Conservationists call for immediate Red Gum logging moratorium

The Wilderness Society Sydney Inc.
Media Release
10 March 2010

The Wilderness Society today called for an immediate logging moratorium in those forests proposed to be protected as part of the NSW’s Government Red Gum decision.

Last week the NSW Government announced that these forests would be protected as National Parks, Regional Parks and Indigenous Protected areas from the 1st of Julyt 2010.

“It is ludicrous that these areas should continue to be patch clearfelled until the day before they are to be permanently protected.” said Peter Cooper, Campaigner for The Wilderness Society.

“These are extremely stressed ecosystems, with large areas dying out due to a lack of water. Premier Keneally must immediately remove all logging from areas that are to be protected to give these forests the best chance for future survival. It makes no sense to continue to destroy the very areas that government will very soon protect”

Previous studies have shown that logging has had a very detrimental effect on the forests, with the Federal Government finding that logging is having a “significant impact on the habitat of nationally listed threatened species.”

“Now that government has finally agreed to protect these forests, common sense dictates that it must urgently act to remove destructive industries from these Australian icons” concluded Cooper.