Ex-Israeli soldier replaces 'guns' for gumboots in Tasmania

Media Release
3 May 2006

Kobi Kornblut is celebrating Israel's Independence Day today after completing a ten day walk throughout Tasmania's threatened forests of the north-east of Tasmania.

His 260 kilometre journey began in The Blue Tier and included cross country hiking through the threatened forests of The Blue Tier, Mt Victoria, Tower Hill, and Ben Lomond's Razorback and Nile forests. He then continued his journey down the Midlands Highway along the way he told the local communities of his experiences in the remnant forests of the north.

Mr Kornblut said "These forests in the north-east are amazing! The trees, waterfalls, and wildlife that I have encountered, including soaring Tasmanian Wedge-tailed eagles, have made my journey one which I will never forget".

The Wilderness Society and local conservation group, including Friends of the Blue Tier, continue to campaign for extensions to existing reserves at Ben Lomond, and the establishment of new formal reserves in The North-East Highlands, including the Blue Tier, South Sister and the Eastern Highlands.

"Plantation establishment in the north of Tasmania is out of control. Forestry Tasmania is currently establishing 16,000 hectares of plantations, and the Ben Lomond Bioregion is copping the full force of Forestry Tasmania's plantation establishment and landclearing agenda" stated The Wilderness Society's Community Campaigner Gemma Tillack.

When asked why he chose to walk through the forests of Tasmania's north-east, instead of Tasmania's well known tourist icons like Cradle Mountain Mr Kornblut said "I wanted to walk through the threatened forests of the north-east of Tasmania because this may be my only chance to experience them as they are being systematically clearfelled, burnt and in many cases replaced with plantations".

"We do not have forests like these in Israel, so it was quite disturbing to see this scale of landclearing occurring in Tasmania. I just hope all Tasmanians will go and visit these spectacular forests and speak out for the protection of Tasmania's world class forests for the future" concluded Mr Kornblut.