THE Save Woogaroo Forest Group continues to amplify its campaign amid claims and that no official “Woogaroo Forest” exists on planning or development maps.
“Mayor Harding is correct when she says there is no Woogaroo Forest – at the moment,” said a spokesperson for the group.
“But that’s exactly why we are fighting – to secure official recognition and protection for this important area.”
Formed in early 2024, the Save Woogaroo Forest Group Inc was established with the primary goal of halting four major housing developments threatening the bushland.
“Our hope is that Woogaroo Forest will one day be recognised and valued in the same way as Toohey Forest in Brisbane,” the spokes-person said.
“The most significant threat to the bushland is posed by Stockland’s Springview Estate Villages stages 2 and 3.”
The developer Stockland was contacted for further comment but said there was nothing more to add, beyond its last statement that all required steps were being taken to ensure appropriate approval as it worked with multiple levels of government.
Recently, 20 leading international academics and conservation experts visited the site, and said they were shocked and saddened by the short-sighted decisions being made in Australia that will have devastating consequences for biodiversity.
Laura Berthol, from Hawaii, currently completing postgraduate studies in Australia, said that she was deeply saddened by the plans.
“I was shocked to see how many vulnerable and threatened species are here – yet under the outdated 1997 Springfield Structure Plan, the forest remains unprotected,” she said.
An Ethiopian researcher in community-based forest biodiversity said: “Australia claims to lead in conservation – but that isn’t what I see here.”
