Media Release
Four Arrests in Tasmania's Threatened Old Growth Southern Forests
29.01.07

Forest defenders in Tasmania's Lower Weld and Upper Florentine Valley's have locked down machinery to halt logging operations in old growth forest promised for protection by the Howard government.

"In the lower Weld an activist is suspended in a tree sit attached to three quarrying machines, preventing the transportation of materials to a roading site, while in the Upper Florentine, three activists are locked on to machinery in Coupe FO42F", Spokesperson Huon Valley Environment Centre Spokesperson Jenny Weber said.

"The devastation caused by forestry operations in the Lower Weld and Upper Florentine serve as a testament to John Howard's broken promises. Despite promises at the last federal election to protect World Heritage valued forest in these areas, taxpayer's money allocated after the election is being misused to destroy remote wilderness ecosystems" said Still Wild Still Threatened Campaign Spokesperson Ula Majewski.

"The recent Wielangta judgement casts a shadow of doubt over the legality of logging in these forests which contain habitat for endangered species such as the Wedge Tailed Eagle, Grey Goshawk and Myrtle Elbow Orchid. We call on the Coalition Government to police it's own laws and honor it's promise to the Australian people by protecting the high conservation value forests of the Weld and Upper Florentine," Jenny Weber said.

"The Lennon & Howard Governments has launched an assault on Tasmania's last remaining unprotected wilderness forests. Activists have joined forces in an attempt to prevent this land grab." Said Ula Majewski

"Kevin Rudd's Labor opposition must also hold the Howard Government to account for breaking these key promises which contributed to their reelection in 2004."