Two forest defenders arrested in the Upper Florentine Valley, Tasmania : Melbourne Indymedia

Two activists were arrested in the Upper Florentine valley yesterday afternoon. Forest defenders were conducting a peaceful walk-in to coupe FO42F, in order to protest against the logging of old growth forests located in the area.

“We are calling for an immediate halt to the industrial scale destruction of ancient forests located in the Upper Florentine, Styx and Weld valleys” said Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Ula Majewski. “FO42F is situated well within 2km of the World Heritage boundary and contains pristine old growth forest, the majority of which will be turned into woodchips.”

Community activists have maintained a strong presence in the valley since October 2006, successfully blocking a proposed roading operation near Timbs Track, and conducting a number of stop work actions within FO42F. This morning’s walk-in highlighted continued community concerns with Tasmania’s unsustainable and destructive forestry industry, which continues to endorse the logging of high conservation value old growth forests.

Peaceful protests in the valley have resulted in 22 arrests so far this year.

Photo: Mitch