01 Jun 2007 - Sydney,
Australia – WWF-Australia welcomes the decision
announced today by Forestry Tasmania and
Gunns Limited to end forest conversion,
but cautioned that native vegetation on
other land remained at risk.
Forest conversion is the practice of logging
native forest and replacing it with plantations.
Tasmania is
the only state in Australia where forest
conversion was allowed to continue under
the Regional Forest Agreements.
Over the last ten years, well over 100,000
hectares of Tasmania’s native forest across
public and private land has been converted
to plantation.
“This decision by Forestry Tasmania and
Gunns Limited is a welcome, but long overdue,
recognition that forest conversion is no
longer an acceptable practice," said
Greg Bourne, WWF-Australia CEO.
"WWF is now calling for all buyers
of forest products, including Gunns Limited,
to exclude from their supply chain all wood
fibre arising from forest conversion that
occurs after today.”
“Native forest and other important vegetation
on private land remain at risk in Tasmania,
however. WWF is therefore reiterating its
calls on Tasmanians to end all remaining
forest conversion and the clearing of any
form of native vegetation, and the Tasmanian
government to enshrine the end of forest
conversion and land clearing in law,” Bourne
added.
Forest conversion and other forms of land
clearing are the single greatest threat
to Tasmania’s forest biodiversity according
to the Tasmanian State of the Environment
report. Conversion has accelerated in recent
years, with approvals for conversion increasing
from 6,459 hectares in 04/05 to 12,510 hectares
in 05/06. Much of the clearing has targeted
a handful of forest species. For example,
at least 15 per cent of all Eucalyptus regnans
(swamp gum) forest in Tasmania has been
cleared since 1997.
In addition to the 100,000 hectares of
native forest converted to plantations since
1997, there has been over 10,000 hectares
of Tasmania’s native forest cleared for
other uses, most notably agriculture.
End notes:
• Forestry Tasmania is the Tasmanian government
agency that manages nearly 1.6 million hectares
of public forests. Forestry Tasmania will
complete forest conversion in those areas
where operations are currently underway.
• Gunns Limited is Tasmania’s largest forestry
company, with approximately 185,000 hectares
of freehold native forest and plantations.
Paul Toni, Program Leader Development and
Sustainability
WWF-Australia
Andrew Rouse, Resource Conservation Manager
WWF-Australia
