There have been violent arrests over the clearing of a nature corridor in College Grove, Bunbury.

On Wednesday 9th April, two people were arrested after being hit and forced from machinery that they were trying to stop from clearing forest for a housing development.

Tuesday 15th April, a woman was arrested after spending the night in the bushland. She secured herself at the base of a tree and held up work all day Monday.

The proposed housing development of just under 100 acres will reduce by half the last remaining ocean-to-river corridor on the Swan Coastal Plain. College Grove is an integral part of this nature strip which connects the Indian Ocean to the Preston River. 

Ironically College Grove is very close to the recently announced Ocean To Preston River Regional Park. 

If the proposed development goes ahead, the nature corridor will be only 300m wide at its narrowest. This is unacceptable for a nature corridor that is meant to connect areas to provide continuous habitat and allow safe passage for fauna and pollination between plants. Thin strips of bushland are subject to the effects of fragmentation like weeds, rubbish, predators etc.

Local residents and environmentalists trying to save College Grove put up a tree platform about 2 months ago. People have been sitting up the tree on a platform ever since, until yesterday.

About 200 people recently attended a Save College Grove brunch.