100 000 hectares to be bulldozed and burned!

The Northern Territory Government (and Industry) have announced the Agribusiness Strategy to bulldoze and burn 100 000 hectares of the Territory's Nature for cotton and cropping.

This week the Labour Government in Victoria announced the end of Native Logging by the end of the year. This is an example of political decision making that will ensure Australia upholds it's International Agreements, like the Glasgow Leaders declaration on forests and land use.

Chief Minister Fyles and her cabinet need to know that their decisions jeopardise the Territory's Nature, Territorians' futures and Australia's reputation locally, nationally and internationally.

Dear Chief Minister Fyles,
I'm very concerned about the NT Government's new Agribusiness Strategy, recently released.
I am particularly concerned by your Government’s plans to:
<ul>
<li>change the tenure of 45% of the Territory (the pastoral estate) to allow for cotton and horticulture;</li>
<li>fast-track land clearing approvals;</li>
<li>fast-track water licencing approvals;</li>
<li>change the law to avoid future <a href="clearing_case">legal action against land clearing</a> on pastoral land.</li>
</ul>
These changes undermine the rights of Traditional Owners, circumvent proper environmental scrutiny and appear designed to avoid current and future legal challenges to land clearing.
They are also out of step with the Territorians’ widespread and growing concerns about the rapid increase in land clearing in the Northern Territory under your Government’s watch, without proper scrutiny.
The NT is the only jurisdiction without specific native vegetation laws or an overarching biodiversity conservation strategy. This basic nature legislation is desperately needed, as our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.15539">ecosystems are already collapsing.</a>
Instead of stripping back legal and community rights, I call on your government to step up to protect our iconic Territory landscapes by committing to <a href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ecnt/pages/759/attachments/original/1670951406/ECNT_Nature_Laws_Discussion_Paper_WEB.pdf?1670951406">next generation nature laws</a> for the Northern Territory.
This is an opportunity for your Government to demonstrate its care of the Territory's iconic natural values including its vast savanna woodlands and free-flowing rivers, that have been cared for by First Nations people for millennia. 
I hope you see the true opportunity and value that comes from protecting the Territory's nature and your community's interests.