This summer has seen sustained community campaigns against specific fuel reduction burns, from Flowerdale to Gippsland. Now Friends of Bats and Habitat have raised the alarm about a large burn which is planned for the Mitchell River National Park.

Roaring Mag: There are so many redflags with this remote 1,875 ha Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) burn which is expected to be ignited within ten days in the Mitchell River National Park. A rapid desktop survey brings up a whole of suite of threatened, rare and endemic flora and fauna records within this burn site. Dropping off cliffs are waterfalls, sheltered narrow gullies, large areas of old growth forest, and the most southern occurrence of warm temperate rainforest … If you went looking for a Spot-tailed Quoll, this is where it might be.

Information from Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC):

“The deeply incised Mitchell River Gorge is a spectacular landscape, and the topography includes narrow sheltered gullies supporting rare vegetation types such as dry rainforest, warm temperate rainforest and gallery rainforest.

“The park is listed in Category II (National Parks) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature protected area categories and the United Nations’ List of National Parks and Equivalent Reserves. Category II areas are large natural or near natural areas set aside to protect large-¬‐scale ecological processes, along with the complement of species and ecosystems characteristic of the area, which also provide a foundation for environmentally and culturally compatible spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities.”

“The Mitchell River is protected as a Heritage River under the Heritage Rivers Act 1992 (Vic.) in recognition of its high conservation value, the naturalness of its flows, the relative intactness of the entire river system, and its significance for the Gippsland Lakes. It is the largest free-flowing river in Victoria in terms of annual flow, and is free of water diversions and barriers that affect the movement of native fish. The Mitchell River is an important example of the large scale river systems that were once widespread in south-eastern Australia.”

Take action

Please write to authorities and tell them this burn must not go ahead (reference the burn number: GP-TBO-BAI-0163).

More info from FFMV about the burn can be found here and a recent post-burn survey by Gippsland Environment Group reveals severe environmental damage to Lake Tyers Park. Under the current system of burning we have to expect similar damage will be inflicted on the Mitchell River National Park.

 

Contact the state and federal ministers, Conservation Regulator and FFMV staff below.

Steve Dimopoulos MP – State Min for Environment
Email: reception.dimopoulos@ecodev.vic.gov.au
Phone: 03 862 43101

Jacinta Allan – Premier of Victoria
Email: jacinta.allan@parliament.vic.gov.au
Phone: 03 9651 5000

Vicki Ward – Minister for Emergency Services 

Email: vicki.ward@parliament.vic.gov.au Phone: 1300 358 704

Tanya Plibersek – Federal Min for Environment
Email: Minister.Plibersek@dcceew.gov.au
Phone: 02 6277 7920

Office of Conservation Regulator – Kate Gavens
Email: conservationregulator@deeca.vic.gov.au

Chris Hardman – Chief Fire Officer Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) 

Email: chris.hardman@deeca.vic.gov.au

Graeme Dear – CEO Parks Victoria 

Email: graeme.dear@parks.vic.gov.au

 

Thanks to Victorian Forest Alliance for forest mapping