If the Singapore-based private equity firm Richard Chandler Corporation succeeds in taking a controlling stake in Gunns, it has an opportunity to guide the company away from the current pulp mill proposal towards an alternative, socially acceptable plantation-based future, the Wilderness Society said today.
The Society has raised doubt about the Gunns’ capacity to raise the necessary capital to build the pulp mill in the current global economic climate and against the backdrop of ongoing opposition from the community and environmental groups.
“A new player with a controlling stake in Gunns opens up the opportunity for a new direction that properly considers the communities views, abides by due process and sets the company on a conflict-free future focused on alternatives to the divisive Tamar valley pulp mill,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for The Wilderness Society.
“The pulp mill lacks a social licence due to a range of issues associated with its dodgy assessment and outstanding environmental, social and economic concerns that have not been properly addressed.”
“Any new investor must be aware of the ongoing opposition to the pulp mill and use their influence to build a future for the company around processing options that do not perpetuate community conflict.”
“Building a new future for the company and the timber industry around the most divisive and discredited project the state has seen for many decades does not represent a positive trajectory.”
“Any company with values around community empowerment, governance and ethics could not pursue a project with such a poor legacy in these key areas,” concluded Mr Bayley.
Contact: Vica Bayley - 0400 644 939
]]>The Wilderness Society and Florentine Protection Society today called on the Prime Minister to use her meetings with Tasmanian colleagues to take control of the Tasmanian forests Agreement and urgently implement the agreed outcome that logging would stop in identified forest areas.
Last week’s signing of a Conservation Agreement that allowed logging to continue in highly contentious areas that were promised protection represented a failure of implementation of the Agreement and a hollow outcome for conservation.
“Government implementation of the Forests Agreement has failed to deliver a meaningful conservation outcome as promised,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for the Wilderness Society.
“This is a hollow agreement that allows logging in iconic and highly contentious areas such as the Weld and Picton Valleys, the foothills below Ben Lomond National Park and the Upper Derwent.”
“With new roads up to 2km long being built into pristine areas and ongoing logging, a meaningful conservation outcome has been sidelined.”
It is understood the Prime Minister will be meeting with Tasmanian colleagues today to discuss the Agreement and the Societies are urging her to take control of the situation and honour her agreement.
As non-signatory to the Statement of Principles, the Florentine Protection Society reiterated the need for the protection of forests that were threatened with logging. Spokesperson Angie McGowan said that “the Conservation Agreement fails because allows business-as-usual logging in areas proposed for reservation.”
“The failure of the so-called 'Conservation Agreement' to protect high conservation value forests will not satisfy the Tasmanian public or the forest industry’s customers.”
“The Prime Minister must rectify this failure and ensure her Agreement is delivered in full so that all parties can be confident that progress towards a holistic resolution to this long running debate is real,” concluded Ms McGowan.
More info:
Vica Bayley: 0400 644 939
Angie McGowan: 0428 248 082
Environment groups said the conservation agreement released today by the Tasmanian and Commonwealth governments did not adequately deliver the first key conservation outcome of the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) and urged them to end logging in these unique and important forests.
“The Tasmanian and Commonwealth Governments have allowed logging to continue in ancient, wilderness forests that the Premier and Prime Minister agreed would be immediately protected,” [1] said Environment Tasmania Director, Dr Phill Pullinger.
“The IGA has stumbled at its first conservation hurdle,” said Wilderness Society Tasmanian Campaign Manager Vica Bayley. “This has severely shaken the confidence of environment groups. The Agreement clearly states that logging will be ended in high conservation value forest areas whilst those forests are assessed. The Governments have failed to invoke the compensation clause.”
“Today we should be celebrating an historic milestone that protects rainforests, ancient giants and critical habitat for endangered species like the Tassie devil, but instead governments have accepted Forestry Tasmania’s business-as-usual logging in iconic forests like the Weld and Picton Valleys and Ben Lomond. Conflict in the forests and instability in markets are the inevitable result if governments will not deliver conservation outcomes as agreed.”
Dr Pullinger said, “Forestry Tasmania is running amok - logging in ancient forests that the Premier and Prime Minister agreed would be immediately protected [1],” said Environment Tasmania Director, Dr Phill Pullinger; "If the governments want this conflict solved they need to urgently pull Forestry Tasmania into line."
“Forestry Tasmania has scheduled road building in highly contentious areas such as the Weld Valley, meaning conservation values are being damaged instead of being protected. ” said Dr Pullinger.
“It is not too late to fix this,” said Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Don Henry. “We urge the two Governments to ensure Forestry Tasmania assists implementation of the agreement and delivers meaningful forest protection that meets the terms of the IGA and the expectations of the broader community. We urge them to further examine the proposed logging coupes and end logging in these unique and important forests.”
The protection of these forests is a corner stone of the agreement. It is time for both Governments to show leadership and deliver on their commitment, concluded The Wilderness Society, Environment Tasmania and Australian Conservation Foundation.
Contacts:
Vica Bayley, The Wilderness Society, 0400 644 939
Dr Phill Pullinger, Environment Tasmania, 0428 554 934
Josh Meadows, ACF media adviser, 0439 342 992
1. Clause 25 of the IGA, signed in August 2011 States that “The State will immediately place the 430,000 hectares of native forest identified in Attachment A … into Informal Reserves,” whilst clause 36 states that “Prior to formal legislative protection of the areas of reserve identified in Clause 29, and until completion of the independent verification process in accordance with clause 20, the 430,000 hectares referred to in Clause 25 will be protected under a Conservation Agreement…” The clear intention of clause 36 is that the forests will have continuous legal protection until the delivery of formal legislative protection.
]]>Leading conservation groups are dismayed at the State government’s new Timber Industry Action Plan which was released today. The Wilderness Society and Victorian National Parks Association both highlighted serious flaws in the plan that fails to protect our native animals, plants and forests.
"This plan is a shocker for forests, locks in a failing industry for a further 20 years, and makes the public responsible for bailing it out," said Luke Chamberlain, Victorian Forest Campaigner for The Wilderness Society. "The plan comes on the back of changes to the forest code of practice that largely removes protections for threatened species from logging activities."
The plan includes initiatives that:
The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) was particularly concerned by proposals for logging in areas once considered off-limits. "This is a grab for logging in parks and conservation areas and is totally unacceptable," said Matt Ruchel, the VNPA’s Executive Director. "Furthermore, it turns back the conservation clock several decades and damages Victoria’s reputation as a leader in conservation management."
Mr Ruchel added, "Ecological thinning has become code for logging by stealth and ecological thinning has no role in commercial forestry and should only be used in small scale, scientifically-informed conservation management programs".
The two environment groups called on the government to honor the National Park Act and rule out commercial logging in parks, conservation reserves and water catchments.
For further comment contact:
Luke Chamberlain - The Wilderness Society: 0424 098 729
Matt Ruchel - Victorian National Parks Association: 0418 357 813