Activists from The Bob Brown Foundation have today immobilised all logging machinery ripping into ancient native forests in the Wentworth Hills area of Tasmania’s Central Plateau. This protest follows on from a week of protests in the same forest last month, which saw four protesters arrested.
‘We will continue campaigning for the protection of the Wentworth Hills region for as long as it takes,’ said Dr Lisa Searle, campaign organiser for the Bob Brown Foundation.
‘Locked away from the view of the public by a network of gates, the ongoing desecration of this precious forest is rampant and must be stopped.’
Today, two activists have each attached themselves to the top of logging machines to prevent logging damage continuing in the forest.
‘The protesters are expected to be arrested and removed by police later today, however, there is another option for the logging machines to be removed from destroying these ancient forests,’ said Dr Searle.
‘We are here today because we want to see an end to native forest logging. Sustainable Timbers Tasmania needs to move out of this area and never return.
‘We are here to expose the ongoing loss of carbon storehouses from Tasmania’s native forests, despite recent IPCC reports stating that any further delay in concerted global action on climate will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future,’ she said.
‘It is now very clearly documented that old forests store massive amounts of carbon from our atmosphere; carbon will not be sequestered if these forests continue to be logged and shredded for pulp and paper,’ concluded Dr Searle.
Bob Brown Foundation Campaign Manager Jenny Weber added, ‘The relentless logging of native forests by Tasmania’s government logging agency for low grade pulp and paper products is for products that last only days or months. Over 90% of native forest recovered from the forest coupe is destined for woodchips or export chip logs.
‘Much of the forest crushed to the ground is left as waste on the forest floor, then incinerated, contributing to a mass amount of carbon released into the atmosphere,’ she said.
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