December 2009

Land clearing for fence construction and maintenance is a legal activity under the

NSW Native Vegetation Act, and one of a raft of activities under the heading of

RAMAs (routine agricultural management activities), that allow native vegetation to

be destroyed.

Under the Act, landowners can clear up to 6 metres on either side of the fence

without undertaking any ecological assessments. Worse still, endangered flora

growing in the path of a boundary fence can be destroyed, as was determined when

we reported destruction of endangered

Melaleuca irbyana

at Tucabia in

2007.

Unfortunately, Fence line clearing is becoming another way to legally clear land,

causing major habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss. Road verges that could

double as wildlife corridors are often a target (see below), are often completely

cleared by proud owners wishing to show off their property to passer's by.

The fence line at left a nd the road on right. Corridor cleared of all understorey to a wi dth

of 10 to 12 metres, with debris dumped on other vegetation. Legal allowance is currently 6 metres.

As shown above, it seems many landowners do not own tape measures, because the

allowable 6 metre clearing extends well beyond the legal limit, with bulldozers

destroying additional peripheral vegetation when stacking the debris which is

invariably burned later to extend the corridor.

Another unfortunate aspect of the Act, is that there is no restriction on the number of

internal fences that can be constructed. Although one officer we spoke to made it

clear that fence construction allowances could not be used to clear land on an

excessive scale, but admitted there was nothing in the Act to clarify what constituted

'excessive' fencing. Apparently a matter of the officer using common sense.

Native vegetation removal for fence line maintenance,

or an opportunity for defacto land clearing

.