In September, a pair of Tawny Frogmouths perched on an old gum tree in Kurrajong, guarding their soon-to-hatch eggs. Three weeks later, their home was gone. The tree, along with dozens of others, was felled to widen a private road for a housing development at 150 Hermitage Road, Kurrajong.

Eric Finley, a long-time resident, was devastated when he returned home to find the landscape transformed. "All of the wildlife corridor is destroyed," he told the Hawkesbury Post, referring to the removal of 30 to 40 mature trees late last month, including Eucalyptus punctata, a critical food source for koalas. Finley's family have lived adjacent to the property since 1999, documenting over 130 koala sightings there since 2009.

The destruction of these trees, half of which were over 50 years old, has wreaked havoc on a crucial wildlife corridor. The once densely treed route allowed species to move between Blue Gum Creek and bushland along Mill Road. Now, it's gone, with native animals like koalas, sugar gliders, and even the endangered masked owl left without cover or food sources.

"There was a beautiful old Grey Gum overhanging Douglas Farm Road, where frogmouths and Wonga pigeons had nested for years," Finley explained. "Their chicks would have been helpless when the tree was felled. We can only hope the parents survived."

While Hawkesbury City Council (HCC) eventually issued a temporary halt on further tree removal, it was too late to prevent the loss of over 40 trees, including towering ironbarks and grey gums - trees essential to the local ecosystem and the region's koalas. Despite community outcry, the development, approved over a decade ago, continues under outdated standards. HCC said it is powerless to halt projects approved long before current environmental laws came into effect.

But the loss of trees in the area doesn't end there. Just a few kilometres away, in Grose Vale, even more, trees are slated for removal this month - this time as part of the controversial Redbank development. Nearly a kilometre of mature native trees along Grose Vale Road, including old gums and ironbarks, are tagged to be cut down to make way for road widening as part of a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) between Redbank developers and Hawkesbury City Council. Council defended the removal: "The Regional Panel, in its deliberations, concluded that the proposal would not have a significant impact on any threatened species, populations, or communities listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act. The loss of trees at this site would be addressed holistically in the proposed tree planting schedule, which includes 1,049 replacement trees across the Southern Valley Precinct."

This planned tree removal, slated for this month, has sparked outrage from local residents, also because the trees being cleared are not located on Redbank's side of the development. Instead, they sit on the opposite side of the road, just metres from established homes not associated with the Redbank project.

The residents' depth of feeling was evident in the hundreds of social media comments expressing concerns about tree removal.

Julie Power captured the sentiment of many, writing, "Disgusting they will move the new road to where the trees are destroyed. Redbank is killing the Hawkesbury area. When the birds vanish, remember the developers always win."

Abigail Ball expressed her disbelief, challenging the logic behind the decision: "What an absolute disgrace! Anyone who thinks planting new trees as a replacement for mature trees is any kind of compensation needs to take a long hard look at themselves. Maybe people just need to learn to drive with trees adjacent to the road?"

Judy Hitchcock added, "When will this horror stop? I just can't fathom our governments, be they local or state. On the one hand, they bang on incessantly about the need to protect our canopy trees and our native wildlife, and with the other, they sign the death warrants of our animals through development."

Doug Wiggins shared concerns about wildlife in the broader region: "In nearby Glossodia, clearing has all but eliminated satin bower birds, Spotted Pardalotes, blue wrens, fantails, silver eyes, other finches, wattle birds, and Regent/blue-faced honeyeaters."

Maree Holton summed up the general sentiment: "It's just devastating what is happening to our environment, it's getting worse! Our wildlife is continually suffering, and unfortunately, I can't see anything changing because governments and councils don't care."

As more trees are marked for removal, concerns are growing over the broader impact on the region's biodiversity. The now-exposed earth at Hermitage Road already threatens to pollute Blue Gum Creek with sediment, where platypus were confirmed in a University of Western Sydney study last year. Koalas had also been seen in many of the cleared trees, and one was heard bellowing just metres away over several days last weekend.

Despite promises by all levels of government to protect wildlife habitat and native bushland, the story on the ground tells a different tale. Bit by bit, communities like the Hawkesbury are losing irreplaceable natural resources as developments proceed unchecked. Planning laws, riddled with loopholes, provide developers with legal means to clear land for profit. Environmental regulations are often so weak or malleable that even zoning laws designed to protect wildlife are easily bypassed.

The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, intended to safeguard habitats, is often criticised for failing to provide meaningful protection. While the Act requires biodiversity assessments for developments, these assessments are funded by developers, raising concerns about bias. In many cases, habitat value can be downgraded, allowing projects to proceed in areas once deemed ecologically significant.

In the case of Grose Vale and Kurrajong, the result is clear: vital wildlife corridors, essential for the survival of species like koalas, platypus, and endangered birds, are being systematically wiped out, all under the guise of legal development. As a result, the natural landscape of the Hawkesbury is being reshaped - permanently.

One resident summed up the situation: "Every tree that's cut down is a step closer to losing what makes this place special. We're being told there's nothing that can be done, but it doesn't feel right. How can something like this keep happening?"