Logging plans threaten koalas

By Lachlan Ellis

Plans to harvest a local blue gum plantation have environmentalists concerned over the removal of koala habitat, despite plans to mitigate the impact on local koalas.

The blue gum plantation on Cartons Road, Gordon is owned by woodfibre processor Midway Pty Ltd, on land leased from Central Highlands Water (CHW).

Gordon residents were recently informed that the 16-hectare site was planned to be logged, raising concerns for the koalas that live in the plantation.

A spokesperson for CHW told the Moorabool News that the company had engaged with the community and the relevant authorities, and was working on plans to care for the area’s koalas.

“The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has provided approval to the plantation owner, Midway Pty Ltd, regarding their Koala Management Plan. This plan will ensure that any koalas identified in the plantation are cared for during the planned timber harvest,” CHW’s spokesperson said.

“CHW have been in consultation with Gordon community members, which include representatives of the Friends of Paddock Creek, Gordon Residents Committee, Friends of the Canadian Corridor (Advisory Committee to the Woowookarung State Park) and the Bunanyung Landscape Alliance. The discussions from these consultation meetings have led to additional environmental commitments by CHW above the requirements of the Koala Management Plan and other associated regulations.

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https://issuu.com/themooraboolnews/docs/mn_2022-01-11/10

in the 11 January 2022 edition
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