[Greens-Media] How low can Barry go on environment? Yet another attack on national parks

[Peter Stahel]

How low can Barry go on environment? Yet another attack on national
parks with horses allowed in five wilderness areas

Responding to today's announcement that horse riding will be allowed in
five key wilderness areas in NSW National Parks, Greens MP and
environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann says the government appears to
have no limit to how far they will go to appease anti-environment forces
within the Coalition and the Shooters and Fishers Party.

"How low can they go? This just shows Barry O'Farrell and Robyn Parker
have zero respect for the integrity of national parks and would prefer
to put the interests of their Upper House allies ahead of genuine
environmental concerns," said Ms Faehrmann.

"The public won't be fooled by the Minister's bogus claims that this is
sustainable recreation when it comes to wilderness areas.  This decision
is contrary to the management principles specified in the NSW Wilderness
Act which restricts use to "self-reliant recreation". Using horses is
not self reliant. What's next – 4WDs?

"The government has just announced a policy that is effectively illegal
under the Wilderness Act. 

"There is a reason the National Parks and Wildlife Service refers to
horses as 'pest animals'. Horses introduce weeds through seeds excreted
in their faeces, their hooves cause soil erosion and introduced species
erode habitat for natives.

"The previous government had already started letting horses back into
National Parks to the point where they had access to thousands of
kilometers of tracks in more than a 110 reserves. This announcement
opens up some of the most fragile areas to a type of recreation that is
potentially extremely damaging to biodiversity.

"The big trouble with policies like this is that once they realise it
was a terrible mistake the impacts will be impossible to reverse.  NPWS
rangers and bush regenerators  spend their lives trying to eradicate
weeds introduced to national parks and reserves," said Ms Faehrmann.

Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727