❓ A WA parliamentary question examines the sustainability of native sandalwood extraction, covering licensing, tonnage, drought impact, inventory, protection, enforcement, goat impact, and overall sustainability assessment. The Minister provides detailed responses, including data and references.
AnsweredQoN 2722Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
With reference to the article in the
Countryman
of 26 August 2010, ‘Sandalwood offers little relief’, and the sustainability of native sandalwood extraction, I ask -
(1) How many licences for harvesting of native sandalwood (santalum spicatum) are there currently?
(2) Can the Minister please provide the number of licences, issued each year over the past 10 years?
(3) What total tonnage of native sandalwood, can be extracted under these licences?
(4) What tonnage was extracted in the past financial year?
(5) What tonnage was extracted each year over the past 10 years?
(6) What percentage was extracted as deadwood in the past financial year?
(7) What percentage was extracted as green wood in the past financial year?
(8) What has been the impact of ongoing drought conditions on, -
(a) the rate of loss of mature native sandalwood trees; and
(b) the failure of native sandalwood trees to regenerate?
(9) How is this impact assessed?
(10) Can the Minister please provide any data that supports this assessment?
(11) Has an inventory of native sandalwood distribution, population densities, maturity, health and regeneration success been conducted since the inventory that was carried out between 1995 and 1999?
(12) If yes to (11), when and please provide the results?
(13) If no to (11), when will a fresh inventory be made?
(14) What proportion of the total area of distribution of native sandalwood, is protected from any form of extraction?
(15) Can the Minister please provide a map of the area/s protected?
(16) How is the prohibition on extraction in these protected areas policed?
(17) Has there been any successful enforcement action?
(18) If yes to (17), can the Minister please provide details?
(19) How many FTEs in the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), are employed to monitor native sandalwood extraction and enforce licence conditions?
(20) How is the origin of extracted native sandalwood verified?
(21) Do goats impact on the regeneration of sandalwood?
(22) How is goat damage monitored and controlled on Crown land, where goat numbers are actively encouraged by pastoralists?
(23) Are goats considered to be feral animals?
(24) If yes to (23), -
(a) is the DEC working to eradicate goats; and
(b) can the Minister please provide details?
(25) If no to (23), does this hamper the DEC’s efforts to prevent land degradation by goats?
(26) Do you regard the extraction of native sandalwood in Western Australia as sustainable?
(27) If yes to (26), on what evidence?
Countryman
of 26 August 2010, ‘Sandalwood offers little relief’, and the sustainability of native sandalwood extraction, I ask -
(1) How many licences for harvesting of native sandalwood (santalum spicatum) are there currently?
(2) Can the Minister please provide the number of licences, issued each year over the past 10 years?
(3) What total tonnage of native sandalwood, can be extracted under these licences?
(4) What tonnage was extracted in the past financial year?
(5) What tonnage was extracted each year over the past 10 years?
(6) What percentage was extracted as deadwood in the past financial year?
(7) What percentage was extracted as green wood in the past financial year?
(8) What has been the impact of ongoing drought conditions on, -
(a) the rate of loss of mature native sandalwood trees; and
(b) the failure of native sandalwood trees to regenerate?
(9) How is this impact assessed?
(10) Can the Minister please provide any data that supports this assessment?
(11) Has an inventory of native sandalwood distribution, population densities, maturity, health and regeneration success been conducted since the inventory that was carried out between 1995 and 1999?
(12) If yes to (11), when and please provide the results?
(13) If no to (11), when will a fresh inventory be made?
(14) What proportion of the total area of distribution of native sandalwood, is protected from any form of extraction?
(15) Can the Minister please provide a map of the area/s protected?
(16) How is the prohibition on extraction in these protected areas policed?
(17) Has there been any successful enforcement action?
(18) If yes to (17), can the Minister please provide details?
(19) How many FTEs in the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), are employed to monitor native sandalwood extraction and enforce licence conditions?
(20) How is the origin of extracted native sandalwood verified?
(21) Do goats impact on the regeneration of sandalwood?
(22) How is goat damage monitored and controlled on Crown land, where goat numbers are actively encouraged by pastoralists?
(23) Are goats considered to be feral animals?
(24) If yes to (23), -
(a) is the DEC working to eradicate goats; and
(b) can the Minister please provide details?
(25) If no to (23), does this hamper the DEC’s efforts to prevent land degradation by goats?
(26) Do you regard the extraction of native sandalwood in Western Australia as sustainable?
