Logan and Albert Conservation Association

A collection of botanical watercolours in Grandfather grew Mangel-Wurzels : Heritage Plants, Pioneers and Places by botanical artist, historian  and local Scenic Rim author - JANET HAUSER. The pioneering history, gardening and family histories of the Beaudesert area are beautifully presented in this work.  Many old family photos are also included. The book was launched at  The Centre where the original artworks are on display and available for purchase.

Copies of the book may be purchased from The Centre in Beaudesert.

Congratulations to Janet for her fantastic contribution to the local community!

Our successful Enviro Grant application to Logan City Council will allow us to continue our work to record significant local natural history. Look for us in the Jimboomba Times.

This link to contact state cabinet ministers is provided to assist your letter writing or submissions to participate in whatever actions or inactions of our government you choose. If you feel strongly about an issue please consider voicing your concerns to the relevant minister. You may also consider sharing those concerns with readers of this website.

This links to the cabinet post 2009 state election.

With nearly one-third of amphibian species threatened with extinction worldwide, fueled in part by the widespread emergence of the deadly chytrid fungus, effective conservation efforts could not be more urgent.

In a new article, Franco Andreone and his colleagues argue that one of the best places to focus these efforts is Madagascar, a global hotspot of amphibian diversity that shows no signs of amphibian declines--or traces of the chytrid fungus. His website is here.

Read a summary of the article in the online Science Daily. The whole article is available here or here.

The second link also provides opportunities to comment . Locally Australian frogs are endangered - critically endangered - a global issue hence 2008 is the International Year of the Frog. Are the like the canaries in the underground coul mines of the nineteenth century?

(A) Dyscophus antongilii (Near Threatened), (B) Scaphiophryne gottlebei (Critically Endangered), (C) Boophis williamsi (Critically Endangered), (D) Mantella cowani (Critically Endangered). (From Madagascar)

Research is ongoing - but we can all do something in our own backyards - and inside our homes. Gardening without pesticides and providing habitat, clean water and shelter, are two things that require little effort to achieve.

"Australia Pumping Empty: the Looming Peak Oil Crisis" is now available on DVD from the Aquila Productions website. This is a 45 minute film featuring Australian experts in various fields (including Andrew McNamara and Ian Dunlop) talking about peak oil. There is also a 3 minute clip on youtube.

The Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas [ASPO Australia] is a nationwide network of professionals working (as volunteers) to reduce our oil vulnerability. They aim to bring the probabilities, risks and opportunities that Peak Oil presents to the attention of decision-makers.

Joint Statement:

Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Paul Lucas
04/06/2008

BLIGH GREENFIELD STUDY REVEALS LAND, LOTS OF LAND

Premier Anna Bligh today announced the State Government would fast-track planning for development of 17 greenfield sites in South-East Queensland, as part of its plan to tackle housing affordability.

Ms Bligh said while the Government was limited in its ability to influence housing prices, she was determined to do everything possible to tackle the issue of affordability.

"I want the Australian dream to be alive and well here in Queensland, particularly for young people wanting to own their first home. Yesterday we announced significant changes to stamp duty to make buying a home in Queensland cheaper and today, we are tackling the issue of land supply. Last year as Treasurer and Infrastructure Minister I commissioned a review of the Greenfield areas within the Urban Footprint that could be market-ready sooner.

"I want to see land being turned into new homes for Queenslanders as quickly as humanly possible and this investigation looked at 42 greenfield areas - containing more than 40,000ha of undeveloped land. As a result - the Government will remove any regulatory hurdles slowing the development process on 12 sites:

• Maroochydore, Meridian Plains, on the Sunshine Coast;
• Market Drive and North Lakes in Moreton Bay;
• Upper Kedron and Rochedale in Brisbane;
• Coomera and Helensvale on the Gold Coast;
• Springfield and Redbank Plains in Ipswich; and
• Kinross Road and South-East Thornlands in Redlands.

"This will make it possible for the industry to begin the development process of these sites by Christmas.

