MEDIA RELEASE 20 APRIL 2008
South Coast conservationists lobby 2020 summit for change
Coastwatchers Association and other conservationists raised considerable funds to lobby the participants at the 2020 summit held at Parliament House over the weekend.
President of Coastwatchers, Mark Fleming said, “In an attempt to get the greenhouse implications of native forest logging onto the agenda at the 2020 summit, Coastwatchers, South East Region Conservation Alliance (SERCA) and community members placed a half page advertisement in the Canberra Times on Saturday, as well as lobbied participants directly”.
“We have a great deal of evidence that the native forests of the South East have the ability to absorb carbon which is major contributor to the greenhouse effect. Professor Garnaut (2008) in his interim report to the Australian Government acknowledges this and goes further by highlighting that, changing forestry practices would sequester considerable carbon.”
He continued, “The Rudd Government is sending mixed messages to the international community by supporting the saving of forests in developing countries whilst still supporting the destructive practice of woodchipping in the South East and Tasmania. Other unsustainable practices such as the massive disturbance to soil after logging and post harvest burn offs, all contribute to climate change.”
“Coastwatchers understands that most of the timber that comes from our native forests ends up either being sent to Japan as woodchips or turned into pallets and palings. Very little wood ends up in high value uses. If the forests could be left to grow and sequester carbon and this carbon traded at current prices, then the profit returned to the taxpayer would be greater than the returns currently realised.”
Mark Fleming said, “The community of the South East will be awaiting the outcome of the 2020 summit. We would be very disappointed if measures to deal with climate change are not addressed. One of the best and cheapest tools to achieve this is to allow our forests to grow over the next 100 years”.
In conclusion, “One of the criteria for any of the ideas to come from the 2020 summit is that it should be cost effective. Preliminary figures indicate that by letting the forests grow and sequester carbon and trade that carbon, the return to the public would be at least double current earnings.