsustainable. The koalas need a chance to rest and recover from the effects of human-based stressors (i.e. very loud noises) at the sports field and from the Xmas 2014 fire.

Black Rocks sports field is a critically important wildlife corridor especially considering that The Tweed Coast Koala Habitat Study 2015 has revealed that the significant koala activity sites have halved since the last study was done in 2010.  The koala decline is particularly evident north of Koala Beach.  The data collected by the study reveals that the koala population to the south is 'stable'.  However, according to koala expert and leading ecologist Dr Steve Phillips, 30-60% of the Pottsville Wetlands koala population may have perished in the Christmas Day 2014 fire and 8 known Black Rocks koalas have been affected by stress-related disease and/or death in the last two years.

Threatened Species Conservation Society Inc President, David Norris states:  “The sustainability of koalas north of Koala Beach looks grim.  However, there is an opportunity to the south for the koalas to be given the lifeline they need.  If the Black Rocks sports field were revegetated (as recommended by Dr Phillips and 3 other ecologists), a large primary food tree habitat block would be created in the Pottsville Wetlands, allowing koalas to move safely over a long distance without disturbance and threats from human activities.

As Cr Longland was voted in at the last election with a promise that 'we would get policies that ensure our natural assets are preserved', environmentalists are very disappointed in his voting record especially because in the last two years he has voted against recommendations of Council's Koala Advisory Committee and koala experts/ecologists regarding koala protection at Black Rocks (Pottsville).  Ironically, the media quoted him in September 2014  as saying: 'I am keen to protect koalas and have them thrive'.

“As Cr Longland has the balance of power in council, he has the power to fulfil the request of 33,955 people from all over the world, not just our shire. We call upon him to keep his election promises and vote for effective koala protection.  Activists have vowed to ramp up their campaign until he complies or is replaced.”

It remains to be seen if at the next council meeting he does make a motion that would save this critically important and endangered coastal population of koalas. Will he ignore the ardent pleas of 97% of the Tweed Shire population and sacrifice his political career or will he make the right decision and protect our koalas?