Native Vegetation Clearance and safety on public roads
The Society has provided feedback to the Native Vegetation Council Secretariat regarding the development of a framework for native vegetation clearance for safety on public roads. As it currently stands the framework could allow for the clearance of a substantial amount of native vegetation on the State’s road network, in many cases without the requirement for a Signifi cant Environmental Benefi t offset.
We are concerned that the draft framework which has been developed to provide guidance on native vegetation clearance has not been based on a sound and objective evaluation of the risks for biodiversity and the risks and benefi ts for road safety. The decisions have been made and guidelines developed without any modelling or investigation to evaluate their potential impact on the extent and quality of native vegetation on road sides.