Gracious Green Elders – Going, Gone?

Many 89.7fm listeners have been following our coverage of the loss of our magnificent heritage trees in the Eastern Suburbs as a result of the NSW State Government’s unlovely (and it would seem poorly planned) light rail infrastructure. This week Professor Peter Fisher, Adjunct Professor Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University joined us on Monday Drive to explain how a fresh row of callow saplings simply cannot provide the same eco system services these gracious green elders gave us for over 1oo years  – from habitat for other creatures and insects to green shade and clean air for humans. Many of these newly planted trees, he told us, will not survive, particularly as we face a water constrained and far hotter future. The fact that we won’t have the conditions to grow big Moreton Bay figs like the ones we have lost is yet another reason for Sydney siders to demand our government invests in the biodiversity of our city. We had Randwick resident Adnil Ramos on the show back in November offering to take people on a free tour of some of our loveliest trees, and she’s since become the focus of a documentary by local film director Randall Wood about the impassioned community protests that have erupted on Anzac Parade since the first heritage trees along Maiden’s Row came down in January.  The fact that thousands of creatures living in these trees were mulched, not rescued, also upset a lot of locals. Another recent guest on Monday Drive, Dr Mary Cole, a microbiologist who works with farmers to improve the fertility of Australian soil, told us that on this dry continent, “we need 100% plant cover 100% of the time” if we are to retain our top soil – yes that’s the stuff that grows food, parkland, tree cover, and habitat, and it simply blows away when it dries out. Without it there can be no birds, flowers, insects, and cute furry animals not to mention the vital fungi, lichens, and microorganisms on which the web of life is built. At a time when major cities around the globe, including Singapore, London, Madrid, New York, Chicago and Seoul are putting serious money into greening up, Sydney should be preserving as many trees as possible – not knocking them down in the expectation that there are plenty more where they came from. Like the Great Barrier Reef, high functioning trees take time to grow, and we may be running out of time to keep this whole city, not just our precious nook in the Eastern suburbs, as wonderfully liveable as it has been in the past. Give us a call during the music breaks between 4 and 6pm every Monday if you’d like to discuss this further. In the meantime you could have your say by visiting Stand Up For Nature and using some of the many resources there to learn more and take action.  Biodiversity is an issue right across the state at the moment with the chance to make public submissions on the Biodiversity Review closing on June 28th. There are more public meetings and protests coming up. We’ll keep you posted. Let’s ensure our community is vibrant, green and healthy for another 100 years! And remember – you’ll get all the latest from across the green frontier every week on Monday Drive, and past episodes are stored on our program page. It’s the most exciting, innovative and creative breaking news on the planet right now. You can stake your life on it. See you at the Radiothon Launch Party on Thursday!