Southern Tasmania Spring D.A. Update
Little Denison – April
Over 80 people attended community protests over three days (April 27th-29th) in one of the last patches of high-density old growth forest in the Little Denison Valley, Southern Tasmania.
The 1000 hectare area, which will be partially cable-logged, is a nesting site for the critically endangered Tasmanian Wedge-Tailed Eagle and the endemic Denison Burrowing Crayfish.
Sunday 27th, saw 60 community members attend an Open Day facilitated by the Huon Valley Environment Centre (HVEC), where people witnessed the bleak expanse where 300 year old trees are being dynamited and cut down for the world’s largest hardwood woodchipper, Gunns Limited. That night, 20 activists remained in the forest.
The first morning rays shone upon an occupied platform, suspended 60 metres up a Eucalyptus, and the glint of a lock-on and logging machine contriving a scheme of stagnation. Four forest activists were arrested; threats of physical violence and pepper spray were made by the Police – a worrying escalation in a recent trend. Blockading continued into the third day, eventually resulting in the tree-sitter’s arrest.
Weld Valley – June
In 2006 Forestry Tasmania (FT) claimed that they were “developing a touring route that will make the Weld Valley accessible to all visitors”. Two years on and the road to the Weld is still closed to all traffic but log trucks, and FT’s advertised bus tours still haven’t started.
In fact, their actions are in total opposition to their stated tourist intentions.
In early June, roading began into pristine native forest, with full scale logging operations to follow. This tract of forest is directly adjacent to the wild and well-loved Weld River & Fletcher’s Eddy.
In immediate response 25 people conducted a walk-in along the new road, the first forest protest under the reign of the new Premier, David Bartlett. While an activist locked-on to a gravel truck, Premier Bartlett declared his continued support for native forest destruction.
Giant Garrett – National – June 5th
A National Day of Action highlighting the Australian Labor Party’s (ALP) failure to protect Tasmania’s ancient forests. Hobart, Melbourne, Canberra, Newcastle, Brisbane and Darwin all targeted Environment Minister Peter Garrett’s support for the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (TRFA) and Gunns Ltd.’s proposed pulp mill, with giant effigies of Garrett as a ‘climate criminal’.
ALP Environment Offices – Sydney – July 4th
Activists scaled the exterior of Environment Minister, Peter Garrett’s 6 storey office building to hang a banner reading ‘The Australian Government is Destroying Tasmania’s Old Growth Forests’ and a 5 metre high ‘Giant Garrett’ puppet.
“Peter Garrett and the ALP pay lip service to climate change and environmental protection while actively sanctioning the destruction of ancient, carbon dense forests. As we speak, the World Heritage Committee meeting in Canada is considering the
impacts of logging on wilderness forests in Southern Tasmania, with Minister Garrett’s office actively siding with the forestry industry in this matter,” a SWST spokesperson said.
5 Tasmanian forest activists were arrested, after a heavy handed police response to the peaceful occupation.
For further info & updates visit
www.huon.org
www.myspace.com/stillwildstillthreatened
www.huon.org/swstautumn.pdf
www.coolforests.org