Council should be proud of unique woodland

Isn't it incredible that here on the Woy Woy Peninsula we have something which is unique in the world, the UCSW or Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland?

There are only 11 hectares of this type identified anywhere in the world.

It is not only unique to NSW or Australia but to the world and yet instead of appreciating, it our council is considering a DA to build 37 luxury retirement villas on it and thus destroy it.

NSW was recently warned that its native animals are threatened with extinction due to the incredible amount of clearing of native vegetation done since 1788.

Now 315 animal species or populations are threatened.

We are not the only species on the planet although we seem to act as if we were.

This planet is made up of intricate ecosystems often so complex that we still do not fully understand them.

We do not know how much further we can go without it having a devastating effect on us.

We continue to take, take, take, with no regard for anything else.

For instance, we are going to take the water from the sandplain for us, disregarding the vegetation and anything else which may depend on it.

This comparatively small piece of woodland is an integral part of a wildlife corridor used by the swift parrot, the glossy black cockatoo, the regent honeyeater and the powerful owl to name but a few.

All of these birds are on the endangered list.

Our council has spent many thousands of dollars to have the original development proposal rejected and yet now they turn round and are willing to pass the revised plans.

Obviously they must have been misinformed since Justice Bignold decided against a similar development in the Environment Court and the Department of Environment and Conservation has recommended that the UCSW be listed under the Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Surely our council should be proud that we have something which is so significant, which we can leave to our children and which can form a part of the much needed open space, desperately needed by the increasing population of the Woy Woy Peninsula.

Margaret Lund Woy Woy Bay