Forest skillshare shows community commitment to protecting forests

Next week a collaboration of forest groups will conduct a Forest Skillshare in southern Tasmania, featuring workshops and talks about the campaign to protect Australia’s native forests.

“The forest skillshare will feature a week of workshops about the forest and forest ecology, current threats to forests including plans by the Liberal government to allow logging of the recently extended Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and effective ways of building the campaign to see better protection for Australia’s native forests” said Miranda Gibson of Still Wild Still Threatened.

“This is an opportunity for people to come together and strengthen their knowledge and understanding about the forest campaign. There will also be talks about forest ecology, the impact of current industrial logging practices, the growing threat of biomass to our native forests and training sessions on threatened species monitoring” said Ms Gibson.

“Over 60 people attended a similar skillshare last month in Victoria, showing the determination of the community to take a stand for Australian native forests. Fearless Summer is bringing together groups from around the country in a co-ordinated effort to highlight the need for native forest protection right across Australia” said Ms Gibson.

“These skillshares are about empowering community members to take informed, peaceful and effective action on an issue that is clearly important to them. What we see in Tasmania is the ongoing destruction of our native forests, but we also see a community that is determined to ensure that our precious forests are protected and stay protected into the future” said Ms Gibson.

“The Tasmanian Forest Agreement failed to adequately protect our native forests and now the Liberals are promising to undo what little protection we do have, as well as impost draconian mandatory prison sentences on community members who try to protect our forests, so of course the community are going to stand together.

“Next week’s skillshare is a testament to the fact that people are willing to engage and will continue to engage in peaceful community protest to defend our forests” said Ms Gibson.

Still Wild Still Threatened is a grassroots community organisation campaigning for the immediate protection of Tasmania’s native forests and the creation of an equitable and environmentally sustainable forestry industry in Tasmania.

www.stillwildstillthreatened.org
stillwildstillthreatened@gmail.com

PO Box 295. South Hobart TAS 7004

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Miranda Gibson, spokesperson for Still Wild Still Threatened