When was your group formed and why?

The North Coast Environment Council formed in 1986, in response to the growing need to cooperate between all the smaller environment centres and groups to regional issues. A decade later we had 44 member groups showing the heightened awareness of environmental issues in the 1990s. The NCEC helped establish a legal precedent on ‘standing’, by taking the Federal Minister for Resources to court in 1994, requiring the minister to ‘give reasons’ for granting export woodchipping licences. This was part of a long-term forest campaign, now more than 3 decades old, that has resulted in many significant forest areas being protected, but more still being destroyed that need protection.

How many members do you currently have?

We currently have 9 member groups and 8 individuals. Increased rents and the administrative burden of keeping a group going have seen many of the local environment centres close. We have always been a volunteer run organisation. For many years, our key volunteers were able to live ‘on the dole’ and do environmental work. Changes to the unemployment benefit criteria mean that no longer happens. So like many environmental groups our membership is older. We are the pensioners who care with a smattering of younger folk.

How long have you been a member group with NCC for now? What are some key collaborative actions you’ve taken with the NCC network?

No-one can remember how long we’ve been a member of NCC. Probably since we were established in 1986 or soon thereafter.

How are you predominantly involved with NCC now?

We focus mainly on forests, biodiversity, native vegetation and marine issues and work with NCC on all those issues. We participate in meetings, organise events, write submissions and lobby politicians. In 2022 we organised the Koala Conference in Coffs Harbour attended by key politicians, researchers and koala lovers from around the state.

What projects are you focusing on currently?

NCEC is convening local group involved in the Great Koala National Park so we can better organise in the face of the Government’s reckless destruction of an area they promised would be a National park. We are also currently rallying our member groups to come together for a general meeting and picnic on the 2nd of March 2024. We are encouraging our members to come discuss current projects and how we might all work more closely together to achieve positive environmental outcomes for our communities. The NCEC is also updating our website featuring pages of our member groups so that they can be showcased on another platform.

The NCEC continues to write submissions on important issues around the region and lobbying government for best practices when it comes to planning, marine environment, forest advocacy, mining and threatened species.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a group in achieving your goals at the moment?  

As with all conservation groups, we are in recovery mode after the 2019 Black Summer Fires, Covid and subsequent flooding in 2022. A lot of life long champions for our environment are seeking to have new conservation advocates to come and join the ongoing efforts so that we are not left with more organisations disappearing from lack of members.

What are you most excited about at this current time?

After the Summer break, members and friends of the NCEC seem to be ready to come together and see how we can improve our advocacy for the environment and help each other out when and where we can.

Are there any opportunities for collaboration for the NCC network that you’d like to put forward?

The NCC picnic for nature is a great initiative to bring people together. The NCEC is also looking to connect with community members and groups interested in conservation of our natural environment on the North Coast of NSW. We work closely with one of our members the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) regarding forest advocacy and could always use more forest protectors. We are also looking for individuals and groups focused on planning, marine environment, mining and threatened species. 

What inspires/moves you to keep doing the work to protect nature?

If we don't act now, we might not have a planet to support us.