COFFS Coast environmental groups were represented at a two-day meeting last week that aimed to end native forest logging.
Australian national environment and climate groups and regional and grassroots forest organisations met to collaborate on a national campaign to protect native forests by ending logging, clearing and conversion.
Tim Cadman, Ashley Love and Meredith Stanton travelled to Canberra to attend the meeting, hosted by The Australia Institute.
Forest campaigners from Western Australia, ACT, Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and Queensland called on federal and state governments for:
– An immediate end to native forest logging, clearing and conversion.
– Permanent protection of native forests nationwide, with strong national environment laws to safeguard forests and wildlife.
– An end to carbon and biodiversity offsets generated from public native forests, and
– Genuine climate action that protects forests, rather than treating them as offsets for new fossil fuel emissions.
“Conservation of forests is one of the best ways we have to arrest climate change,” former Environment Minister Bob Debus told the meeting.
“Strong community support will be the best way to get political action.”
The meeting adopted the Forest Protection Principles, a shared roadmap to protect and restore Australia’s native forests.
Its principles outline a long-term vision for Australia’s forests, one where native forest logging and clearing has ended, ecosystems are restored, First Nations rights and leadership are respected, and forests are valued for the benefits they provide to people, wildlife and the climate.
Coffs Coast groups that joined more than 50 signatories to the meeting’s resolutions included Bellingen Environment Centre (NSW), Friends of Coffs Coast Koalas, Friends of Dorrigo Koalas, Friends of Kalang Headwaters, Friends of Newry, Friends of Orara, and Friends of Tuckers Nob.
“For those of us who have struggled to get our issues aired, we finally feel we have a voice,” Dr Cadman said
“In NSW, since the announcement of the GKNP and the disastrous use of carbon credits to fund it, not only does the proposed GKNP not protect koalas, but the carbon credit scheme is actually a logging strategy.
“Across the nation, so many people want to protect forests in their own right, not as some sort of market scam.”
By Andrew VIVIAN
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