Media Release: CALL TO FARMERS TO SPEAK UP ON CLIMATE CHANGE (1)

FROM THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

DATE: Tuesday, June 5, 2007

CALL TO FARMERS TO SPEAK UP ON CLIMATE CHANGE (1)

Landholders across the Port Phillip and Western Port region are being urged to help shape Victoria’s future environmental by contributing to development of a Land and Biodiversity white paper.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Steve Herbert, said farmers held much needed land and biodiversity expertise and the Bracks Government was keen to hear their views.

“With CSIRO projecting temperature rises of up to five degrees by 2070, we all need to better understand how managing our biodiversity can help the productivity of our land in the face of climate change,” Mr Herbert said.

“Many land managers in the region are adapting their farming techniques to cope with the impacts of less rain and warmer temperatures, and we want to learn from their hands-on experience,” Mr Herbert said.

Local Landcare president, Peter Huthwaite from Phillip Island, said land managers were already seeing the impacts of climate change on the farm production calendar.

“We’re all watching closely to what happens on the land to see what steps we need to take to tackle global warming,” he said.

Lindy Lumsden, a senior scientist in wildlife ecology at Melbourne’s Arthur Rylah Institute, said farmers and horticulturalists in the region were beginning to better understand the importance of protecting tiny bats that live in remnant vegetation.

“Many farmers think birds control pests but these tiny bats eat half to three quarters of their body weight a night and are free pesticide controllers,” she said.

“But they are dependent on native vegetation for habitat, so it’s important to keep the trees.”

“The White Paper, Land and Biodiversity at a time of climate change, will set the agenda and help identify investment priorities for managing land, biodiversity and natural resources for the next 20 to 50 years,” he said.

Mr Herbert said Victorians had until Friday 22 June 2007 to make a submission for the first stage of the 18-month White Paper consultation process. People could also join online discussions through Landcare networks and have their views heard.

For more information about the Land and Biodiversity White Paper – including the consultation paper – visit www.dse.vic.gov.au/landwhitepaper or join an online discussion at www.landcarevic.net.au/climate-change/the-white-paper-on-land-and-biodiversity.