ON the first anniversary of the Howard/Lennon “Community Forest Agreement” (CFA), newspaper headlines revealed that Gunns Ltd has slashed logging contract business across the state.
A weekend meeting of community conservation organisations condemned the outcome and progress of the CFA.
“The current slashing of logging contracts due to market downturns and squeezed corporate profitability reinforce the need for serious and honest industry restructure. Many have long predicted this situation,” said Phill Pullinger of the Tarkine National Coalition.
A year on from the signing of the agreement, detailed analysis and on the ground observations have shown the agreement to fail many of Prime Minister Howard’s election promises.
Many conservation outcomes have not been delivered.
“In addition to failing to protect areas that were promised, like the Great Western Tiers, The Styx, Upper Florentine and Weld Valleys, this agreement has not ended 1080 poisoning and it has not stopped rapacious landclearing for plantations, especially in Tasmania’s North East Forests,” continued Mr Pullinger.
“This has not ended the forest debate and there are still outstanding areas that need protection in the Tarkine.”
Many of the groups have noticed an intensification of logging operations since the signing of the deal and an increase in the clearing of native forest for plantations.
“Loss of habitat for rare and threatened species is still occurring in irreplaceable forest on public and private land all around Tasmania,” said Helen Gee, spokesperson from the South East Forest Protection Group.
“Deadlines have been delayed and promises have been broken. Community outrage is understandable.”
“While hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars have been invested in the timber industry, we still see a destructive forest industry and little reform in Tasmanian forestry,” concluded Ms Gee.
“This money is being misspent to drive a logging industry agenda, build new roads into untouched areas and run a PR campaign that aims to pull the wool over the public’s eyes and sell the issue as dead and buried.”
This statement and these comments are endorsed by:
South East Forest Protection Group
Save our Sister
Gondwana Forest Sanctuary
Mole Creek Caving Club
Upper Meander Catchment Landcare Group
North East Bioregional Network
Great Western Tiers National Park Campaign
Tarkine National Coalition
Reedy Marsh Forest Conservation Group
Huon Valley Environment Centre
The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc
Friends of the Blue Tier
