| 25 September 2008
Environment groups respond to Moreton Bay plan
fishing pressure
This
release available here in pdf (63kb)
Minister McNamara spoke about a delicate "balancing
act" when he visited the Redlands last week to accept
petitions from about 1400 residents concerned about planned
green zones.
However, conservationists countered, reminding us that Minister
McNamara had already received well over 6000 formal conservation
submissions that supported him protecting at least 30% of
Moreton Bay in Marine National Park zones, and since then
an additional 3000 signatures supporting high levels of protection,
mostly tourists who paid money to visited Moreton Bay.
Simon Baltais from the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland
said “The minister must listen to the voice of the wider
voting population. Moreton Bay is under intense pressure and
it needs high levels of protection. The majority of locals
and visitors support this, and the minister knows it”.
Craig Bohm from the Australian Marine Conservation Society
added “The science is clear, if you want a healthy economy
and community you must have a healthy environment, world class
protection zones will ensure the region will prosper and allow
people to continue to enjoy Moreton Bay and its wildlife.
That is why the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and Tangalooma
Island Resort have supported our calls for high levels of
protection”.
Environment groups also issued this warning.
“A failure to deliver a comprehensive protection plan
for Moreton Bay will be viewed badly by the majority of bayside
residents on election day. They are the ones who really see
the pressure being exerted on Moreton Bay. They find the dead
turtles and watch the degradation of the seagrass beds and
fish populations. The community is looking for political representation
that will guarantee our natural resources will be there for
generations to come, will be able to fair climate change impacts
and will provide reasonable outcomes for our native wildlife,
anything less isn’t good enough”, Baltais concluded.
Contacts:
Simon Baltais – WPSQBB – 0412 075 334
Craig Bohm - AMCS – 0427 133 481
|
