As the Eurobodalla’s flying fox issue gains international attention, a lobby group has accused the federal and state governments of a politically motivated war on a “crucial keystone species”.
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Bat colonies in Batemans Bay and surrounding areas are now being reported on by the BBC and a London-based radio station and gaining increasing attention on in social media internationally.
Human Society International Australia this week said the NSW Government had gone too far in approving land clearing and that Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt may have acted improperly in granting exemptions during the Federal Election caretaker period.
The group called on them “to end their politically motivated war against an ecologically crucial keystone species”.
“The NSW government has quietly allowed the destruction of 23% of flying-fox roosting habitat at Batemans Bay, a legally recognised, nationally-important flying-fox camp,” spokesman Evan Quartermain said.
“This action is entirely separate to the planned dispersal.” He said dispersal was likely to fail and the group was seeking legal advice on Mr Hunt’s actions.
“We have an absurd situation where the Commonwealth has delegated responsibility to the States, who have in turn delegated responsibility to local councils, who then respond to a handful of the noisiest individuals,” he said.
“We end up spending millions of dollars to stop the bellyaching of a few individuals, funding that should be spent on recovering the species, but of course never has been.”
