Upper Florentine Blockade Holds Firm

Police continue to remove road blockades in the upper florentine so the logging of the contentious old growth forests can commence.

Police have removed one car that was was blocking the road and the conservationist that had chained herself inside it. As of four pm police we're still trying to remove one of the three people occupying tree sits. Most road blockade's and structures remain in place. 

 

2 conservationists have been arrested today and many more are expected to follow throughout the coming weeks. The two will be charged with trespass and are currently being held in a police bus on the site. 

 

"For three years we have been campaigning to protect the world heritage valued forests of the Upper Florentine. We have lobbied state and federal governments, met with ministers, wrote letter's, held rallies, created petetions and listened to thousands of people voice their outrage at the logging of this forest. The time has now come where we have to put our bodies on the line as a last resort to save this area. The government has ignored it's constituents persistant requests to end old growth logging, but it insists of destroying the final stands of old growth forest for wood chips. If the government continue's to ignore the fact that the majority of tasmanian's want to see an end to old growth logging, then it should expect futher acts of civil disobedience from it's constituents who have exhuasted all other options of campaigning." said spokesperson Ed Hill

 

"Protecting old growth forests is a proven and viable way of lessening the impacts of climate change. If Kevin Rudd was serious about climate change he would immediatley end the logging and burning of carbon dense old growth forests."

 

"It is unacceptable that forestry tasmania do not measure carbon emmissions from logging and burning when there is so much scientific evidence that these activities create massive amounts of emmissions." 

 

"It's hard to take Kevin Rudd's Emmission's Trading Scheme seriously while he allows Forestry Tasmania to log, burn and wood chip carbon dense old growth forests." Said Mr Hill

 

Conservationists are holding a walk in rally tommorow, to support people still in tree sits.

A mass rally is planned for Sunday and a heavy police presence is expected all week.