It’s hard to capture the magic of our woodland savannas – from eucalypt trees and tall grasses, to magnificent birds, reptiles, mammals and insects. But the savanna woodlands of the NT are collapsing.
Skyrocketing land clearing, inadequate nature laws in the Territory, and growing pressure from a burgeoning big cotton industry and industrial agriculture are putting pressure on the already fragile ecosystem.
Traditional Owners have cared for savanna country for tens of thousands of years. But they’re seeing vast swathes of their Country cleared without their consent.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Under our federal environment laws, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has the power to step in and prohibit land clearing that is likely to threatens endangered plants and animals.
Can you email the Minster and call on her to make sure all land clearing in the Northern Territory is properly assessed?
Email tips
Personalised emails are the most impactful. Use a compelling subject line, and begin by introducing yourself and why you care about these ecosystems. We’ve included an example email below as reference.
You might want to include in your email:
- Land clearing is skyrocketing across the NT savanna at an alarming rate – and razing thousands of hectares of habitat for threatened plants and wildlife with devastating impacts on savanna ecosystems.
- Under the EPBC Act, the Environment Minister is legally required to assess all projects that are likely to harm matters of national environmental significance – which includes threatened animals and plants. She must decide whether these projects can go ahead at all, and if so, under what conditions.
- Land clearing on pastoral leases in the NT is not being assessed, despite destroying the habitat of countless endangered animals and plants, and pushing already fragile ecosystems closer to collapse.
For more background on land clearing in the NT, check out our blog.
Email example
Dear Minister Plibersek,
As you are aware, we are witnessing widespread ecosystem collapse on this continent – in some cases worse than anywhere else in the world.
Right now, you have an opportunity to halt further ecosystem degradation using the Federal laws that we already have in place.
I am writing as a concerned community member to call on you to ensure all land clearing in the NT is properly assessed.
Our Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act prohibits actions that are likely to have a significant impact on threatened species. These actions must all follow strict processes – including careful assessment before the Federal Environment Minister decides whether they can go ahead at all, and if so under what conditions.
The land clearing we are seeing in the NT is flying under the radar – and the devastating impacts are compounded by ineffective territory laws.
Minister Plibersek, you have the power to halt destructive land clearing in the Northern Territory’s savanna woodlands and ensure all land clearing proposals are properly assessed.
The Northern Territory’s laws are not protecting this collapsing ecosystem. It is up to you to step in and stop their destruction – before it’s too late.
The actions that we take now will determine the future of our environment. It will determine whether our children, our grandchilden, and their children, will get to see the sweeping orange-green plains, iconic Eucalypt woodlands, vibrant birds, quiet marsupials and hardy grasses that make up this beautiful part of our world.
Yours sincerely,
Your name.