HOW NOT TO INDUCE A LOVE OF NATIVE VEGETATION IN LANDHOLDERS

Governments have a God-appointed task in the prosecution of which they should be upheld by prayer and shown respect (1 Tim. 2:1-4). This is without qualification, in regards to the quality of the administration. Paul may have penned those words in the times of the Emperor Nero. In regard to vegetation management, for years the various governments of the state of Queensland, Australia, encouraged development that led to extensive removal of native species. Recently, a (Labour) government put the icing on the cake by banning clearing of various species - not before word got about, so that clearing would go on at an accelerated pace before the ban came into effect - and did so with only minor compensation being paid to some affected landholders. Thus they penalized environmentally friendly landholders. One outcome of arbitrary and abrupt actions such as these is that landholders come to fear and dislike native fauna and flora.

QLD relies on coal, so someone had to do something about climate change.

Governments have a difficult, divinely appointed task. A government, of itself, cannot magically pull from a hat the care for people and for the environment that we would all like to have. Ultimately, "safety is of the Lord" (Pro. 21:31). "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches , and honour, and life" (Pro. 22:4). A first step in improving the environment is to gain the "riches, honour, and life" which allow us the relaxation and give us the sufficiency to be able to meaningfully take on the challenges of the environment.