Logan and Albert Conservation Association
SEND YOUR GREETINGS.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between December 7 and December 18, 2009. The conference includes the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 15) and the 5th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 5). According to the Bali roadmap, a framework for climate change mitigation beyond 2012 is to be agreed there
At this pivotal moment when odds are against global accord and stakes are high, the citizens of the world have the opportunity to lead their leaders toward moments of courage and monumental solutions. While there won't be an election at COP15 per se, you can vote for smarter development, responsible leadership in business and government, and a more sustainable way of life by signing the United Nations Climate Petition at Hopenhagen.org.
The petition, along with the names of signatories, will be presented to the delegates during the final week of the conference. After all, it's our future they're deciding. Don't we deserve a say? Climate change is a global problem and COP15 the only truly, global election to decide where we go from here. The UN Climate Change Petition is your ballot and Hopenhagen your voting booth, at least for now. So vote for change at hopenhagen.org
What is TRAIN? It is an acronym standing for TRANS REGIONAL AMALGAMATED INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK and the project is termed Nation Building Australia Project 1.0 TRAIN. Information about this business network is available on the website http://www.nationbuildingaustralia.com.au/root/index.html
TRAIN is a network of road, rail and water infrastructure servicing the Great South West, an area covering approximately 197,710 ha of regional Australia. The Great South West stretches south for 377km from Logan in Southern Queensland to Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and 189km west from Warwick in southern Queensland to Lismore in Northern New South Wales.
The August 2009 document claims TRAIN CREATES REGIONAL JOBS AND GROWTH that will unlock the productive potential of the constrained primary industries in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland - create new industry and business opportunities in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales - open the Bromelton State Development Area's 16,000 ha of employment generating land with the capacity to suppor t 31,000 jobs by 2051.
Pavan Sukhdev also has an article Costing the Earth available. He is study leader of the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project, United Nations
Clean air, fresh water, the flood protection provided by wetlands, the carbon-storage capacity of forests: these are examples of natural systems and processes that we largely take for granted. We consider them 'public goods': they are available to everyone; there is enough to go round; and one person's enjoyment of them does not impede another's. They are not traded in markets, not priced and they are mostly available for free.
Although efforts to sustain biodiversity fall short, the issue is gaining attention as nations prepare for next year's 2010 International Year of Biodiversity summit. With nations admitting that they will fail to achieve their goal of significantly cutting biodiversity loss by 2010, a flurry of work is under way to develop new, more robust targets and ways of monitoring progress. These must be ready by next October, when the 193 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meet in Nagoya, Japan.
The article is available online though there is a cost for premium content from Nature 462, 263 (2009) | doi:10.1038/462263a http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091118/full/462263a.html. In addition to the highly visible components there are the unseen microbial biodiversity which is often neglected in most of biodiversity conservation programme. These are very essential for sustaining life on planet earth.
New koala planning provisions will be introduced in December 2009 and comprise: New koala conservation state planning regulatory provisions: the Proposed South East Queensland Koala Conservation State Planning Regulatory Provision ( 746 KB 38p) and proposed koala habitat mapping that will regulate new development in koala habitat areas. You can access the several area maps from this dip page http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/maps/seq-koala-habit-regulatory-maps.html
Map 24 http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/map/koala-regs/koala-sprp-maps-24.pdf does not show any koala habitat in the Flagstone area? Difficult to believe - if you see all the surrounding habitat? http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/map/koala-regs/proposed-seq-koala-conservation-seqkc-map-24.pdf
KOREN HELBIG reporter from Albert and Logan News www.albertlogannews.com.au published our concerns in 25 November 2009 edition. She also provided an opportunity for Logan City Council to comment. Copy here 
alb005.pdf
A NEW group lobbying against a large housing development planned for Bahrs Scrub has likened the Logan City Council proposal to the Traveston Dam debacle. Save Bahrs Scrub spokeswoman Petrina Maizey said thousands of ratepayer dollars would be wasted on preliminary studies and impact statements needed to assess the 4000-lot development's viability.
She said such studies would prove that the 510ha zone bordered by Wuraga and Sharton Roads was environmentally significant and that ‘‘exceptional'' flora and fauna must be protected.
‘‘Ratepayers' money will have to be used by the council only to find what our preliminary investigations and other studies have already made abundantly clear - hat this development is not viable physically, environmentally or economically on 70 to 80 per cent of the selected site,'' Ms Maizey said.
The black plum of Bahrs Scrub Pouteria Eerwah is listed as a federally endangered plant. In another area of Logan we have another plant commonly called Veresdale Plum - also Pouteria Eerwah and LACA, Logan and Albert Conservation Association, has established a recovery and management plan for that species.
It is always the right time to write to our elected representatives to tell them how you feel about an issue you care about.
There are many 'things' happening locally, nationally and globally of concern to those of us who understand how important it is to conserve and enhance all existing biodiversity to protect the wellbeing of future generations - as well as us now.
The longterm survival of the iconic koala in south east Queensland is one that is swinging towards extinction. It is difficult to imagine south east Queensland
without koalas in their natural bushland state.The fate of our koala now rests with the federal governments 'scientific committee'. Concerned groups have been monitoring and reporting for years. The results of the recent RSPCA - LACA phone in is available here at http://www.rspcaqld.org.au/wildlife/
RSPCA Qld's Wildlife Department and LACA praise Queenslanders who took part in the October 2009 Koala Count. However Wildlife Coordinator Janet Gamble said the numbers of koalas spotted were disappointing and proved that we should have very real concerns for the animal's future.
Monday 23 November 2009 British online edition of The Guardian reported on the ongoing battle being fought for many years to protect Australia's iconic koala by the koala campaigners from the Australian Koala Foundation, scientists, conservation and wildlife care groups and concerned citizens . Journalist Gideon Haigh presented the situation.
Tuesday 10 November 2009 in Canberra, representatives of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) took a long and determined campaign for better protection of the creature to the government's "threatened species scientific committee", following a request for a review of the animal's status by environment minister Peter Garrett. The foundation presented what they say is definitive evidence of a sharp decline in koala numbers due to habitat destruction and disease. Its message was stark: the koala would be extinct "within 30 years". Hits on its website instantly doubled, and concerns were expressed about the impact on Australia's tourist industry: polls consistently show the koala to be the country's most popular animal with visitors.
USING THE RIGHT WORD HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT!
Unfortunately this media coverage - as many before it uses the term 'market gardens' and 'intensive horticulture' as if they 
mean the same thing! Ask any horticulturalist or organic gardening industry person and he or she can point out the many differences in farming practices, methodology and crops grown. Most of us do not take much more interest in the fruit and vegetables we eat than the price.
The article below reproduces the text from http://albert-and-logan.whereilive.com.au/news/story/growers-face-scrutiny/ as reported by Judith Maisey 19 November 2009 online edition.
TOUGHER regulations on market gardens by Logan City Council could send some growers broke, industry insiders warn.
Growing Wiser spokeswoman and herb grower Lisa Crooks said the industry was already heavily regulated by federal, state and local governments.