"In addition, there are five sites where we believe integrated communities of 15,000 people or more can be delivered and we will work with councils to prepare land developer-ready within 12 months:

• Palm View and Caloundra South on the Sunshine Coast;
• Flagstone in Logan;
• Oxle y Wedge in Brisbane; and
• Ripley Valley in Ipswich

"That's a total of 17 new Greenfield sites that will be developer-ready by this time next year.

"This is about cutting red tape and bottlenecks that are delaying the development process.

"These bottlenecks are occurring at all levels of government - including within State Government agencies - and its not good enough.

"An implementation team will be established with the Department of Infrastructure and Planning charged with the task of cutting through and removing these hurdles.

"The development industry has been calling on us to make more land in the Urban Footprint available sooner - here it is," she said.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas said the fast tracking of Greenfield sites will be guided by an Action Plan released today.

"Housing affordability is a challenge that demands action not just at all levels of Governme nt but also from the development industry," said Mr Lucas.

"The industry wants more land released and the Bligh Government has responded with a plan that will provide additional housing choice for the public and contain costs by increasing competition between developers.

"But governments can't do it all alone and we can only bring these sites forward if the necessary infrastructure is in place.

"Yesterday we announced the $107 billion South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program, which demonstrates our commitment to building for Queensland's future.

"Now we need to work with the industry to deliver these sites ahead of time.

"They will also need to demonstrate how they plan to deliver the transport options, road upgrades, water and energy needs for these areas.

"These sites must all be developed as well-planned and integrated communities and the State Government will need to ensure growth is spread across the regions.

"Although the review shows plenty of greenfield land available for housing it must be emphasised the South East Queensland Regional Plan aims to cater for 45 percent of the expected population growth through infill and redevelopment."

"This review is another one of the State Government's strategies to address housing affordability in addition to setting up the Urban Land Development Authority and implementing reforms to the state's planning and development systems."

Queensland Conservation Council's release by Simon Baltais sums up our position also.

Premier ignoring message from last local elections

The Premier's intention to fast track more development - supposedly in the name of housing affordability- is further eroding community trust in her government, according to Queensland Conservation (QCC)

'The planning process is in place, not to stop development but to ensure that development is the right and most appropriate development. Today's decision to fast track development under the misconception it will fix the housing affordability problem is just plain wrong,' said Baltais

Unsustainable population growth is driving the housing affordability problem and yet the state government is encouraging more growth. In doing so they are causing the continued loss of urban bushland, farmland and open spaces to accommodate more roofs and bitumen. Effectively, everyone loses.

If you want to solve the housing affordability issue look towards stabilsation of SEQ growth. What is planned is like throwing fuel onto the fire, it will only make matters worse in SEQ.

‘Community concerns about unsustainable growth, were made loud and clear during the recent local government elections,' said Baltai

This week has not brought good news for the environment in Queensland, according to Queensland Conservation (QCC) and Logan and Albert Conservation agrees. Although climate change is acknowledged by the government as its biggest economic and environmental challenge, it was astonishing that the budget contained no new climate related funding.

The government has committed to a National Emissions Trading Scheme which will, when introduced, force major polluters to reduce their emissions. It will also impact upon small-medium business and Queensland residential consumers, through increased energy costs. This budget was the opportunity to correct that problem and support business and residential consumers to reduce their greenhouse emissions, save energy and save money before the ETS was introduced. With the exception of an innovative Home Energy Service, there is nothing new for either sector. Even the Home Energy Service-funded from an existing climate change fund- is paltry. It will service 260,000 homes over two years. Queensland has about 3 million homes.

The coal industry is the big winner: Premier Beattie may have extracted $600 million for clean coal from the industry, but Premier Bligh has now given that back through a $600 million royalty deduction.

The international coal industry profit from the climate mess, why should the Queensland public subsidise the clean up?

All this is in stark contrast and out of sync with global news.

The United Nations urged the world on Thursday 5 June to kick the habit of producing carbon dioxide, saying everyone must act to fight climate change.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said global warming was becoming the era's defining issue and would hurt rich and poor.

"Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit," Ban said in a statement on World Environment Day, which is being marked by events around the globe and hosted by the New Zealand city of Wellington.

"Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions," he said in the speech to reinforce this year's World Environment Day theme of "CO2 Kick the Habit."

World Environment Day, conceived in 1972, is the United Nations' principal day to mark global green issues and aims to give a human face to environmental problems and solutions.

New Zealand, which boasts snow-capped mountains, pristine fjords and isolated beaches used as the backdrop for the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, has pledged to become carbon-neutral.

"We take pride in our clean, green identity as a nation and we are determined to take action to protect it. We appreciate that protecting the climate means behaviour change by each and every one of us," said New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.

New Zealand staged art and street festivals to spread the message on how people can reduce carbon usage. In Australia, Adelaide Zoo staged a wild breakfast for corporate leaders to focus on how carbon emissions threaten animal habitats.

Britain urged individuals to take action and the Environment Agency called on people to be prepared for more flooding, to use less water and protect wildlife.

Global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are rising quickly and scientists predict rising seas, melting glaciers and more intense storms, droughts and floods as the planet warms. A summit of G8 nations in Japan next month (July 2008) is due to formalise a goal agreed a year ago that global carbon emissions should be reduced by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

But some nations want a reduction of 80 percent of carbon emissions by 2050 to try to stabilize CO2 concentrations in the air to limit global warming.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said climate change was already a reality: "We have been experiencing the worst drought in living memory and our inland rivers are running dry. "We are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent on 2000 levels by 2050. We will implement emissions trading as the primary mechanism for achieving this target," he said in a statement.

The U.N. Environment Program said greening the world's economy would cost as little as a few tenths of global GDP annually over 30 years and would be a driving force for innovation, new businesses and employment.

A Wildlife Workshop on the topic of "the role of the amateur naturalist in science and conservation" was held on 7 June 2008. This event was hosted by Wildlife Tourism Australia  with speakers from both Logan and Albert Conservation Association LACA and WTA.

Tricia Belcher, a professional nature photographer as  first speaker described her interest in nature photography and its importance to document animal and plant life for a number of reasons.

She displayed a number of her photographs in particular their importance in relation to documenting events such as the recent aerial spraying incident in Kerry Valley that has had such devastating effects on the environment.

Local zoologist Ronda Green delivered an informative address. She is particularly keen to establish a local natural history group to encourage and support  wider community observation and recording skills of our sometimes elusive wildlife. More information will be posted soon. You can contact Ronda Green at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 5544 1283 if interested.

Brett Raguse MP Federal Member for Forde launched the inaugural Forde Queensland Day Awards.

Logan and Albert Conservation Association LACA was nominated for the 2008 Forde Queensland Day Awards -  in the Community Group of the Year Category and LACA has been successful.

Brett Raguse presented certificates at the Forde Queensland Day Awards ceremony  Friday 6 June in Beaudesert at the Old Bank Building, Brisbane St. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE MEMBERS of our local envirvonment centre and community group for your dedication to actions to achieve better environmental outcomes.

Left to right: Brett Raguse MP, Andy Grodecki President LACA, Kathy Faldt and Jennifer Sanders.

Congratulations to other community groups and individuals whose contributions were also recognised by our local federal minister.

Friday, 28 March 2008 Transcript of an address given March 4 to the Brisbane Institute by the Honourable Andrew McNamara, Queensland Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation.

I'd like to pay my respects to the traditional owners of the land on which we gather this evening.

I want to thank the Board of the Brisbane Institute for the invitation to address this gathering.

Tonight I want to talk about capital S Sustainability.

By that I don't mean the usual narrow environmental concept of sustainability in agricultural production and land use.

I mean the future of our society, our economy and our environment; the structure of our cities, their energy and water sources and demand profiles; the treatment of these sources of our wealth; the imminent peaking of world oil supplies; our use of finite resources like gas and coal; and the way we dispose of those resources when we're finished with them.

I will begin by considering what sustainability means to me.

The full transcript is available at the website of ASPO Australia: Australian Association for the study of Peak Oil and Gas.