FoE International campaigners reject forestry Oz style.

[For two weeks in Dec 1998 the writer and some very impressive international FoE campaigners undertook a forest eco-tour of south east Australia between Melbourne and Sydney. They issued a statement below indicating there is no real prospect of credible eco-certification of NSW native forest timber as produced in an ecologically sustainable manner. These same concerns resulted in a potential $50 million in European contracts for WA Jarrah and Karri timber blocked by FoE Netherlands campaigner Dr Leonie Van der Maeson.]

"Media release: International observers shocked by Australia's forest degradation 13th Dec 1998

… The sixteen strong delegation from … Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Greece ….gathered with many others in Melbourne recently for the FoE international annual general meeting. FoE international is the largest federation of environment groups in the world, with members in over 60 countries.

"We've seen forestry practices that seem totally insane. We saw masses of timber just burnt in the bush and clearcutting on steep slopes where it will be very difficult to get anything to grow again. Don't these people care about jobs?" said Charles Berkow of FoE Sweden.

"The Australian government yet has to learn that sustainable forestry, not clearcutting of unique old growth, saves tax payer money and creates jobs" said Vojtech Kotecky from FoE Czech Republic.

"It is incredible that, by exporting Australian forests as woodchips, the Australian government is exploiting its own land" said Roman Havlicek from FoE Slovakia.

"Products from a 200 year old tree should last 200 years. To use old growth trees for paper is a terrible thing. We have to change our mind and change our life said Junichi Tanaka from FoE Japan. Mr Tanaka added, "When I return home I will tell the Japanese people that our appetite for excessive packaging is fed by the destruction of Australian forests."

In a resolution passed at the FoEI annual meeting, a resolution was passed calling " on the Australian Government to cease logging all high conservation value forest including old growth, rainforest and habitat of endangered species; and cease the alienation of native forest for plantation establishment. Tom McLoughlin one of the delegation organisers, warned "The international community is realising that it has been misled. The eye of the international community is on Australia now."

Photo 1: stumps of ancient tree ferns resembling gravestones, in a "reserve", Monga State Forest on the south coast NSW. The ferns were stolen for private nurseries. Photo Tom McLoughlin

Photo 2: Charles Berkow from FoE Sweden demonstrates the hole in a bridge from a misdirected aerial fire bomb of the Victorian govt logging agency, six weeks prior. The bridge itself is an illegal structure over the heritage Goolengook River, East Gipplsand. Photo Tom McLoughlin.