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OT - cattle grazing in the alps 27-Oct-2011 At 11:18:33 AM evanbb

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Looks like Burke has missed a trick here:
http://www.cedaily.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&nav=1&selkey=46703&utm_source=instant+email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Instant+Email+Article+Link

Probably need a password, so here's an excerpt:

A new EPBC Act regulation lays the foundations for halting Victoria's Alpine grazing 'trials', but a letter from Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke obtained by CE Daily shows that's a major backdown on his original plan to strengthen protection for all Australia's national parks.

The regulation, gazetted yesterday, makes it clear that Federal EPBC approval is required for stock-grazing in the "Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves" – paving the way for Canberra to block the widely-criticised activity.

But a letter from Burke, sent to his state and territory counterparts in July, shows the minister originally planned broader protections for all national parks and other high biodiversity areas within the National Reserve System.

"The regulation would require anyone undertaking mining, forestry, grazing or significant clearing in these areas to refer that action to me for assessment under the EPBC Act," Burke's July letter says.

The letter goes on to spell out that this would encompass all National Reserve System areas classified under the IUCN system as national parks, strict nature reserves or wilderness areas, unless it is clear that there are specific existing statutory controls that properly protect biodiversity in these areas.
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This is a problem because of that nature reserve in.... Qld I think it is? A private philanthropist set aside land as a nature reserve. Now a coal company wants to dig it up, and it looks like they can. Burke had the opportunity to fix this and failed. I have words for this.