Media Release: Threatened Tasmanian forests left open for destruction
Conservation groups Still Wild Still Threatened and Huon Valley Environment Centre are today renewing their commitment to continue their campaigns for forest protection, in the wake of the forest talks collapse.
“The failure of the talks does not mean that the industry can bury its head in the sand and continue to entrench native forest destruction. The reality of global market pressures cannot be ignored and the controversy over Tasmania’s wood supply will continue,” Still Wild Still Threatened’s spokesperson Miranda Gibson stated.
“The collapse of troubled forest talks in Tasmania happens right before a summer schedule of logging looms in Tasmania’s globally significant forests. Summer is traditionally a time of increased logging and building new roads into threatened wilderness areas,” Huon Valley Environment Centre’s Jenny Weber said.
“Our markets campaign will continue as the product entering the markets for Ta Ann continues to be from world heritage value forests, a controversial product that Japanese companies do not want. Our organisations will continue to be in contact with the corporate customers of Ta Ann, informing them of the destruction that lies behind the veneer they are buying,” said Jenny Weber
“We are calling on the Federal and State Governments to protect 572 000ha of independently verified forests, regardless of the forest talks falling over. The Governments has the opportunity to make an environmental and economic gain for Tasmania, through the protection of these wild forests” said Miranda Gibson.
“Unless the government takes immediate action Tasmania will lose significant tracts of scientifically verified world heritage value forests such as Butlers Gorge, which now face a summer of destruction” said Miranda Gibson.
“The contraction of the native forest logging industry needs to be acknowledged by the Government and by industry players. There should be no further funds by the Government for propping up the ongoing unsustainable native forest logging industry. It remains that there is not a market for the woodchips from Tasmania. Yet large swathes of forests continue to be clearfelled, while logs are stockpiled with no destination. These forests are wildlife habitat, carbon sinks and globally unique environments, their protection is still urgent,” said Jenny Weber.
“A change to Tasmania’s forest industry is inevitable given the changing global market and increasing public pressure for sustainable products,” Miranda Gibson said.
Please TAKE ACTION NOW.
Click HERE to send a message to the companies who are buying wood made from Tasmanian native forest destruction.
And stay tuned for more details to come.
Posted on October 27, 2012, in Media Releases. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
T h e O b s e r v e r T r e e 
We can’t just rely on dedicated conservationists like Jenny and Miranda to stop the destruction. If we care about preserving our heritage wilderness areas we need our voices to be heard too!
The forest talks collapse sounds like a dummy spit by ninth generation Tazmanian loggers with massive egos.
Terry Edwards’ FIAT is like Putin evoking Russia’s veto so that Syria’s Bashar Hafez al-Assad and his Alawite extremist minority can continue ethnic cleansing.
Minority lumberjacks have denied pragmatic economically minded foresters $100 million in once in a generation transition opportunity.
Proud fathers they must be!
If this is the end result of our government election system clearly it is a failed product.
Once the government is formed post election- the environmental slaughters continue to roll on.
Two major political parties are positioned as the main electoral choices, the majority of unknowing disinterested voters will select either one or the other, yet both have an agenda idiotically positioned to re-assert the continuing denudation of our once upon a time World acclaimed magnificent realms of natural beauty.
So what real purpose do either of these political parties serve if each is hell bent on some ranting of a mythical highly sustainable forest harvest industry, (so named but in reality a mass clear-fell lunacy,) yet in reality a logging system that slaughters far more product than can ever return by false biased scientific uttered- but stifled regrowth programs.
So with each party possessed of the same highly destructive and acutely negative environmental slaughter program, what purpose do elections serve?
The media as its own industry continues to peddle misinformation against Tasmania’s Greens party as a radical job destroying pariah, again the question, why must Australians be legally obliged or induced to vote for slaughter parties?
That our governments are a major tool hell bent on environmental destruction simply cannot be argued.