The Two Bays - Campaigns

Incorporating :

The Blue Wedge Coalition

Next event ; | Sunday June 6th World Environment Day weekend | Rally for Old Growth and March Melbourne - State Library to Federation Square | This is a Forests Rally - focusing mainly on Tasmania - but hey Save the Giant old growth Kelp forests too ! ..................... See under the Teachers for Forests Banner ! - Robyn

This is the temporary home of the The Two Bays campaigns - material supplied by Jenny Warfe

- Blue Wedges Coalition

 

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Charter

The Debate - Background

More Photos below

These Photos, - were taken near The Rip - adjacent to our (fairly new) Marine National Park where 500,000 cubic metres of rock will be removed and all the species you see will suffer from the effects of the turbidity and sedimentation caused by the rock drilling - not to mention noise trauma etc. The Weedy seadragon is our (fairly newly chosen) marine emblem! Total project of course will remove 40 million cubic metres of spoil, and dump it elsewhere in the Bay! - stirring up some contaminated sites especially near the Yarra, and it is admitted that some Bay species, especially marine mammals and penguins are at risk from the effects of the project.....all so we can stuff more stuff in our houses. Oh dear.

....we need to do more to preserve the ecosystems of our Bays and the interface between land and sea - the catchments and estuaries. About 85% of plants and animals in southern waters are found nowhere else in the world. Unique and extraordinary biodiversity! But, in Western Port Bay alone, over 70% of sea grass has been lost due to human activities; mainly port and land developments

Weedy Sea Dragon

 

Blue Wedges Charter

The Blue Wedges – Port Phillip and Westernport Bays – and the waterways which flow into them - belong to the people. They are a community asset of incalculable value to the people of Greater Melbourne and Victoria, and should be protected, conserved and managed by government, for the people.

 

We know and love our Green Wedges and welcome the State Government’s excellent legislation to protect them, and we congratulate government for its success in establishing Marine Parks in spite of some powerful opposition.

 

But....we need to do more to preserve the ecosystems of our Bays and the interface between land and sea – the catchments and estuaries. About 85% of plants and animals in southern waters are found nowhere else in the world. Unique and extraordinary biodiversity! But, in Western Port Bay alone, over 70% of sea grass has been lost due to human activities; mainly port and land developments.

 

Our marine and freshwater open space and its biodiversity must be protected from threats including the proposal to deepen the shipping channels in The Rip and Port Phillip Bay, unbridled development in catchment areas and ill-thought proposals for breakwaters and marina developments around the coastlines.

WHAT WE WANT

 

Management of our ancient and fragile marine and freshwater environments is presently fragmented - several agencies have competing or overlapping influence and jurisdiction. This has been to the detriment of all users of our coasts and waterways.

 

The Bracks Government was elected on a promise to "put the protection and enhancement of the natural and urban environment at the forefront of planning decision-making’’.

 

To properly protect our waterways, we urge government to implement this promise by integrating the various Coastal and Catchment Authorities under strongly legislated, or cross-sectorial Bay protection policy. The new Department of Sustainability and Environment is ideally suited to manage this visionary approach to land and water management. As a first step towards this new vision, we call on government to adopt the following principles:

 

  • put a halt to any further marine based industries or commercial developments in these areas until effective Blue Wedges policy is adopted
  • resist demands for further development of the coastal areas of Port Phillip and Western Port Bay that threaten the ecological integrity or sustainability of the marine or coastal environment
  • coordinate policies to protect the Blue Wedges across transport, roads, housing, population policy, agriculture and local government portfolios as well as planning and environment
  • review the impact of all State and municipal infrastructure projects on the integrity of the Blue Wedges, consider alternatives before such projects can proceed and apply the precautionary principle where impacts would be adverse.

And so, we ask State Government to deal with the most pressing current threat to Port Phillip Bay by ensuring that no proposal to deepen the shipping channels in the Bay, The Rip and the Yarra River will be approved until an alternative National goods handling system has been transparently costed and investigated, in line with EES guidelines, and it can be shown that there will be no adverse impacts from any consequent:

  • increase in the size of tides in Port Phillip
  • increased risk of flood damage to coastal areas and their residential developments
  • damage to our outstanding marine habitats and ecosystems
  • alternative plans to develop Western Port
  • damage to our precious and fragile beaches.

 

We believe these actions are the only way to curb the development pressures on our ancient and unique Blue Wedges, so that they can be preserved and enjoyed in perpetuity.

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 Reef life of the Bay