Northern Rivers filmmaker Juliet Lamont and local Hamish Paterson have been arrested after locking onto logging machinery to protect the endangered Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle.
Lamont and Paterson locked themselves onto the logging machinery on Wedensday, 10 June in an area of active logging where there are four wedge-tailed eagle nests located within just 1km of the logging taking place. They were accompanied by ten protestors joined two forest defenders.
‘The Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle is endangered, with habitat destruction one of the biggest driving factors behind this endangered status. Eagles, like so many other precious and rare Tasmanian species, need native forests,’ said Lisa Searle, Campaign Organiser with Bob Brown Foundation, at the site of the protest.
Logging increases fire risks
Forest defenders are calling for immediate forest protection as new research by David Lindenmayer and others, published in the leading international journal Nature Communications, corroborates earlier findings that logged and regenerated forests consistently burn at higher severity than intact native forests.
‘In Australia, logged and regenerated native forests are four times more likely to burn than plantations. Logging native forests can no longer be considered sustainable due to its substantial contribution to elevated fire risks. This includes significantly increased risks to human communities living near logged and regenerated native forests,’ states Lindenmayer in the article
As the mother of two daughters Lamont says, ‘I am taking action to amplify our collective need to protect what is left of our precious environment and ensure a sustainable future for all. Even though the dominant narrative labels non-violent direct action as radical, I don’t believe there is anything radical about caring for our forests, its inhabitants, and our shared world. What is radical is standing by and doing nothing.
‘A better world is possible and it can happen when ordinary citizens confront destructive practices head-on. I am here as an act of love, I hope we can join together and fight for environmental justice and our shared humanity,’ she explained.
End all native forest logging
Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaigns Manager said they are calling for an end to all native forest logging.
‘Our foundation is calling for a complete end to all logging in native forests nationwide, and will continue taking action and standing up to defend forests,’ she said.
‘International scientists have proved that the increased risk of wildfire after logging is a clear and present danger. David Lindenmayer’s message to all of us is alarming, and secure protection of all native forests must be granted across the nation.’
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