More precious bushland saved from development
27 February, 2008
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Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has acquired 40 hectares of Wacol bushland on behalf of Brisbane ratepayers to protect it from development.
That brings to about 630 hectares the amount of bushland saved across the city since the Lord Mayor took office in 2004.
The purchase of the bushland near Pooh Corner, a significant site saved by the Lord Mayor last year, brought to 2500 hectares the amount of bushland saved since Liberal Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson introduced the Bushland Acquisition Program in 1991.
Over $100 million has now been spent on bushland acquisition in Brisbane since the program started.
“Brisbane is home to the largest diversity of plant and animal species in any Australian capital and we should preserve it for future generations of residents to enjoy,” Cr Newman said.
“This bush cover helps cool the city, improve the quality of creek catchments which in turn improves water quality in our creeks, rivers and Moreton Bay.”
Among the purchases were threatened melaleuca forests in Ransome, bushland in the Kuraby and Lake Manchester areas, the Boondall Wetlands, and rainforest along the Brisbane River.
Council has also safeguarded links and buffers to core habitats in the Brighton Wetlands area.
Cr Newman said he was proud of his record on saving bushland in the Brisbane area.
The Lord Mayor has spent all allocated Bushland Acquisition Program funds on actually acquiring bushland, while Labor spent most of their bushland levy on administration.
“In the past four years alone, we’ve reclaimed over 630 hectares,” he said.
“This goes a long way to us achieving our target of 40 per cent bush cover in Brisbane by 2026.”