Controversial mining company MMG has requested the removal of Bob Brown Foundation’s Tarkine blockade to allow access to build a tailings dam in verified World Heritage Value forest in takayna / Tarkine. The request and proposed drilling for the tailings dam have been met with condemnation by the Foundation.

“MMG has a large lease area south of the Pieman River and outside takayna / Tarkine. The idea that they would choose to move acid producing tailings across Lake Pieman to desecrate an area that has verified World Heritage significance beggars belief,” said Bob Brown Foundation’s takayna / Tarkine Campaigner Scott Jordan.

“Our Pieman River blockade camp has been in place in takayna / Tarkine for 39 days, defending a tract of the largest temperate rainforests in Australia from proposed logging. We won’t be standing by while any interests, logging or mining, destroy this carbon rich and wildlife supporting habitat. MMG should reconsider this folly and abandon plans to cross the Pieman River,” Scott Jordan said.

“This company MMG, whose majority owner is the Chinese Communist Party, is no stranger to global controversy with current ongoing conflict with the local community in their giant Las Bambas mine in Peru,” Scott Jordan said.

Bob Brown Foundation announced to a crowd of supporters in the Hobart Town Hall today that we have instructed our lawyers to prepare a special leave application to the High Court in the Great Forest Case.

“The forest industry called for a wake yesterday after the Federal Court decision and instead the Bob Brown Foundation held a celebratory launch of the next stage of its campaign including it’s move towards a High Court appeal,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Jenny Weber said today.

“Our Foundation’s campaign to protect Australia’s native forests has gathered momentum since launching The Great Forest Case, and we are going to keep building in this Federal Election year. For the forest wildlife including the critically endangered Swift Parrot, endangered species like the Koala, Masked Owl, and Wedge-tailed Eagle, for the critical carbon storehouses and the vast forest heritage that Australia has, our Foundation is dedicated to seeing the end to native forest destruction,” Jenny Weber said.

A Kermit moment – it ain’t easy being green’ – was how Bob Brown described today’s adverse judgement by the Federal Court.

“But our campaign for the forests will simply get bigger,” Bob Brown said.

“We are considering both an appeal to the High Court and other legal action but have many quivers to our campaign bow. The court of public opinion is with us on ending native forest logging in Tasmania and all of Australia,”

“Meantime our injunctive action has given four months protection to the last few hundred Swift Parrots in their feeding and breeding season,” Brown said.

“There is a blitz going on in Tasmania’s forests and it’s in the hands of the Australian and Tasmanian government. The Great Forest Case is just one tactic in a vast array of tactics that we use from the frontline, to the markets, to lobbying the government,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“This is one setback, but every single day in the forests we are setback by the logging of Tasmania’s native forests and endangered species lose in this extinction crisis,” Jenny Weber said.

“Bob Brown Foundation is reinvigorated to keep fighting for native forests, it’s time for all native forests across Australia to be protected,” Jenny Weber said.

Following eight days of protests against old growth logging in Tasmania’s Wentworth Hills, logging was halted again today by Bob Brown Foundation in two forests. Two protesters locked themselves to forest-destroying machines, immobilizing the machines and preventing ancient forests from being logged.

Just 2km away in a 100 hectare area of forests proposed for logging to start today, another protester was arrested after tree-sitting. A protest blockade has been underway in these forests for the past seven days.

“Clearfelling of native forests, including the old growth forests of Wentworth Hills, continues to destroy endangered species habitat and remove critical carbon storehouses in this age of climate emergency,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Native Forest Campaign Organiser, Dr Lisa Searle said today.

“Logging the precious few native forests we have left is a crime in this current climate emergency,” said Dr Lisa Searle.

“These forests provide vital carbon stores, as well as habitat for countless species, like the endangered wedge-tailed eagle that soared over us while we were occupying the threatened forests. Wentworth Hills is a National Park in waiting and needs permanent protection now. We will not stop fighting until we see these forests protected,” Dr Searle said.

