Forest activists call on Rudd for moratorium

MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, 22 January 2009

Forest activists call on Rudd for Upper Florentine moratorium

This morning, forest activists called on Prime Minister Rudd, who is visiting Hobart, to place an immediate moratorium on forestry operations in the Upper Florentine Valley. Activists attempted to present the Prime Minister with a letter detailing their Southern Forests Solution, which was ignored by the Tasmanian and Australian Governments in November 2008. They also attempted to present Kevin Rudd with an Upper Florentine Crisis Report, released today, and a large aerial photograph of the impacts of current roading operations in the Upper Florentine Valley.

Two activists have locked themselves to roading machinery in the Upper Florentine Valley this morning to protest against Forestry Tasmania's roading operations in the old growth forests of the valley.

"We are once again calling for a Tasmanian and Australian Government driven solution to contentious logging and roading operations in the Southern Forests. The Tasmanian community want to see an end to the long running debate over the destruction of our old growth and high conservation value forests" said Ali Alishah, spokesperson for Still Wild Still Threatened.

"We will be sending the Upper Florentine Crisis Report to all key decision makers in Australia, as well as international bodies like the IUCN and the World Heritage Centre, who have expressed concern about logging operations in Tasmania's ancient forests" said Mr Alishah.

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