John Cullen The Mercury 1971
The Mercury newspaper published an article in 1971 entitled: “ONLY 30 YEARS TO DISASTER” – Rural Review: Fauna, forestry
The woodchip industry is seen by many as an answer to Tasmania’s economic problems, but what of the side effects that may be produced? Reporter John Cullen spoke to two leading researchers who are deeply concerned about the future of Tasmania’s fauna and flora.
PINE forests may be economically profitable to Tasmania as reforestation areas when native trees are cleared for woodchips, but they will be biological deserts.
This is the opinion of the Director of the Queen Victoria Museum, Mr W.F. Ellis and staff Zoologist, Mr R. H. Green, who are fighting a valiant battle to preserve records of the island’s unique fauna. They claim that within 30 years much of our bird and animal life will have been swallowed up by the modern environment, and their anxiety is shared by authorities all over the world.
However, despite the urgency of their work of collecting samples and recording their research, they are unable to get Commonwealth assistance, even in a small way.
“My estimate is that we are losing 70,000 acres of native bush every year in Tasmania, and this takes no note of bush fires, “said Mr Ellis.
“I have no estimate of the possible effects of the woodchip industry, but it obviously makes the whole situation imponderably worse.”
“We have about 30 years to make any kind of proper sampling of what the Tasmanian environment once was, because I can’t see any measure to stop the current situation.”
“In the museum, our job is to make a kind of Gallup poll survey of native fauna by preserving it and undertaking a study of it, so people now and in the future can have some knowledge of our unique wild life.”
“It is not simply a matter of collecting animals for the museum showcases, and it is going on continuously, as finances allow.”
“In the past ten years [1961to 1971] we have made studies of areas such as the North-East of the State and the Bass Strait islands where rapid irreversible changes in the environment are occurring,” Mr Ellis said.
“We must assume that these wild life samples may be the last specimens ever taken in Tasmania, as the museums are the only ones doing this type of work, and we must treat it as a matter of the utmost urgency,” Mr Ellis said.
“This is a problem of international significance and needs much more serious attention by the authorities.”
Mr Ellis said the costs of human developments should include a very small element to cover biological surveys and this could be the case in any studies into the woodchip industry.
