World Heritage in crisis – Forest defenders act to protect national park
by Adam Burling Monday May 21, 2007 at 11:24 AM
aburling@nativeforest.net

Forest defenders setup treesit to protect old growth forests and national park in Weld Valley, Tasmania.

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Activists have sent an urgent crisis report to the World Heritage Centre in Paris and setup treesits to halt logging in the Weld Valley, after clearfelling commenced in ancient forests directly adjacent to the border of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

“Forestry Tasmania has allowed clearfelling to commence in old growth forests a mere 100 metres from the national park boundary,” said Mr Burling, Huon Valley Environment Centre Convenor.

“This is the logging industry at its worst, destroying not only the qualities of the high conservation value forests but threatening the World Heritage Area with the potential introduction of weeds and escaped regeneration burns,” said Mr Burling.

“Community members have formed a World Heritage Action Team to do the work of State and Federal governments. Today they take a stand for the globally recognized forests of the Lower Weld Valley both in the current national park and those facing the chainsaw outside,” said Mr Burling

“The State and Federal Governments are derelict in their duty of care for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The question now is, Does Federal Labor also support chainsaws and bulldozers going with metres of our national park system?,” said Mr Burling

www.huon.org

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