Forest defender arrested as activists halt work on road to climate chaos in the Styx Valley, Tasmania

2008-05-20

South Styx action2008-05-20
This morning, forest activists halted work on the construction of a new ‘road to climate chaos’ in the Styx Valley to highlight community concerns with the continued destruction of Tasmania’s ancient forests. Activists are halting roading operations which, if completed, will access significant tracts of giant eucalypt forest in close proximity to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area boundary. A female activist, who had been attached to roading machinery for over 9 hours was arrested this afternoon. Police arrived at the site, located near Jubilee Road in the South Styx, around 9am. The activist was cut off the machine at approximately 2pm and was arrested and charged by local police officers.

“Once again, Forestry Tasmania is using taxpayers money to smash new roads through some of our most unique and irreplaceable ecosystems. This road to climate chaos in the South Styx will enable woodchipping barons Gunns Ltd. to devastate some of the island’s most carbon rich old growth forests” said Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Ula Majewski.

“The Rudd Government must take decisive action and put an immediate stop to these environmentally criminal acts, rather than standing back and endorsing the large scale woodchipping and torching of some of our most precious natural heritage. In this era of increasingly dangerous climate change, the destruction of Tasmania’s ancient forests is a global issue” said Miss Majewski.

Forest defenders will continue to take peaceful action against the continued decimation of Tasmania’s globally significant old growth forests.

http://www.myspace.com/stillwildstillthreatened
http://campflorentine@gmail.com