(27) If yes to (26), on what evidence?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
19 October 2010
Responded by
Minister for Environment
Response time
42 days
(1) The Forest Products Commission (FPC) manages the harvesting of sandalwood from Crown land (including pastoral leases and Mining Act tenements) through contracts, not licences, under the
Forest Products Act 2000
. The FPC has advised that it currently has 20 contracts for the harvesting of green and dead sandalwood and 14 private contracts for dead wood only on pastoral leases. The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) manages the taking of sandalwood from private land through licences under the
Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
and the
Sandalwood Act 1929
. Licences are valid from 1 July and expire on 30 June the following year, however no licences have been issued to date for the harvesting of native sandalwood from private property during 2010/11. DEC has sought legal advice on several sandalwood matters, hence the issuing of licences for 2010/11 has been delayed and applicants have been advised accordingly.
(2) I table the attached information (Attachment 1) and seek leave to have it incorporated into Hansard.
(3) The total statewide sandalwood harvest is limited to a maximum of 3 000 tonnes per annum of dead and green timber.
(4)-(5) See the answer to (2).
(6) 30.35 per cent of sandalwood collected on private land and 29.86 per cent of sandalwood harvested from Crown land last financial year was dead wood.
(7) 69.65 per cent of sandalwood harvested from private land and 70.14 per cent of sandalwood harvested from Crown land last financial year was green.
(8)(a)-(b)-(9) I am advised that rainfall affects sandalwood seed production, germination,
survival and growth rates. Seedling survival remains heavily dependent on receiving adequate rainfall in the first two years after germination. The FPC assesses the impact of rainfall on sandalwood through the establishment and monitoring of individual tree plots.
(10) I am advised that the most recently published information on this issue is the "Ecology of Sandalwood (
Santalum spicatum
) near Paynes Find and Menzies, Western Australia: Size Structure and Dry-sided Stems"
The Rangeland Journal
21(2), 220-228.
(11) Yes.
(12) The FPC initiated a Crown land sandalwood inventory program in 2001, which is ongoing. As part of the process, monitoring plots were established in many locations throughout the rangelands. The FPC has found that the total sandalwood resource within the area available to harvest on Crown land is approximately 55,900 tonnes of green and 32,300 tonnes of dead wood in the area harvested from 1995-2007 and 163,900 tonnes of green and 90,000 tonnes of dead wood in the area harvested before 1995.
(13) Not applicable.
(14) The FPC advises that 11 per cent of the total area of distribution of naturally growing native sandalwood is protected from harvesting. The land tenures accessible by the FPC for commercial harvesting and which have been assessed in the strategic inventory include unallocated Crown land, pastoral leases, Government lands and commons.
The land tenures not accessible by the FPC for commercial harvesting and which have partly been assessed in the strategic inventory include nature reserves, conservation parks, national parks, Sandalwood Act exclusion areas, threatened ecological communities plus three kilometre buffers, pastoral leases purchased for inclusion in the conservation reserve system, and pastoral leases purchased using Sandalwood Conservation and Regeneration Project funds.
Private property and Aboriginal Lands Trust lands are not currently accessed by the FPC, however, access can be negotiated with the landowners.
Sandalwood harvesting on private land is administered by DEC. The naturally growing private land resource mainly occurs in remnant stands in the wheatbelt region and this resource has been greatly reduced due to agricultural clearing and past sandalwood pulling. There is an expectation amongst landowners and contractors of an ability to harvest sandalwood due to market demand, previous approvals, and the precedent of harvesting being permitted on Crown land.
(15) I table the attached map (Attachment 2).
(16) DEC staff check for illegal activity when attending protected areas and authorised officers respond to reports of illegal harvesting.
(17) Yes.
(18) I table the attached information (Attachment 3) and seek leave to have it incorporated into Hansard.
(19) No DEC staff are dedicated solely to sandalwood regulation. Sandalwood regulation forms part of the duties of officers based in Geraldton, Merredin, Narrogin, Kalgoorlie and Perth, as required. The FPC has the prime responsibility for sandalwood pulling from Crown land and has allocated staff resources to this area.
(20) DEC conducts field inspections of all private land sandalwood applications utilising a portable computer with aerial photography, GIS linkage and electronic tenure details to provide accurate tracking details of all inspections. FPC sandalwood management teams monitor their contractors and harvested sandalwood is subject to a delivery note for each location.
(21) I am advised that goats have been shown to damage sandalwood trees and regeneration.
(22) Goat control is the responsibility of the land owner or manager. DEC controls goats on the lands it manages according to conservation and 'good neighbour' priorities.
(23) Under the
Agriculture and Related Resources Protection Act 1976
administered by the Department of Agriculture and Food, goats may be either livestock or feral animals to be controlled or kept under permit or conditions.
(24)(a)-(b) See the answer to (22).
(25) See the answers to (23) and (24).
