West Byron will destroy koala habitat

Linda Sparrow, President Bangalow Koalas

If you care about the plight of our koalas and other wildlife after a season of hell with the prolonged drought and bushfires – we need your help.

Our Byron coastal koalas are heading for extinction and if the ‘new’ West Byron development application (DA) is approved, it is fast tracking their plight.

Bangalow Koalas strongly opposes the ‘amended’ DA from the ‘local’ landowners of West Byron. They didn’t accept the unanimous decision of the Northern Regional Planning Panel, and are now challenging the outcome in the Land and Environment Court.

Our current local state member, mayor, and local councillors have opposed this monstrosity of a development, as did the 5,000 submissions against the rejected DA.

Very little has changed with this amended version. The developers’ report denies assessments by Biolink, DECCW and Byron Council that core koala habitat is on the West Byron site. This is a hugely important site for the Byron coastal koalas and a vital link for maintaining connectivity between koalas to the north and south of the Shire. If this development is allowed, it will most certainly lead to the demise of our beloved coastal koalas.

The developers’ Koala Plan of Management endorses removal of a significant amount of core koala habitat and feed trees, without any assessment of the number of feed trees to be removed. It does not buffer retained habitat, and the proposal will impede koala dispersal. Fencing in the Ewingsdale area is already affecting the natural dispersal of koalas there.

We, as a community, must fight to protect our koalas and other wildlife in our Shire. This DA threatens the Belongil Creek, estuary, endangered ecological communities and wetlands.

We strongly urge as many people as possible to put in an objection by 7 May to [email protected] with West Byron DA10.2017.661.1 in the subject line.

Please help us save our koalas.