Pic: Bob Brown
Today marks four weeks since conservationist Miranda Gibson set foot on the ground. Miranda Gibson, spokesperson for Still Wild Still Threatened, has spent the past four weeks 60 meters above the ground in the upper canopy of Mount Mueller’s forests, in Southern Tasmania. Miranda has vowed to remain at the top of the tree until Prime Minister Julia Gillard honours her word to protect the area in a conservation agreement.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard will be in Tasmania this coming weekend and Miranda Gibson has written to personally invite her to visit The Observer Tree.
“This morning I have written to the Prime Minister, inviting her to come and see for herself this forest that she promised to protect. This area has become known as “Julia’s Forest” in recognition of the role that Julia Gillard plays in the fate of these trees. The decision is in her hands, to keep her word and protect this forest, or to leave as her legacy a clear-fell and a failed promise” said Ms Gibson.
“I have been at the top of this tree for four weeks now. I am committed to remaining up here to watch over this forest, because the government has failed to do so itself. Logging is due to begin again next Monday. For this reason the Prime Minister’s visit is very timely. This is an opportunity for Julia Gillard to step in and halt any further destruction of the 430,000 hectares of forest that she promised would receive an immediate conservation agreement” said Ms Gibson.
“The Prime Minister’s failure to protect these forests places into question the very integrity of our democracy if the leader of our country can sign a document and then fail to deliver on that agreement” said Ms Gibson.
The letter Miranda Gibson sent to the Prime Minister:
Dear Prime Minister Julia Gillard,
My name is Miranda Gibson. As you may be aware, I am currently sitting at the top of a tree in the middle of a forest that you promised would be in a conservation agreement.
This tree, known as The Observer Tree, has been my home for the past four weeks. I have been sitting here in order to watch over this forest, because the government has failed to do so itself.
This forest I have named “Julia’s Forest” – named after yourself. I have chosen to call it this because I would like to acknowledge the role that you are playing in the fate of its future. The choice is yours, Prime Minister, as to whether Julia’s Forest remains standing as a magnificent legacy to success of the Tasmanian Forest Inter-Governmental Agreement, which you signed. Or if it is left to be a burning clear-fell, a legacy of failed government promises.
When you signed the TFIGA, you were making a commitment to ensure an immediate conservation agreement was placed over 430,000 hectares of forest in Tasmania. There are no excuses for the failure to implement this crucial step. With the schedulers report completed, it is time to enact clause 27 of the agreement, giving compensation to any contracts that cannot be met outside the 430,000 and moving this forest immediately into a conservation agreement.
I have vowed to remain at the top of this tree until you have honoured the promise you made to the Australian people and protect this forest from imminent destruction. The logging is due to being again on January 16th. I urge you to step in, honour your word, and halt logging of this area. Your visit to Tasmania this weekend is therefore very timely.
I am formally inviting you to visit Julia’s Forest while you are in Tasmania this weekend. Please come and see for yourself the forest that you have made a promise to protect and you will see what we are at risk of losing if that agreement is not met.
I would also like to invite you to discuss these matters with me in person. You would be more than welcome to visit The Observer Tree to do so. Alternatively I am happy to arrange a conversation via Skype, at your convenience.
I truly hope that, for the very integrity of our democracy, you will honour the agreement that you have signed your name to. Please, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, protect our precious forests before it is too late.
I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully discussing these matters further.
Yours sincerely,
Miranda Gibson
Still Wild Still Threatened
• PRIME MINISTER STILL SHIRKING COMMITMENTS UNDER IGA
Tim Morris MP
Greens Acting Leader
The Tasmanian Greens today said that Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown’s decision to suspend his weekly meetings with the Prime Minister was understandable, given growing frustration over the lack of progress in implementing the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA).
Greens Acting Leader Tim Morris MP said Senator Brown’s actions were a means of highlighting the Prime Minister’s failure to progress the conservation goals outlined in the agreement.
“The Prime Minister signed the IGA in August last year, which required the immediate protection of 430,000 hectares of high conservation value forests under a Conservation Agreement,” Mr Morris said.
“It’s now more than five months since the document was signed, and logging is continuing inside the 430,000 identified hectares.”
“Irrespective of the outcomes of the verification report, the agreement requires those forests to be protected as Informal Reserves, and the Greens’ expect this commitment to be upheld.”
“If existing logging contracts cannot be met with timber from outside the 430,000 hectares, then the agreement requires the payment of compensation, not continued logging,” Mr Morris said.
• Jenny Webber, Huon Valley Environment Centre: New logging target in Weld Valley, Prime Minister continues to fail on forest protection
Huon Valley Environment Centre is urging for the immediate protection of all the forest inside the nominated 430 000ha, as promised by the Federal and State Government, after activists discovered new roading tags which target wilderness forests in the Weld Valley.
‘The beautiful fern filled forests along Barnback creek in the Weld Valley appear to be the next target for Forestry Tasmania. These forests will go to feed the mill of Malaysian logging giant Ta Ann.
Sadly, this is just another example of the broken promise by PM Julia Gillard that high conservation value forests such as these should be under moratorium. The Intergovernmental Agreement has failed on delivering any conservation outcomes,’ Huon Valley Environment Centre’s Jenny Weber said.
Logging is due to resume in the high conservation value forests in Tasmania in the next week, and Huon Valley Environment Centre is keeping a watchful eye on old growth forests in the Picton and Weld valleys that are in Forestry Tasmania’s plan to be logged.
Forestry Tasmania is planning to push a 2.5km road in to high conservation value forests in the Weld Valley, forest that flanks the Barnback creek. This new road would be pushed off Eric Pettets rd, a logging road that was built after the Huon Valley Environment Centre’s Weld Ark blockade was demolished in 2006. Barnback Creek is a 6km tributary of the Weld River, logging is proposed for 70 hectares of previously unroaded forest.
‘Prime Minister Gillard needs to honour her word and implement a conservation agreement on all the forests within the nominated 430,000ha of high conservation value forests. Logging will continue to see endangered species and valuable carbon sinks lost for the Borneo timber barons, Ta Ann,’ Jenny Weber said.
• Bob Brown: PM, Premier dishonour agreement
Prime Minister Gillard and Premier Giddings committed to “immediately” reserve Tasmania’s High Conservation Value forests last August, backed by the logging industry and environmentalists, but since then some 10 square kilometres of the forests have been destroyed and another 10 square kilometres is earmarked for immediate destruction”, Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said.
This includes the coupe under Mt Mueller where Miranda Gibson, in her tree-sit, is keeping vigil.
“The Prime Minister and Premier should honour their own agreement. The spoilers at Forestry Tasmania and the Malaysian logging juggernaut Ta Ann should be evicted from this 430,000 hectares rather than allowed chainsaw right through the middle of the agreement”, Senator Brown said.
“When that happens my routine meetings with PM Gillard can happily get under way again,” Senator Brown said. “Meanwhile I will continue to discuss all issues with the Prime Minister as needed.”
For more information on Miranda Gibson see http://observertree.org/
