----- Original Message -----
From: Tony Nelson-Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2002 1:19 AM
Subject: Should Australia go native?
. He thinks it's time to stop pretending that Australia has a European
environment; the introduced garden plants which made early settlers feel
at home should be replaced with native species (amongst which he claims
there are many equally attractive) and
agriculture should stop producing such inappropriate crops as wheat and
sheepmeat. He claims that, at current levels of consumption, a population
of only 7-8 million could be supported sustainably (as opposed to the
current 19 million, let alone the 50 million called for by business by
2050). It sounds persuasive, but I've not heard any arguments against.
Hi Tony
Just so you wont be dissappointed I'll do it .
I dont know flannery or his history but there are plenty of his ilk
around and most of em have a couple of things in common
# usually never been involved in any form of agriculture for profit
# most make their living interfering in the livelihoods of other people in
some field that almost never directly impacts on themselves
# its normal that the most vocal of them are in secure taxpayer funded
work - public "service" or the education system
You should by now be able to decide that I am extremely biased
Now for the garden plants - some readers will already know that Australian
native plants - specially eucalypts - are some of the most inflammable
vegetation on earth - a eucalypt forest fire in full flight makes what is
happening in the western US at the moment look like a backyard Bar-B-Que -
(I apologise to those affected by these fires but its essentially the truth)
so at the urging of the flannery brigade we went ahead and planted half
suburbia down to Aussie natives then people wonder why we have problems with
bushfires. Northern hemisphere ornamental plants make much more sense for
most suburban plantings - most of our urban population lives in places with
adequate rainfall to grow them - they are in the main fire resistant in
summer - and the tree species are a whole lot more attractive in most
cases.
Our wheat and sheep farming system is equally as appropriate to our
landscape as most other extensive farming is anywhere on the planet - the
wheat sheep zone of central - southern New South Wales and Victoria is in
better shape ecologically than at any time since 1900 - doubters need only
go look at photographs of the countryside 1900 to 1945 and their mouths will
shut very quickly
Tony my ancestors were squeezed (or starved ) out of the western bit of
England (Wales) about 1850 - if this character and his mates had their way -
you better move over and make some room cause we will have to come back
home. You can bet your life that when the population of this country is
reduced to its 8 million carrying capacity Mr flannery will not be among the
first volunteers to find alternative accommodation.
These people have a desperate lack of common sense! of course agriculture
is an artificial and un natural system, as is all organised human society.
Why dont these people wake up and do something constructive.
