Australia: Environment Groups Reject Fraudulent, Pre-Determined
Southern Forest "Agreement"
6/24/99
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Title: Australia: Environment Groups Reject Fraudulent, Pre-
Determined Southern Forest "Agreement"
Source: Friends of the Earth Sydney media release
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: June 24, 1999
Local, regional and peak environment groups today publicly rejected
as fraudulent the NSW government's claimed forest "agreement" model
for the south coast forests. The groups held a campaign meeting at
the sleepy holiday town of Durras last Saturday to consider the fate
of precious and rare south coast forests which are being assessed for
woodchipping this year.
They issued the following statement:
"We do not accept that any system based on 20 years of clearfelling
native forests for woodchips is sustainable forest management.
"It is a legal certainty that the Japanese woodchipping giant
Daishowa will get 20 years of guaranteed access to our forests under
the Regional Forest Agreement model. This is already set in
legislation under Sections 15 and 30 of the Forestry and National
Park Act 1998.
"The same Act (Sections 36 to 40) removes hard won environmental
safeguards in the Threatened Species Act, National Parks and Wildlife
Act, Local Government Act, Environmental Offences Act, Environmental
Planning Act and Wilderness Act.
"This means 'open slather' logging in those forests not protected as
National Parks.
"We demand the government immediately save the forest catchments and
tourism assets in our 14 community reserve proposals and shift
industry into the plantation stockpile" the groups concluded.
Comment:
- Tim O'Rourke, Vice-President, South East Forest Conservation
Council...........6496 7036
- Harriet Swift,
ChipStop....................................0414 908 997 / 64923267
- Indra Esguerra, Cons. Council of SE Region &
Canberra.............................6262 8488
- Richard Barcham, Bega Environment
Centre............................................6492 3385
- Peter Evans, Peak Alone-Wandella Catchment
Association............................6493 7253
- Gerhard Weidman, ForestCare
Australia.................................................6496 7094
- Gus Gulson, Old Growth Preservation
Society...........................................9876 6424
- Tom McLoughlin, Friends of the Earth/Southern Forest
Alliance.....................9283 2004
- Frank Miller, FoE Southern
Tablelands.................................................4884 4427
- Michael Canopy, FoE
Shoalhaven.................................................4446 6477
- Elizabeth Cook, Eurobodalla
Greens.....................................................4474 2900
- Catherine Moore, Braidwood
Greens.....................................................4842 8055
- Kath Friehaut, Bega
Greens....................................................6494 0145