Forest ‘abuse’ feared

Press, 16 December 1985, Page 4

Forest ‘abuse’ feared

PA . 4 > V' Wellington > A last-ditch orgy of environmental' abuse may results.from the Government’s economic package, says the Joint Campaign on Native Forests."' . ‘ . The five-year wind-down of tax incentives for land clearance invited 7a last minute 7 rushr td destroy native forest, said the campaign’s director, Mr Guy Salmon, yesterday. “The grave danger is there may now be a disastrous scramble to clear forests, drain swamps and plough up native grasslands during this twilight period,” he said. Mr Salmon said he favoured the ending of incentives, but they should have been cut immediately. Accelerated land clearance during the phasing out of incentives had happened in Australia, he

said. • Environmentalists would be scrutinising land clearance programmes and would oppose any last minute attempts to exploit incentives. • Mr Salmon praised other features of the package, including the decision to allow farmers who had borrowed money for land clearance to use the money for other work. Improving existing pastures was more worthwhile, he said. He predicted native forests would return on land allowed to revert to scrub. That would happen on land unwisely cleared through development loans. “At long last we are getting a neutral tax system that no longer seeks to push developers into marginal lands,” Mr Salmon said.