From Victorian National Parks Association (1/1/24), some good news to start the year…
Guess what?
Today the chainsaws fall silent and we breathe a very deep sigh of relief. Native forest logging is offically a thing of the past in Victoria.
You now live in a state that protects native wildlife habitat instead of smashing it up for pulp, paper, pallets and firewood!
This is a game-changer for nature.
Today is a powerful reminder that the state-sanctioned destruction of nature isn’t inevitable. It’s the consequence of poor decisions by the people we’ve elected and entrusted to look after nature.
Better decisions can be made, if we demand them. And that’s what exactly our community did, for years on end.
A massive thank you to everyone who emailed or called their elected representatives. To those who donated to our important work. To those who spread the word, joined citizen science expeditions, who again and again took action for our special places, creatures and habitats.
There are quite a lot of unanswered questions about the future of forests in the west. Our key concern is that the work forest fire agencies are doing across the state is often indistinguishable from intensive logging practices.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on what is planned for forest works and keep you updated. Soon we’ll talk about restoring and recovering what we’ve lost.
But for now, let’s celebrate.
The massive milestone would not be possible without the hard work, resilience and determination of the Victorian nature community.
Thank you
Matt Ruchel and the team at the Victorian National Parks Association