Following on from my recent articles in regards to the current danger facing the Great Barrier Reef I would like to take a little step further South, all the way to Tasmania if you will join me. Here too our government is trying to have the World Heritage Listing for the Tasmanian Old Growth Forests revoked to allow logging and fire bombing in the same manner that they are trying to do to allow dredging and dumping in the reef.
I suppose the Reef has held my attention simply because it is where I live, it is right beside me every day and while I have been working on other articles and with other groups regarding logging, wood chipping and Fracking I have devoted the majority of my ire against the powers that be in terms of danger to the Reef which I can now see is a little shortsighted as we are dealing with an issue of environmental ethics and protection for all not just the parts that I know and love.
For every job in logging there are 6 in eco tourism in Tasmania
I hadn’t realized how far things had gone but the issue in Tasmania is reaching a breaking point and I feel that it would be wrong not to try and bring some attention to the issue. The lie regarding increased jobs from logging, so commonly trotted out by government officials, is no longer able to be sustained as Eco-Tourism is Tasmania’s main source of income and employment and with increasing lack of public support for the initiative you would think that the federal government and their conservative state counterparts would walk away from the issue but NO they are pushing just as hard here as they are in regards to the Reef.
The Bob Brown Foundation has a site which is well worth visiting and Mr Brown has narrated the clip that I have placed in this post. As an ex-politician and environmental activist he played a huge role in having the areas now under threat awarded World Heritage status in the first place and is now deeply concerned about the future for Tasmania. We are a very diverse country, landscape wise, as those of you who have been following some of my post will see. There is a vast difference between Tasmania and Queensland yet each is unique and quite beautiful and it would be a crime to lose what wonders of nature exist here.
I hope you enjoy the clip as well as listen to the message. If you feel inspired pass it on or go look at some of the sites about these forests.
Unload and Unwind 
“There is a vast difference between Tasmania and Queensland yet each it unique and quite beautiful and it would be a crime to lose what wonders of nature exist here.”
Let’s hope, Jenni, that more and more people are going to fight for what is World Heritage. Thank you for this post, Jenni. I want to pass it on by reblogging it.
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Thank you that would be very kind of you.
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Thank you! 🙂
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Reblogged this on auntyuta and commented:
Jenni published this post about how important it is that we look after what we regard as World Heritage. I agree with Jenni that it would be a crime to lose these wonders of nature.
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Great post Jenni – very impactful. One thing it did was send me looking for more information on the topic. It is hard to believe that the gov’t is pushing for logging/burning 7% of the heritage forest when 71% of voters oppose it and 97% of young people (tomorrow’s shepherds of our environment) oppose it. The gov’t is not only stupid , it is self-destructive. The video was excellent and powerful. The scenery is breath-taking. I hope Australians can stop the planned destruction of any of this beautiful World Heritage Forest.
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So do I – we’ve got huge international support from research, scientific and environmental groups as well as financial big wigs like the International Monetary Fund weighing in saying that the changes are damaging and will impact both environmentally and economically in a very negative way in Australia. My fear is that this government knows that it will have only one term and is lining its future pockets with favors for their backers and future employers.
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Is Tasmania part of Australia..? Enlighten me… Without help I couldn’t find it on a map.. What is there?
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It is – you have a small area of water called the Bass Straight and then there is Tasmania. Home of the Tasmanian Devil and the now extinct [we think] Tasmanian Tiger as well as the first hydro power station in Australia. It’s forests are amazing and have the tallest flowering trees in the world. I’ll put up a map next Australia Series Post so you can see it.
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Any time you see nature shows on The Discovery Channel they talk about the wide open deserts and Ayres Rock and kangaroo or the Great Barrier Reef or sharks and now box jelly fish.. Other than that I never thought of Mango trees or jungles or rain forests…
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We are a weird country I’ll grant you that. I think I’ll do a post on the diverse nature or our countryside. We’re the oldest continent of the planet and I sometimes think of us as nature’s test lab.
Desert, snowy peaks, rain forest, mangroves, bush, tropical landscape, amazing surf beaches, white water rafting and falls, old growth forests and the weirdest collection of animals you can find.
Yeah we were the testing ground for everywhere else it seems.
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Pingback: Tasmanian Forests Threatened | Top of JC's Mind
Just reblogged this to topofjcsmind.wordpress.com with this comment: The above link is a reblog of a post from an Australian friend’s blog. We all need to support one another to protect the earth as a whole. Every corner of the globe is important!
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Thank you for the re-blog – it is easy to forget that what is threatened is more than what we love and see every day.
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I reblogged it by copying the link. Somehow missed the reblog button’s existence? That will make it easier next time. 😉
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No problem – it was still very thoughtful of you.
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The WHA listing of the Tasmanian forests was a collaborative effort between environment groups, community groups, politicians (labor / green at both state and federal levels) and even the forest industry. Yes, industry. For four years environment groups unions and industry had worked on a ‘peace deal’ to end the war in the forests. One of the agreements of the peace deal was the protection from logging of the forests that are now included in the world heritage listing. In essence the industry have pledged support to not log those areas. So the delisting would be more than losing the forests, it would be making a mockery of a great collaborative effort with a hugely positive outcome for a better future.
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It is like the federal government is spitting in the face of all that work and collaborative effort. Angry is one word for what I am, disgusted is probably a better one. Jenni
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This is a remarkable blog. I am very impressed and will be back again. I invite you to visit my blog. Hugs, Barbara
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Thank you and look forward to seeing you. Jenni
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Reblogged this on idealisticrebel.
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