Bombala landholder fined for illegal land clearing
Media release: 5 November 2008
A Bombala landholder has been fined a total of $40,000 in the Land and Environment Court after being prosecuted for illegal land clearing by the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) under the State's native vegetation laws.
It is the biggest fine from the Land and Environment Court handed to an individual land owner in NSW for illegal land clearing.
Donald Norman Wilton pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawfully clearing native vegetation at his property, near Craigie, southwest of Bombala.
The Court heard that between September and October 2004, Mr Wilton cleared about 13 hectares of native vegetation which was subsequently planted with a Shining Gum plantation. This illegal clearing attracted a fine of $30,000.
Mr Wilton cleared a further 18 hectares in May 2005 for which he was fined a further $10,000. After this clearing incident the Department directed Mr Wilton to rehabilitate the site. This area is now regenerating.
Mr Wilton was ordered to pay an additional $30,000 in DECC's legal costs.
DECC Director-General, Lisa Corbyn, said today that this latest case should make it quite clear that the DECC is serious about compliance with the native vegetation laws including bringing prosecutions for illegal clearing.
"This should send a strong message to landholders who consider flouting this important law which protects our native vegetation.
"The community has made it abundantly clear, particularly in the light of the positive role that vegetation can play in helping to reduce global warming and as habitat for our unique plants and animals, that it will not tolerate people conducting illegal land clearing.
"The DECC has just embarked on a campaign in which our compliance officers are currently undertaking a series of inspections across parts of the State where there may have been breaches of the State's native vegetation laws.
"This campaign, plus the success of this latest prosecution, should indicate to everyone that the DECC is quite serious about administering the Native Vegetation Act," Ms Corbyn said.
Contact: Stuart Cohen