It could all fall apart
- Posted by
- Kate
Dear Friend,
Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett is flying from Hobart to Canberra this morning on an urgent mission to end the conflict over Tasmania’s native forests. He carries with him the unprecedented backing of the forest industry, timber communities, unions and our partners in the conservation movement through a new ‘Statement of Principles’ that would see industrial logging of Tassie’s native forests come to an end.
After 30 years of community conflict and the decimation of Tasmania’s native forests, there’s finally hope for healing the old wounds and scarred wilderness. But it will all fall apart unless the Commonwealth signs up. That will require a considerable financial investment, which won’t happen without a nationwide movement behind it.
That’s why it’s essential for us to show immediate support from across Australia for this historic agreement by getting 50,000 signatures on the Australian Native Forests Charter. Click below and take one moment to help resolve a 30 year struggle:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveOurForests
If realised, the Statement of Principles will protect Tasmania’s native forests, lead to a significant reduction in Australia’s carbon emissions (equal to emissions from 9 of our dirtiest coal fired power plants each year)1 and help make Tasmania’s timber industry environmentally and economically sustainable.
Tens of thousands of GetUp members already signed up to the Australian Native Forests Charter. It was a fantastic show of support for our friends at the Wilderness Society, the Australian Conservation Foundation and Environment Tasmania as they worked tirelessly to secure the Statement of Principles on behalf of the conservation movement.
Those Principles call for a moratorium on logging in high conservation value forests within 3 months, but the clock won’t start ticking until the Commonwealth signs on. For that we need to take the Charter to new heights, with 50,000 signatures from Australians across the country calling for forest protection:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveOurForests
Majestic in their beauty, our native forests are home to unique and vibrant wildlife, provide a pure source of water and serve as the green lungs of our nation, absorbing the carbon pollution we’ve yet to control.
The agreement reached this week could see them protected and renewed, but only with federal government support.
Thank you for adding your name,
The GetUp Team
PS – There is no support for the proposed Gunns Pulp Mill in the Statement of Principles announced this week. There is recognition of the need for a pulp mill for industry, but one which involves “stakeholder engagement with the proponent, [environmental groups] and the community.” The proposed pulp mill for the Tamar Valley does not meet those criteria and does not have the support of the conservation movement.
1 BG Mackey, H Keith, SL Berry and DB Lindenmayer, ‘Green Carbon, the role of natural forests in carbon storage’, ANU E Press, 2008.
