It's not just the Sika doing the damage - yes Sika are a part of the problem but it some parts of that area I recall a lot of storm damage from a few years back as well as a bit of a rising issue with pigs and goats. I have no idea what the possum situation is now, haven't been through there for a long while (too long damn kids and life getting in the way).
There's also the other issue with invasive plants like the wilding pines, there was an area there that we used to go to where the pines were a uniform 1.5-2m high and clearly visible through the native, I bet that area hasn't had any control and the pines are winning. One of the better things I saw was helicopter recovery of cut pines, except the weather delayed the recovery flight by a week or two and the bloody trees were loaded with cones! Rotor downwash, pine cones, yeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhh not a good combo. Also temperature and environmental shift won't be helping the native regen.
It all adds up to a environmental shift which isn't helpful - in itself singling out one part of the problem and framing it as the sole cause isn't helpful and doesn't do F&B credibility any good.
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