Environment Tasmania MR
As you may be aware, environment groups in Tasmania have united recently to propose a solution to the ongoing Tasmanian forest debate. We are writing to ask you to sign on to an open letter (the text of which is attached and below) of support for this important proposal. We will be publishing this open letter to Premier Bartlett and Prime Minister Rudd in a full page advertisment in the Mercury newspaper as soon as possible. We will also be using this open letter in an ongoing campaign to collect as many signatures as possible.
Dear friends,
How are you? As you may be aware, environment groups in Tasmania have united recently to propose a solution to the ongoing Tasmanian forest debate.
We are writing to ask you to sign on to an open letter (the text of which is attached and below) of support for this important proposal.
We will be publishing this open letter to Premier Bartlett and Prime Minister Rudd in a full page advertisment in the Mercury newspaper as soon as possible. We will also be using this open letter in an ongoing campaign to collect as many signatures as possible.
If you are happy to sign on and have your name published, please reply with your name and organisation/occupation (or other relevant information).
Please reply as soon as possible as we hope to have the first advertisment published within a week and a half. If you can please forward this letter on to others who may be interested in signing or if you can make a donation towards its publishing it would be greatly appreciated.
We hope you are enjoying your day and are very appreciative of your support.
For the forests and with best regards,
Phill Pullinger
Director
Environment Tasmania Inc
Tasmania’s Conservation Council
Donate online to the first legal challenge to the Tasmanian Government’s assessment of Gunns’ pulp mill at:
www.et.org.au
T (03) 6224 6319
A PO Box 1073 Hobart TAS 7001
An open letter to Prime Minister the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP and Tasmanian Premier the Hon. David Bartlett MHA
Dear Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Premier David Bartlett,
Environment groups have collectively proposed a mediated dialogue involving your offices that seeks to resolve the conflict over Tasmania’s forests.
After decades of divisive debate, a unique opportunity to rationally discuss a solution to the Tasmanian forest conflict has been proposed and requires your urgent attention.
We believe that Australians and Tasmanians want to see an end to the destruction of our precious native forests. Our forests are working every day, filtering our water, storing carbon and fostering biodiversity.
Ongoing plans to log and burn these forests will impact upon the global community. Logging primary or old growth forests permanently reduces the carbon stored in that forest by 40-60%, worsening climate change.
Logging contractors are not well served by the current situation. A global economic down turn will see demand for timber products decline and a continuation of the loss of jobs from the forestry sector
Tasmanian forest contractors are now seeking assistance to exit the industry.
We support a moratorium on logging and roading operations in old growth and high-conservation-value forest areas as put forward by Tasmanian community groups, scientific experts and the wider global community including the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
A rare opportunity exists for enlightened leadership that will move Tasmania into a truly environmentally, economically and socially sustainable future.
We, the undersigned Australians, stress the urgency of this call for a socially and environmentally responsible solution to this long-running conflict. We implore you to accept the proposal to talk and help Tasmania heal the community divisions over the logging of our forests.
