Lynette Dickinson, Pottsville.
In today’s world of concrete, bitumen and glass we seem to have lost our connection with the natural world. Many people live in a man-made bubble devoid of biodiversity. The less we connect with the natural world the less we understand and appreciate it, and the less we see a need to protect it.
The Tweed Shire is regarded as one the most biodiverse regions in Australia. Our entry statement should reflect this, not the sea of bare rocks, concrete and bitumen at the new Caltex roadhouse and roundabout on the Tweed Valley Way.
If you enter a house and find the occupants haven’t looked after it, you are less likely to take care of it while you are there. If we send a message to visitors to our shire that we value our natural landscapes, they are more likely to appreciate and look after them.
There should be wholehearted support for mayor Milne’s motion at the February 2 council meeting to bring forward a council report on enhancement of the landscaping at the Caltex roadhouse and to develop a policy to ensure dense landscaping in the future. The landscaping should consist of endemic native species, which are representative of the biodiversity that can be found in the shire.
This will be a big first step in encouraging reconnection with nature and saving what’s left of the real Australia. It will also send a message that we value what we have and do not want it trashed by inappropriate Gold Coast style over-development.
If we lose our threatened species and their habitat, there is nothing left to protect. Our quality of life depends on their survival and their survival depends on us.