“The Australian and Tasmanian government are charging forward with crimes against the climate, forests and wildlife. Premier Gutwein chose to send in Tasmania Police today to remove citizens who are doing the job of protecting native forests instead of calling off the logging that is smashing down these important ecosystems. He is not the Minister for Climate Change, he is a Minister for Climate Destruction,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

Protesters have again stopped logging in an active logging coupe in the Wentworth Hills area, whilst also blockading a nearby logging coupe that was scheduled to begin this week.

“We are taking action today to protect these forests from any further destruction here. We have 16 forest defenders currently on the ground here in these 2 coupes, and the action of these passionate people means that these forests are safe for another day,” said Dr Lisa Searle, Native Forests Campaign Organiser for the Bob Brown Foundation.

Protests started last week in the Wentworth Hills area by Bob Brown Foundation activists, and are continuing this week.

“Momentum is building and more people are now talking about this place. We have been overwhelmed with public support in the past week. We will keep campaigning to see this place given the recognition and protection it deserves through the creation of a Wentworth Hills National Park.” Said Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation Campaign Manager.

There are 3 people locked onto machines, immobilising all machinery in one coupe, and in the second coupe, another person is 35 metres high in a tree-sit platform which is attached to a tripod blocking the road. These activists are prepared to be arrested to protect these old growth forests that are habitat for endangered species and critical carbon storehouses.

The finding of Graham Samuels that native forests logging should have its exemption from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act rescinded adds power to the Bob Brown Foundation’s current challenge to this arrangement in the Federal Court of Australia.

“Any six year old would tell us that flattening and incinerating Australia’s forests and their wildlife is a natural calamity,” Bob Brown said today. “However every national and state minister for the environment since the year 2000 has not only gone along with it but has obstructed environmentalists trying to rectify this disastrous Howardian fix. These have been two decades of environmental disgrace.”

“This deliberate exclusion of forests from enforceable national environmental care will go down in history as a bloody-minded trashing of a national treasure by John Howard, largely to feed taxpayer-subsidised woodchips to the northern hemisphere.”

The Bob Brown Foundation’s challenge to the forest exemption was heard by the full bench of the Federal Court last December 3. Judgement is expected to be handed down within weeks.

“The Morrison government won’t accept the Samuel recommendation. There is little evidence that the current prime minister has an environmental bone in his body. He doesn’t have the guts to go to the forests and see for himself the national disaster of Howard’s exemption of logging from the EPBC Act.”

There are two peaceful forest blockades to stem the destruction in Tasmania at present. “These are Australians doing Morrison’s job for him,” Brown said.

Forest defenders have intensified protests in Wentworth Hills old growth forests as defenders immobilise logging machinery by attaching themselves to the destructive dozers and a treesitter is 30 metres high in an ancient eucalyptus.

“Logging in this Wentworth Hills forest has been destroying rare intact old ecosystems and endangered species habitat. Today’s protest is in addition to the treesit occupation of nearby threatened ancient forests just 2km north that has been in place for four days,” Dr Lisa Searle, Bob Brown Foundation’s Native Forest Campaign Organiser said.

“Our simultaneous protests in these threatened Wentworth Hills forests are to highlight the worst old growth logging. Dedicated forest defenders are occupying these forests that Premier Gutwein and Prime Minister Morrison are relentlessly destroying and failing to protect,” Bob Brown Foundations Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“Just yesterday Australia’s eminent climate scientist Will Steffen warned Australia had to half its emissions by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2040. Meanwhile, in Tasmania, the precious old growth forest carbon sinks continue to be logged needlessly. It’s dangerous for the climate. Native forests logging needs to cease to ensure climate benefits and endangered species are protected in the age of extinction,” Jenny Weber said.

“Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been advised by expert Professor Samuel that the government needs to abolish the effective exemption from environment laws granted to all native forest logging covered by regional forestry agreements between the federal and state governments,” Jenny Weber said.

“Government leaders are ignoring the science, climate emergency impacts and choosing native forest destruction over protection,” Jenny Weber said.

“The time for logging native forests is over. We are in a climate emergency and we will not stop protesting until every last machine has moved out of all native forests across Tasmania, including the Wentworth Hills area. This battle will continue,” Dr Lisa Searle said

Forest defenders today expanded their occupation of threatened forests in Tasmania’s Wentworth Hills. A walk-on was staged into an active logging coupe in the Wentworth Hills area in central Tasmania.

