Local forest and wildlife protectors gathered at Richmond MP Justine Elliot’s office in Tweed Heads on Friday to call for immediate protection of remaining public native forests.
The rally was part of a nation-wide call to end native forest logging, with Northern Rivers locals adding their voices to the growing call to securely protect our remaining forests for public good.
Speakers at the rally highlighted the need to lock in real timeframes for transition away from native forest logging, to a fully plantation based timber industry. ‘The transition needs to start immediately to ensure our native forests are securely protected prior to the next federal election, and we need to ensure that no further public funding goes into propping up this dinosaur industry,’ said Valerie Thompson.
‘We call on Justine Elliot to support this position at the forthcoming national Labor conference, so that her words get matched by real action on climate.’
With the recent loss of ancient forest pockets in the Gully of the Giants at Doubleduke, and the impending logging of koala habitat in amongst the burnt forests at Braemar and Myrtle State Forests, activists say this change couldn’t come soon enough for the region.
A fighting chance
‘We need to give our koalas, yellow-bellied gliders, great owls and other iconic forest species a fighting chance to survive in these changing environmental conditions,’ said local Bob Brown Foundation organiser Violet.
‘Adding logging into the mix is a very bad idea whose time is well and truly up,’ she added.
‘Securing forest protection is real climate action and will take forest species off the path to extinction,’ said Jenny Webber of the Bob Brown Foundation. ‘It’s a crucial time for people to stand up for native forest protection to end the destruction, and demand action to save what is left of our forests and wildlife.’
The Tweed event was followed by an End Native Forest logging rally in Lismore on Saturday.
Environmental statesman Bob Brown also addressed the national rallies. ‘Knowing that there are more than enough plantations to meet all of Australia’s wood needs, are we going to be the generation to put a stop to the forest carnage?’ he asked.
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