Environment Minister Matthew Groom has serious questions to answer after the revelation by Environment Tasmania that expert scientific advice on Swift Parrot habitat was ignored by his department in favour of the logging industry on at least three occasions.
“Sounds like business as usual under a majority government, with scientific advice ignored in favour of logging mates,” said Greens Environment spokesperson Nick McKim MP.
“It’s worrying indeed when the forest industry again wins the day over scientific advice from the department which is supposed to protect threatened species in Tasmania.”
“The Minister has to explain how this happened and what he is going to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“As the expert advice states, “…In allowing harvesting of breeding habitat for the species at this site conservation objectives for the species at the coupe and regional scales will not be met; hence the conservation management for the species would become ineffective…”.
“Swift Parrot habitat has been destroyed with impunity by the logging industry for far too long. It’s well beyond time that science was weighted more heavily than favours for the logging industry.”