“We are bearing witness and exposing the destruction of a significant tract of old growth forest. The ancient forests called WW034E by Sus Timber Tasmania is 100% old growth forest. We have captured footage of ancient trees falling in this coupe, and camping nearby we are listening to them logging and loading trees day and night,” said Bob Brown Foundation’s Native Forest Campaign Organiser, Dr Searle.

“Contractors refused to stop work, ignoring industry agreed protocol and continued to fell giant trees as we documented the incredible loss of an ancient landscape and habitat for a range of endangered species,” said Dr Lisa Searle.

“If the loggers ignore policy and protocol to halt logging when protesters are on site then they are likely to be ignoring other protocols. Our Foundation is concerned about the endangered species and their habitat that are lost to logging. Bob Brown Foundation is calling for an immediate end to logging of native forests in Tasmania, including Wentworth Hills,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“We want the chainsaws to stop, for this destruction to end, and for tranquillity and safety to return to this area for all the species that call this place home,” said Dr Searle.

Bob Brown Foundations occupation of three red Wentworth Hills forests has been in place for three days. Protests are planned to continue in the Wentworth Hills area until the last machine has rolled out and this area has the secure long lasting protection it deserves.

Video of native forest destruction in central Tasmania’s Wentworth Hills has been released by conservationists occupying the forests and monitoring the area for endangered species.

“For the first time in more than a decade footage of Tasmania’s forest giants has been captured while the logging is taking place. The Tasmanian government is destroying the island’s wild forests behind locked gates, hidden from view,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Native Forest Organiser Dr Lisa Searle said.

“The forests falling in Wentworth Hills is 100% old growth. These ancient trees being logged contain hollows which provide habitat for important threatened species such as the Masked Owl,” Dr Searle said.

“What a Tasmanian heartbreak! Old growth forests that have stood for hundreds of years is being felled in a matter of moments and important wildlife habitat removed forever,” Dr Lisa Searle said.

“Large scale removal of Tasmania’s giant ancient trees is occurring for woodchips and for the controversial Borneo logging giants exporting our forests for their profits. The loss of critical carbon stores in this climate emergency, and wildlife-rich old forests in this age of extinction, needs to halt immediately,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“Intensive logging is reducing the extent and quality of old growth forest in these remote regions. In Wentworth Hills alone, almost 1000 hectares in 19 areas of scheduled logging coupes, are targeted for flattening and incineration by the taxpayer-funded Forestry Tasmania,” Jenny Weber said.

The Bob Brown Foundation has declared Tasmania is running out of time to protect a critical native forest region in the Central Plateau. Launching a forest occupation in Tasmania’s Wentworth Hills area, conservationists are calling for an end to native forest logging in this area before it is too late.

“Logging in Tasmania’s Wentworth Hills and neighbouring forests north of Mt Field National Park is destroying Tasmania’s largest eucalypts in some of the worst logging practice occurring in Australia today. It is a battle against time in these forests as Tasmania’s redundant ancient forest logging practices obliterate wild forests,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“We have been receiving reports of one log loads, trees so big that only one log fits on the back of the logging truck. Wentworth Hills is where they are coming from,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Native Forest Campaign organiser Dr Lisa Searle said.

“A logging blitz is tragically destroying Wentworth Hills and we have established a treesit camp in an area scheduled for logging next week. Wentworth Hills is a fragile forest ecosystem with ancient eucalypts at very high elevation, these forests were handed to the logging industry to destroy when they should have been protected many years ago,” Dr Lisa Searle said.

Wentworth Hills is;
- A dolerite plateau located in the Central Highlands of Tasmania.
-Predominantly vegetated with native forest dominated by gum-topped stringybark (Eucalyptus delegatensis), frequently with a sub-canopy of rainforest trees, reflecting the high rainfall of the region.
-Rich with Tasmanian native wildlife, Wentworth Hills is home to nine threatened fauna species. Numerous nesting sites for the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle have been recorded in and around the Wentworth Hills.
-Contains high-quality habitat for the rare and vulnerable Spotted-tail quoll.
-Significant habitat for the Endangered Grey goshawk, Masked owl and Tasmanian Devil.