AN ESTIMATED crowd of between 300 and 400 people rallied on Saturday afternoon in Mansfield's botanic park, in opposition to the state government's proposed Great Forest National Park.
Put forward by government body the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC), the Great Forest National Park represents an additional 355,000 hectares of forests added to the existing 170,000 hectares of parks and protected areas in the Central Highlands of Victoria.
The proposed park would annex an area larger than the Australian Capital Territory, with the region stretching south of Eildon to beyond Warburton, from west of Kinglake to Baw Baw in the Latrobe Valley.
Conservation of endangered fauna and flora, safe-guarding water catchments alongside protecting this ecological asset for tourism have all been cited as reasons for transitioning state forest into national, with the government also promoting the carbon sequestration properties of ash forests within the region.
The financial opportunity the resulting carbon credits offer is significant with revenue to be paid directly to the state when a system is established federally.
Latest Stories
However numerous community interest groups have raised concerns about the implications of such a proposal on feral animal management and bushfire mitigation, and are worried leisure activities will no longer be permitted within the park.
The government has stipulated the park will be subject to multi-tiered zoning, allowing a range of recreational activities to continue to take place albeit within designated areas.
Government has also sought to alleviate concern in regard to bushfires, stating the declaration of a national park does not affect the fire management regimes applied which are determined by legislation with a view to minimising risk to the public.
Yet these assurances have failed to generate confidence with the Saturday rally drawing guest speakers from Victorians Against the Great Forest National Park, Bush User Groups United, PMAV Prospectors and Miners Association Victoria, Community Advocacy Eastern Region and the Libertarian Party.
Author and director of Battleground Melbourne Topher Field acted as master of ceremonies during the hour and a half public meeting.
Eildon-resident Carly Murphy started the Victorians against the Great Forest National Park Facebook page two months ago, after attending an information session in Alexandra.
The page currently has around 13,000 members.
“We are united together, irrelevant to our political beliefs, our other interests and our differences,” she said.
“Personally politics have never interested me.
“But when politicians start making decisions that impact our freedoms to access what we have always had access to, we have to stand up and say no.
“Every single one of our members love the bush and we value our access to the beauty of nature.
“We don’t believe that locking up the bush is the best way to preserve it,” Ms Murphy said.
A petition to be submitted for debate in parliament by the Bush Users Group United, states that "locking up public forests increases the risk of bushfires, placing communities and the environment in greater peril.
"Neglecting public land leads to overgrown tracks, the proliferation of invasive weeds and feral pests, which degrade the environment and pose a threat to native flora and fauna.
“The Victorian government has shown disregard for the interests of bush user groups who participate in traditional recreational activities, which not only contribute to rural and regional jobs, but also have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing and the natural environment."
Bush Users Group United co-founder Bill Shulz said there was a massive number of people against the proposed expansion of the national park, and accused government of not listening to community groups that use the forest regularly.
With over 15,000 signatories on the petition, Mr Shulz said "Activities like recreational shooting, domestic firewood collecting, and prospecting, which were previously permitted in state forests, will be banned in the new national parks."
Addressing the crowd, David Limbrick MP, Member for South-Eastern Metropolitan said the proposal would also effectively prevent a range of activities that are currently allowed in state parks such as horse riding, four wheel driving and dog walking.
"It’s not too late to stop the proposal, but outdoor groups would need to unite to make a lot of noise," he said.
