Wild Wielangta

Three members of the Wild Wielangta, South East Tas. Forest Protection Group, met with three of Premier David Bartlett’s advisors on 5th August 2008. The advisors listened intently to our ‘Wielangta story’ for an hour.

We offered a ‘New, Fresh Way of Working’.

We offered the Tasmanian Government the opportunity to use Wielangta as a way to demonstrate to the wider community, a new way of responding to contentious and historically divisive forestry issues. Wielangta can provide the opportunity for the Government to move into a new era of community engagement and transparency in forestry issues.

We asked them to:

• make an appointment with Premier David Bartlett preferably in Wielangta Forest Coupe 19D
• create a public opportunity for all scientific ‘experts’ on Wielangta Coupe 19D (departmental, forestry and independent) to establish facts
• place a moratorium on logging swift parrot breeding habitat – from Orford to Dover, from the coast to 10km inland
• delay logging and woodchipping in Wielangta until June 2010 to undertake independent surveys of endangered species habitat and studies of the forest’s potential as a carbon sink
• stop all logging in Wielangta – in line with the Federal Court decision in 2006 – with the exception of areas already in plantation.

This will ensure that endangered species habitat is protected and the mature forest retains its value as irreplaceable carbon storage.

We asked them to respond to the following questions:

• under the recently amended RFA, how does the Premier intend to ensure the protection of endangered species on land managed by Forestry Tasmania (given that the Federal Court showed that current forestry management regimes in Wielangta are further endangering species)?
• what mechanisms does the Premier have in mind to address community concerns about forestry operations in Wielangta?
• will the Premier include the economic and the environmental benefits of protecting Wielangta’s mature native forests for carbon storage as part of Tasmania’s climate change strategy?
• will the Premier meet with us in Wielangta, Coupe 19D to see why this extraordinary forest has inspired such strong community concern?

What next?
We have requested meetings with David Llewellyn – Minister for Resources and Michelle O’Bryne – Minister for Environment.

Meeting with Forestry Tasmania
Three members of Wild Wielangta, South East Forest Protection Group had a 2.5 hour meeting with the Derwent District Forest Manager and a Senior Planner, Forestry Tasmania on 6th August 2008.

Forestry Tasmania do not see any factor – endangered species or carbon storage – delaying or stopping the logging of Coupe 19D in Wielangta.
Coupe 19D is scheduled to be logged and woodchipped during the 2008/09 financial year.
Forestry Tasmania will allow members of the community to enter the exclusion zone around Coupe 19D to undertake surveys etc – we just need to gain permission.

What next?

We have requested a meeting with the Executive General Manager of Forestry Tasmania and with the Forest Practices Authority (who regulate Forestry Tasmania’s operations).