Will Mooney*
LAST WEEK Kevin Rudd announced that an elected ALP would not put any more of Tasmania’s old growth and high conservation value forests into reserves …
This policy represents the ALP’s active support for the ongoing clearfelling, firebombing and woodchipping of pristine wilderness forests such as the Lower Weld, Upper Florentine and North
East forests. It is also represents a major failure to acknowledge the role of old growth forests in storing vast amounts of carbon.
Tell Rudd and Garrett, THIS IS NOT GOOD POLICY.
Read the letter pasted below and consider using the points or preparing your own letter to Rudd and Garrett.
Email your letters to: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Better still: give them a call and tell them what you think.
Kevin Rudd: (02) 6277 4022
Peter Garret: (02) 6277 2037
Sample Letter:
Dear Kevin and Peter
I was surprised and disappointed to hear of your recent announcement outlining the ALP’s continued support for the destructive logging of Tasmania’s High Conservation Value forests. I believe that your policy represents a complete failure of leadership. The ALP has developed a reputation as a party that cares about Australia’s Heritage. You have irreparably damaged that reputation.
Pristine wilderness forests in Tasmania face escalating destruction, clearfelling and firebombing. A proposed pulp mill in the State’s North and plans for a wood-fired power station in the south will
exacerbate this problem.
Taxpayers dollars provided through the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement are being used to bulldoze new roads into remote and sensitive areas of rainforest. Australian Taxpayers do not want their money spent on this environmental vandalism.
The Federal Court of Australia, in a recent judgement, found that logging in Tasmanian forests poses a serious threat to communities of the endangered Wedge Tailed Eagle, Swift Parrot and Stag Beetle. Similarly, the World Heritage Committee has unanimously expressed concern that logging operations along the boundaries of the Tasmanian Wilderness Worl Heritage Area pose a threat to the values and integrity of the TWWHA. A delegation will be visiting Tasmania in the next sixth months to assess these threats.
A growing body of peer-reviewed research proves that old growth forests represent outstanding carbon sinks. Scientists are recognising that protecting existing old growth forests will deliver greater
climate benefits that growing new forests or plantations. Old forests can store in excess of 1200 tonnes of carbon per hectare. Sequestration can continue even in old forests because carbon is
continually cycled and stored in soils. Studies show that logging old growth forests and converting them to regrowth managed on 80-100 year rotations leads to massive carbon losses to the atmosphere.
The Australian and International community is outraged by the ongoing treatment of Tasmania’s forests. I believe that the ALP has lost a chance to show real leadership on this crucial environmental issue.
Your actions have prompted me to withdraw any support for the ALP in the upcoming election.
Sincerely
(*Huon Valley Environment Centre)
