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High Court Decision puts State Forests Under Threat

In a move that could signal a decline in the level of protection for State forests the High Court last week rejected a special leave to appeal by Greens Senator Bob Brown. Senator Brown was seeking to have upheld an earlier Federal Court decision that logging in the Wielangta Forest threatened endangered species.

In this case Forestry Tasmania argued that it was irrelevant that species such as the broad toothed stag beetle or the swift parrot or the Tasmanian wedge tailed eagle were endangered, because legally, the Regional Forestry Agreement allowed for logging in the forest. This particular RFA had been amended by the Howard Federal Government and the Lennon Sate Government in response to the aforementioned Federal Court decision to ban logging

The effect of the decision according to Senator Brown is that Regional Forestry Agreements can be amended at any time to overrule the Environment Protection and Conservation Act
   
The Byron Ballina Greens would like to acknowledge the courage and determination of Senator Brown, who has staked his financial well being on protecting the native flora and fauna of Tasmania. You can read all about the Wielangta case and you can support Bob Brown and his fight to save the forest by going here.