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Submissions and ReportsSouth East Queensland Roadside Burning ProjectIn 2011, the SEQ Catchments Members Association (SEQCMA) considered a proposed policy paper on the issue of fuel load management on council-controlled roadside reserves. Specifically, the issue of private landholders wishing to burn council or state managed roadsides (adjoining their own private properties), for hazard reduction purposes. In recognizing that this was a critical community, fire and biodiversity, issue, the SEQCMA asked SEQ Catchments to refer this matter to the South East Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium (SEQFBC). It was then that SEQFBC was asked to meet with the relevant bodies and draft a procedure that councils, state departments and other land managers could use to more efficiently manage requests for burning on roadside reserves. As outlined in the project report, the Coordinated Agency Model (CAM) for roadside burning is working very well in the Toowoomba region. The SEQFBC are very supportive of CAM as it allows landholders to work with their local Rural Fire Brigade and local government to manage roadside fuel hazards, whilst protecting biodiversity values. The poster below was presented at the ESA Conference in Melbourne and the presentation paper to the NCC Bushfire Conference in Sydney: SEQFBC provides comment on the EPBC Act nomination to list a Key Threatening Process"Aggressive exclusion of birds from potential woodland and forest habitat by over-abundant Noisy Miners Manorina melanocephala".SEQFBC provided comment in October 2012 on the Threatened Species Scientific Committees assessment of "Aggressive exclusion of bird from potential woodland and forest habitat by over-abundant Noisy Miners Manorina melanocephala as a listing as a key threatening process under the EPBC Act. Read our response here: Find out more about the process here. "Inappropriate Fire regimes that cause biodiversity decline".
Striking variation between the ash bed of a hazard reduction burn and the adjoining unburnt area, post fire, burn conducted by Brisbane City Council, at Seven Hills Reserve, in 2005. Photo courtesy of Brisbane City Council The Threatened Species Scientific Committee provided advice on the nomination to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities on the 31st March 2011. The Minister has nominated the 30th September 2012 as the due date for a decision so as to allow for more consultation from State and Territory Counterparts. The following has been taken from the Contextual Summary of the nomination to list Fire regimes that cause biodiversity decline’ as a Key Threatening Process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act): “What the Nomination will Address The EPBC Act requires the Threatened Species Scientific Committee consider scientific aspects of matters before it. This means that this nomination does not focus on aspects of fire management concerning the protection of human life and infrastructure. However, they are relevant considerations and will not be ignored because they are major drivers of contemporary fire regimes in some areas. Implications of Listing The listing of a key threatening process has no regulatory implications other than requiring the Minister to decide whether or not to have a threat abatement plan. If the process is listed, the Threatened Species Scientific Committee and the Minister will consider whether a threat abatement plan would be an efficient, effective and feasible way to abate the threats. A listing and threat abatement plan would draw attention to the effect that poorly planned or inappropriate fire regimes would have on species and ecosystems. It would also suggest a framework for dealing with unavoidable trade-offs that occur when designing, fire regimes for biodiversity and other purposes. This would achieve outcomes consistent with the objectives of the EPBC Act (Sections 3 and 3A). Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities 2010, Nomination to list `Fire regimes that cause biodiversity decline’ as a Key Threatening Process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) [Online] [accessed 10 March 2011].
COAG Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and ManagementIn 2003 SEQFBC provided a response to the then Australian Prime Minister's instigated Commonwealth of Australian Governments (COAG) Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management. This submission was reported to be one of the largest submissions to the enquiry. SEQFBC's full response is available at the COAG's website - Update - Sorry this page is no longer available. Download our response here:
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