… BUT FULL BAN ACROSS BREEDING HABITAT NEEDED
A cautious welcome is given to an announcement in the Tasmanian Parliament of a moratorium on logging Swift Parrot habitat on Bruny Island by Markets for Change, but concerns remain about the restriction of the ban to Bruny Island and about the duration of the moratorium.
“Thankfully there is an interim reprieve for the Swift Parrot on Bruny Island where eleven planned logging operations are now on hold in recognition that continued logging of the bird’s breeding habitat has led to their recent international listing as critically endangered on the IUCN RED list, and that predation by the introduced sugar glider has further impacted the species” Markets For Change CEO Peg Putt said.
“This is a good first step, but not sufficient to ensure the survival of this beautiful small bird which needs logging halted across all of its breeding habitat to ensure its survival, which means also ending logging its habitat in the southern forests and ensuring that logging doesn’t resume at Wielangta.”
“A key issue here is that the Minister announced a moratorium and not an outright ban on logging, despite the fact that logging is listed as the key threatening process. Threats posed by the sugar glider have compounded the problem.”
“There seems to be a suggestion that after preparation of some type of recovery plan or management plan for the species logging may resume on Bruny, but that’s not acceptable if we are committed to see this species survive and flourish.”
“Quite simply, we can’t go on allowing logging and expect to get a different result – this form of management has seen the bird become increasingly endangered.”
“The markets also will not accept product implicated in the endangerment and loss of species, especially an iconic species such as the Swift Parrot, so customers companies of Forestry Tasmania also have an interest in ensuring the logging ceases in all the breeding habitat of the bird,” Ms Putt said.
Markets For Change CEO Peg Putt
