Unesco will give its verdict on the proposal to wind back part of the listing of 170,000 hectares when the world heritage committee meets in June this year. After a prolonged battle betwen logging interests & environmentalists Tasmanian old growth forests were added to the existing world heritage forest area in early 2012 by then environment minister Tony Burke.
It was a monumental decision that was agreed upon by both sides. Now Tony Abbott & the LNP want to rip it up and start again.
“This [area] is over half of the new reserves agreed for protection under the groundbreaking Tasmanian forest agreement,” said Vica Bayley, Tasmania campaign manager for the Wilderness Society.
“Our environment minister is proposing to axe global recognition for these forests when no one in the industry wants this,” Bayley told Guardian Australia.
“This is a purely political stunt aimed at tearing up the goodwill and the good progress that’s been made between hostile adversaries in the forestry debate.”
“Opening up these magnificent forests for logging is like mining the great pyramids of Egypt for road gravel," said Nick McKim.
“Just when Tasmania was beginning to move on from the tired old conflicts of the past, the extremist Liberals are trying to drag us back. If the Liberals want to destroy the forest industry and damage Australia’s reputation as a global citizen then they are going about it in the right way.”
