No need to destroy pristine rainforest

Dr Phill Pullinger, President, Tarkine National Coalition MR
Conservationists have made a detailed submission to the Tasmanian government outlining a number of Tarkine loop road and tourism infrastructure options that would have the support of conservationists if funded by the government with the $23 million Tarkine tourism funding. The only tourism option for the Tarkine region that conservationists don’t support is Forestry Tasmania’s Tarkine road proposal due to its impact on wilderness rainforest in the heart of the Tarkine and its negative impact on existing tourism businesses.

MEDIA RELEASE: 9/12/2008

CONSERVATIONISTS OUTLINE TARKINE ROAD & TOURISM OPTIONS
– No need to destroy pristine rainforest
Conservationists have made a detailed submission to the Tasmanian government outlining a number of Tarkine loop road and tourism infrastructure options that would have the support of conservationists if funded by the government with the $23 million Tarkine tourism funding. The only tourism option for the Tarkine region that conservationists don’t support is Forestry Tasmania’s Tarkine road proposal due to its impact on wilderness rainforest in the heart of the Tarkine and its negative impact on existing tourism businesses.

“What we wanted to make clear to the government is that we absolutely support the injection of $23 million into tourism in the Tarkine region, but we’ve got to be sensible about the way that we do things. There are dozens of great tourism infrastructure projects for the Tarkine region that the government could fund including tourism loop roads, visitor-centres, walks and heritage trails, that could deliver jobs, increased tourist visitation, support for existing tourism operators, and essential facilities and services,” said Dr Phill Pullinger, President of the Tarkine National Coalition, “These proposals would have 100% support from conservationists”.

“The only proposal that we don’t support – is the proposal to give all of the tourism funding for the whole Tarkine region to Forestry Tasmania to bulldoze a road through pristine rainforests in the heart of the Tarkine, ruining existing high quality tourism operators in the process. That proposal would actually threaten to damage and destroy the very wilderness and wildlife values that tourists want to be kept intact,”

“We absolutely support the development of good tourism infrastructure in and around the Tarkine – but we musn’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg. You wouldn’t bulldoze a road through Cradle Mountain in the name of tourism, and we shouldn’t be bulldozing new roads through pristine rainforest in the Tarkine. It is crucially important that the Premier and relevant ministers meet with all stakeholders in the Tarkine region, not just Forestry Tasmania,” he concluded.

The Tarkine is a 447,000 hectare wilderness area that is home to more than 60 species of threatened plants and animals, and contains Australia’s largest temperate rainforest.