Peter Power
“Forestry Tasmania are claiming that they withdrew their membership due to costs, this is an outright lie, I have written proof such as emails to Stephen Pahl the CEO that FT was discredited and they are lying to the Tasmania public about the true reasons they were discredited,” Peter Power said.
Peter Power
Rainbow Retreat Wilderness Eco Cabins
Wildlife Tasmania
P O Box 195
St Marys 7215
0417017105
21/06/2008
MEDIA RELEASE: FORESTRY DUMPED BY ECOTOURISM AUSTRALIA
Tasmanian Tourism Outlet proof of Eco Tourism Australia Discrediting Forestry Tasmania
“Forestry Tasmania have claimed that they were not discredited by EcoTourism Australia. As the co owner of Rainbow Retreat Wilderness Eco Cabins and the spokesperson for Wildlife Tasmania, I initiated the move by EcoTourism to discredit Forestry, as I was concerned that Forestry was accredited as a Eco Tourism business,” Rainbow Retreat Wilderness Eco Cabins and Wildlife Tasmania Spokesperson Peter Power said.
“I was astounded to find Forestry Tasmania was accredited by Ecotourism Australia. I have been lobbying Stephen Pahl the Eco Tourism Australia CEO for over 6 months, finally the board of Eco Tourism caved in and decided to move and take Forestry off their website and cancel Forestry Tasmania’s accreditation,” Peter Power said.
“Forestry Tasmania are claiming that they withdrew their membership due to costs, this is an outright lie, I have written proof such as emails to Stephen Pahl the CEO that FT was discredited and they are lying to the Tasmania public about the true reasons they were discredited,” Peter Power said.
Earlier
Huon Valley Environment Centre
20 June 2008
Media Release
Ecotourism body dumps Forestry Tasmania
Environment group applauds decertification
Australia’s premier eco-tourism accreditation body has dumped Forestry Tasmania from its eco-certified tourism listing. Ecotourism Australia removed Forestry Tasmania’s listing from their website last week.
Forestry Tasmania previously had tourism products, including the Tahune Air Walk, accredited by Ecotourism Australia. Huon Valley Environment Centre members contacted Ecotourism Australia yesterday to confirm the action.
“We telephoned Ecotourism Australia and they confirmed that Forestry Tasmania has been de-listed. We understand that this decertification has come about because Forestry Tasmania does not meet the operating standards required for ecotourism certification,” said Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Jenny Weber.
“The Huon Valley Environment Centre applauds Ecotourism Australia for taking this decision to reclaim the credibility of the Ecotourism certification process and logo. Forestry Tasmania’s broader business operations are clearly not consistent with the principles of ecotourism,”Jenny Weber said.
“We believe that Forestry’s de-listing has come about as a result of their unsustainable logging practices. It is a clear indication that Forestry Tasmania’s destructive old growth logging is undermining its other business activities, as well as the the broader Tasmanian brand,”
Jenny Weber said.
“Today, Forestry Tasmania is pushing ahead with plans to log wilderness forests in the Weld Valley, which had previously been promoted as a tourism destination and is just a few kilometers from its star tourism venture, the Tahune Airwalk,” Jenny Weber said.
“We hope that, in the not too distant future, FT will stop logging old growth and High Conservation Value forests, and can be recertified by Eco-Tourism Australia,” Jenny Weber said.
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Jenny Weber
Huon Valley Environment Centre
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Friday, 20 June 2008
Media Release: Huon Valley Environment Centre
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*Forestry Tasmania caught out on Tourism Certification claims*
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“We stand by our original statement that Forestry Tasmania has lost its certification as an accredited Eco-tourism operator because of its extreme logging practices,” said Jenny Weber spokesperson for Huon Valley Environment Centre.
“Correspondence from Eco-tourism Australia to an HVEC member clearly states that Forestry Tasmania does not meet the criteria for certification. This directly contradicts Ken Jeffrey’s claims that the certification has been dropped by Forestry Tasmania by their own instigation,” said Ms Weber
Attached is correspondence with Eco-Tourism
Contact: Jenny Weber, Huon Valley Environment Centre.
