|
Aboriginal landowners in the Top End have
been warned that the Northern Territory Government's new interim
vegetation clearance controls will affect all land in the
NT - including theirs.
The Labor Government promised to put in place
controls on native vegetation clearance as part of its 2001
election campaign, and the fact that it has done so has been
welcomed by many in the community concerned by the effects
of large-scale clearing elsewhere in Australia.
At this stage the NT is still in a relatively
pristine condition with less than 2 per cent so far affected
by clearing. However, a number of future developments - including
broadacre irrigation schemes in the Daly River Basin - are
likely to see an increase in the rate of clearing.
Despite needing to move swiftly to implement
the controls to prevent 'panic clearing' by landholders -
as has happened elsewhere in Australia - the Government has
consulted with Aboriginal people to make sure they understand
what the controls will mean for them.
The interim controls under the NT Planning Act
will be in place for two years, after which they will be reviewed
by Parliament and finalised.
A permit to clear vegetation will not be required
if the clearing is for mining, house construction or other
buildings, fences, firebreaks, railways or roads.
However, a permit will be required for any
other proposal to clear more than two hectares of native vegetation.
Aboriginal people are likely to benefit from
the controls by being given more information on the environmental
impacts of clearing on their land, as well as the impacts
of clearing on nearby land that could have the potential to
degrade their land (for instance by the build-up of sediment
and nutrients in river systems).
A good case in point are the proposed developments
in the Daly River catchment, which will need to pump water
from both the river system and bores during the Dry Season
to keep plants watered.
Permits will be needed before any native vegetation
clearance can begin, and Northern Land Council officers will
use the information contained in the permit applications as
well as in the various land management plans to keep traditional
owners in the region informed.
However, the new clearance regime will also
mean Aboriginal landowners' decision-making powers over their
own land as set out in the Land Rights Act could be compromised,
although this is yet to be tested in court.
At the NLC's 83rd Full Council meeting members
said that while such a conflict was unlikely, it was important
to maintain the rights of traditional owners over their land.
Council resolved to note the new clearing controls and looked
forward to taking part in further consultations.
|
Introduction
