The Barnett Government has now approved the clearing of more than half of the bushland owned by the University of Western Australia at Underwood Avenue - critical habitat for the endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoo and other species, and sacred to the Nyungah people of the Perth region. With over 90% of native vegetation on the Swan Coastal Plain already cleared since European invasion, we can't afford to lose any more.
We need your input urgently, and would love you to come to one of our events, spread the message and help protect this sacred area of bushland.
Contact us here | Phone: 9381 1287 or 0424 337 533
This is our last chance to stop the destruction of the Underwood Avenue Bushland, and the urgency could not be greater. We need your help...
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended approval for UWA to sell the Underwood Avenue Bushland for residential purposes. This would result in an important urban bushland area being cleared, fragmented, and ultimately destroyed. We cannot allow this to happen!
Underwood Avenue Bushland consists of 32 hectares of unique Banksia, Tuart and Jarrah bushland located on the corner of Underwood Avenue and Selby Street, in Shenton Park, Perth. It is one of the largest patches of remnant costal bushland, notable for its diversity and mostly good condition.
The bushland forms part of a bushland corridor linking Kings Park, Shenton Bushland and Bold Pak and supports such animals as the Goulds Monitor and Little Eagle that would otherwise not be able to live there. It also enables movement of the Moaning frog and Banjo frog as they move between Perry Lakes and adjacent areas of bushland.
Historically it was a place of refuge for Nyungah people during the 1950s when they were being displaced from their traditional lands. Underwood Avenue bushland is a Bushforever listed siteowned by the University of Western Australia (UWA), subject to a development proposal opposed by Friends of Underwood Bushland
There are many reasons for protecting this significant area of urban bushland, but several of the most important are:
- Underwood Avenue Bushland acts as a link between Kings Park and Bold Park; and this linkage is important for ensuring the protection of local species and for preventing the fragmentation of ecosystems.
- Underwood Avenue Bushland has a significant population of the flowering tree species, Banksia prionotes. The Banksia prionotes provides crucial habitat for feeding the endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, and it is therefore vital that the Bushland is protected. There is only one other area of similar significance in the Perth metropolitan area.
- Reducing the size of Underwood Avenue Bushland by more than 60% is likely to cause loss of approximately 20% of flora and fauna species. The bushland is in many cases better than other regionally significant areas of the Spearwood Dune. The community does not want to lose Underwood Avenue Bushland! 8000 signatures have been collected on a petition to save the Bushland, and in a Water Corporation survey, 82% oppose UWA’s proposal!
For these reasons, we ask the State Government to prevent the clearing of Underwood Avenue Bushland, as a matter of urgency.
If you support the above statement, and the protection of Underwood Avenue Bushland,please send an email - or phone 9381 1287
No comments:
Post a Comment