(26)-(27) The use of harvest restrictions to a minimum size for green sandalwood of 400 mm in circumference, 150 mm from the ground (on both private land and Crown land), plus the requirement to retain 10 per cent of the existing green trees on a property, is considered to have been an effective means of managing the harvest for the conservation of this species.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
Forest Products Act 2000
. The FPC has advised that it currently has 20 contracts for the harvesting of green and dead sandalwood and 14 private contracts for dead wood only on pastoral leases. The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) manages the taking of sandalwood from private land through licences under the
Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
and the
Sandalwood Act 1929
. Licences are valid from 1 July and expire on 30 June the following year, however no licences have been issued to date for the harvesting of native sandalwood from private property during 2010/11. DEC has sought legal advice on several sandalwood matters, hence the issuing of licences for 2010/11 has been delayed and applicants have been advised accordingly.
(2) I table the attached information (Attachment 1) and seek leave to have it incorporated into Hansard.
(3) The total statewide sandalwood harvest is limited to a maximum of 3 000 tonnes per annum of dead and green timber.
(4)-(5) See the answer to (2).
(6) 30.35 per cent of sandalwood collected on private land and 29.86 per cent of sandalwood harvested from Crown land last financial year was dead wood.
(7) 69.65 per cent of sandalwood harvested from private land and 70.14 per cent of sandalwood harvested from Crown land last financial year was green.
(8)(a)-(b)-(9) I am advised that rainfall affects sandalwood seed production, germination,
survival and growth rates. Seedling survival remains heavily dependent on receiving adequate rainfall in the first two years after germination. The FPC assesses the impact of rainfall on sandalwood through the establishment and monitoring of individual tree plots.
(10) I am advised that the most recently published information on this issue is the "Ecology of Sandalwood (
Santalum spicatum
) near Paynes Find and Menzies, Western Australia: Size Structure and Dry-sided Stems"
The Rangeland Journal
21(2), 220-228.
(11) Yes.
(12) The FPC initiated a Crown land sandalwood inventory program in 2001, which is ongoing. As part of the process, monitoring plots were established in many locations throughout the rangelands. The FPC has found that the total sandalwood resource within the area available to harvest on Crown land is approximately 55,900 tonnes of green and 32,300 tonnes of dead wood in the area harvested from 1995-2007 and 163,900 tonnes of green and 90,000 tonnes of dead wood in the area harvested before 1995.
(13) Not applicable.
(14) The FPC advises that 11 per cent of the total area of distribution of naturally growing native sandalwood is protected from harvesting. The land tenures accessible by the FPC for commercial harvesting and which have been assessed in the strategic inventory include unallocated Crown land, pastoral leases, Government lands and commons.
The land tenures not accessible by the FPC for commercial harvesting and which have partly been assessed in the strategic inventory include nature reserves, conservation parks, national parks, Sandalwood Act exclusion areas, threatened ecological communities plus three kilometre buffers, pastoral leases purchased for inclusion in the conservation reserve system, and pastoral leases purchased using Sandalwood Conservation and Regeneration Project funds.
Private property and Aboriginal Lands Trust lands are not currently accessed by the FPC, however, access can be negotiated with the landowners.
Sandalwood harvesting on private land is administered by DEC. The naturally growing private land resource mainly occurs in remnant stands in the wheatbelt region and this resource has been greatly reduced due to agricultural clearing and past sandalwood pulling. There is an expectation amongst landowners and contractors of an ability to harvest sandalwood due to market demand, previous approvals, and the precedent of harvesting being permitted on Crown land.
(15) I table the attached map (Attachment 2).
(16) DEC staff check for illegal activity when attending protected areas and authorised officers respond to reports of illegal harvesting.
(17) Yes.
(18) I table the attached information (Attachment 3) and seek leave to have it incorporated into Hansard.
(19) No DEC staff are dedicated solely to sandalwood regulation. Sandalwood regulation forms part of the duties of officers based in Geraldton, Merredin, Narrogin, Kalgoorlie and Perth, as required. The FPC has the prime responsibility for sandalwood pulling from Crown land and has allocated staff resources to this area.
(20) DEC conducts field inspections of all private land sandalwood applications utilising a portable computer with aerial photography, GIS linkage and electronic tenure details to provide accurate tracking details of all inspections. FPC sandalwood management teams monitor their contractors and harvested sandalwood is subject to a delivery note for each location.
(21) I am advised that goats have been shown to damage sandalwood trees and regeneration.
(22) Goat control is the responsibility of the land owner or manager. DEC controls goats on the lands it manages according to conservation and 'good neighbour' priorities.
(23) Under the
Agriculture and Related Resources Protection Act 1976
administered by the Department of Agriculture and Food, goats may be either livestock or feral animals to be controlled or kept under permit or conditions.
(24)(a)-(b) See the answer to (22).
(25) See the answers to (23) and (24).
(26)-(27) The use of harvest restrictions to a minimum size for green sandalwood of 400 mm in circumference, 150 mm from the ground (on both private land and Crown land), plus the requirement to retain 10 per cent of the existing green trees on a property, is considered to have been an effective means of managing the harvest for the conservation of this species.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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