It’s been a busy week for Tasmanian forest defenders in the Styx Valley, setting up two blockades in two days as part of the ‘Gunns and Dozers Lose Your Exclusion Tour’.
Yesterday’s work halted construction on a new logging road being pushed into pristine forest near the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Today, two different access points to old growth logging coupe SX10F were blockaded, effectively stopping the destructive logging of ancient forest all day.
See the media releases below…
THURSDAY 24th JANUARY 2008
Tasmanian Activists Highlight Destructive Logging in the Styx Valley
Community activists from Still Wild Still Threatened have halted work on the construction of a new logging road in the Styx Valley today as part of the “Gunns and Dozers Lose Your Exclusion Tour”. The “Gunns and Dozers Lose Your Exclusion Tour” is an awareness raising event highlighting the ancient forest destruction occurring behind locked gates in Tasmania’s Southern Forests. The roading operation will open up more areas of the internationally renowned Valley of the Giants for destructive logging.
“Today’s action highlights the community’s grave concerns with the alarming rate at which Tasmania’s old growth and high conservation value forests are being destroyed behind locked gates all over the state. The ancient forests of the Styx, Weld and Upper Florentine Valleys have been internationally recognised as being of World Heritage Value and yet industrial activity like logging and roading continues everyday” said Still Wild Still Threatened Spokesperson Jess Wright.
“Our ancient forests also play an essential role in the mitigation of dangerous climate change, soaking up and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. At this critical time in the international debate about the massive contribution of forest degradation to climate change, more roading into and logging of our carbon storing forests is the last thing our planet needs” said Jess Wright.
“How much longer will our leaders stay silent and let these climate crimes continue? We are calling on Senator Penny Wong, the Minister for Climate Change and Water to show strong leadership on this issue and act immediately to protect Tasmania’s carbon dense ancient forests” Jess Wright said.
FRIDAY 25th JANUARY
Tasmanian Forest Defenders ‘Lose Their Exclusion’ in the Styx Valley, Tasmania
Community activists from Still Wild Still Threatened have returned to the Styx Valley today, preventing the destruction of ancient forest in old growth logging coupe SX10F as part of the ‘Gunns and Dozers Lose Your Exclusion Tour’. The ‘Gunns and Dozers Lose Your Exclusion Tour’ is an awareness raising event highlighting the ancient forest destruction occurring behind locked gates in Southern Tasmania’s threatened forests. Today’s action comes after forest defenders halted construction on a new logging road into pristine forest near the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area yesterday.
“While the chainsaws and bulldozers have been tearing apart this pristine tract of old growth forest, the public has been denied access to one of the Styx Valley’s most popular tourist attractions, the ancient forest walk known as ‘The Tolkien Track’. It is completely unacceptable that not only is our unique natural heritage being lost forever but the public is missing out on the opportunity to experience ancient forest that isn’t being logged” said Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Jess Wright.
“In this era of dangerous climate change the destructive logging of old growth forest in the Styx Valley is truly a global issue. Studies show that Eucalyptus regnans forests, like those typical of the Styx Valley can store up to 1200 tonnes of carbon per hectare when fully mature*. The logging of these ancient carbon stores releases massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere greatly contributing to climate change.” said Jess Wright.
“Senator Penny Wong has to step up to her responsibility as the Minister for Climate Change and act immediately to protect Tasmania’s carbon storing old forests. Protecting Tasmania’s old growth and high conservation value forests is an essential step in the global challenge to mitigate the effects of dangerous climate change” Jess Wright said.
Two forest defenders are perched high in tree sits attached to structures blocking both access points to the old growth logging coupe SX10F.
Tasmania’s Southern Forests…Still Wild Still Threatened
The Huon Valley Environment Centre
Cool Forests…Conservation cools the planet