ACTION ALERT
FORWARD WIDELY!
Australian Forest Victory Welcomed
Further Protest Needed to End Ancient Forest Loss
By Forests.org
http://forests.org , a project of Ecological Internet, Inc.
May 16, 2005
TAKE ACTION
Let Australian government know the Tasmania forest issue is not settled, industrial development of ancient forests must be halted.
http://forests.org/action/alert.asp?id=australia
The Australian government has bowed to intense domestic and international pressure and agreed to protect large swathes of the highly threatened Tasmanian forests. These ancient forests - containing massive eucalyptus trees - have astonishingly long been clearcut to produce paper pulp, mostly for the Japanese market. The plan will establish approximately 150,000 hectares of public land in new reserves, including about 120,000 of old-growth forest. Clearfelling is to be reduced significantly but not eliminated, though conversion of native forest to plantation is to end in 2010. All of the much publicized Tarkine temperate rainforest wilderness will be protected, but only half of the Styx Valley, which contains some of the oldest and largest trees in the world. Much of the rest of the state remains a "woodchip wonderland". The announcement included much talk of ending conflict about Tasmania's forests, but this is NOT the case. This plan does not go far enough and the campaign to protect Tasmania's ancient forests continues. Ancient forests will still be logged, even clearcut, for a throw away consumer products. This is unacceptable. Forests.org's first email action alert was in 1993 on behalf of the Tarkine temperate rainforests which were protected under this plan. Our network has issued half a dozen action alerts and circulated local campaign materials to our huge network for years. The Tasmanian forest campaign continues apace, albeit with a few victory notches under our belt. Take action now at
http://forests.org/action/alert.asp?id=australia
Networked by Forests.org, Inc., gbarry@forests.org
