am: gm - pm:logging

Thursday 28th February

The GM Free rally outside parliament house.

I attended the GM rally at the steps of Parliament House, many concerned citizens where there lamenting Premier Brumby's decision to lift the moratorium on GM Canola.

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Bob Phelps from GeneEthics and Greg Barber, Greens MLC both address the rally.

The Rally was well attended by members of the upper and lower house, the public, concerned advocacy groups, chefs, the slow food group, organic farmers, the list goes on and on.

I had the great pleasure of speaking at the rally. I urged the people there to talk to their local councillors about becoming GM free municipalities. It is not too late to turn this around.

On the 26th February, I moved a motion (which was supported unanimously) to ask Premier Brumby to make the Shire of Yarra Ranges GM Free, lets hope he fulfills our request.

The symbolic release of GM canola pollen into our environment, we all know that pollen knows no bounds, once it's out its everywhere.

That night I attended a public meeting in Warburton to discuss the implications of logging in Melbourne's water catchments. The meeting was very well attended with around 200 people packing the memorial hall. The Central Highlands Alliance and Wilderness Society talked the science, I spoke of the political imperative.

Me, Sarah Rees (The Central Highlands Alliance) and Luke Chamberlain (The Wilderness Society).

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Warburton's past was as a timber town, but that industry has been well and truly eroded by the woodchipping industry, local mills do not get work pulping our native forests.

It was a very positive meeting with locals, environmentalists and loggers more understanding of the issues around logging in water catchments. The community now understands that this an issue is about Melbourne's water supply into the future.

logging in water catchments

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It was with great dismay that I learnt that the pristine Armstrong catchment in the Shire of Yarra Ranges is be logged in 2007/08 with a total of 4 coupes scheduled for clear felling. I was appalled to learn of this information which came to me via The Central Highlands Alliance, a group I have the greatest respect for.
It was at that point I decided to move a motion through council to publicly support a statement opposing logging in water catchments in Yarra Ranges.

These forests will be clear felled with only 20% of logs removed for sawlog timber; the rest is used for wood chipping.

We are told that regeneration is 100% and that makes this practice sustainable, the truth is that regeneration is between 30 and 60% (and this is based on the DNRE's own data). Regeneration implies that the forest will return to its former state but given clear fell rotations are in 80 year cycles it really means the destruction of diverse ecosystems and the fauna in them.


This is what's at stake: pristine forest in the Armstrong Catchment, image taken by me on a tour of Fire Breaks in August 2007.


There are numerous reports supporting the link between loss of water yield with logging of catchments. In a time where water security is paramount to continue logging threatens even further the supply of water and I question these actions seriously.





So on the 27th November 2007 I moved the following motion:

That Council supports a public statement opposing logging of water catchments in Yarra Ranges, and further that Council also makes representation to the Premier, the Minister of Environment and Minister of Water, and I propose that the statement is:

The Shire of Yarra Ranges does not support logging in water catchments.

Council recognises that:

1. Logging has a dramatic and detrimental effect on water yield in catchments.

2. Young re-growth trees need more water to grow thus releasing less water into catchments.

3. Logging reduces stream flow and yields to water catchments.

4. It takes 150 years for water yields to return to their pre logged status.

5. It is poor water policy to continue to log our water catchments.

6. Logging of water catchments adversely affects water quality through increasing sediment as does road construction through logging coupes.

We urge the government to consider a policy of no logging in water catchments.

I'm pleased to report that the motion was supported unanimously by council (Cr Ken Smith absent).


WHAT CAN YOU DO?
write to your local MP, the Premier, the Minister for Environment and the Minister for Water, the State Government wont know what you think if you don't write to them.

Local MPs
James Merlino (ALP) - james.merlino@parliament.vic.gov.au
Tammy Lobato (ALP) - tammy.lobato@parliament.vic.gov.au
Ben Hardman (ALP) - benedict.hardman@parliament.vic.gov.au
David Hodgett (Lib) - david.hodgett@parliament.vic.gov.au
Christine Fyffe (Lib) - christine.fyffe@parliament.vic.gov.au


The Premier - john.brumby@parliament.vic.gov.au
Minister for the Environment - gavin.jennings@parliament.vic.gov.au
Minister for Water - timothy.holding@parliament.vic.gov.au


















Thanks to the TCHA for the above image of Leadbeaters Possum and the following text:
Victoria’s Faunal Emblem- The Leadbeaters Possum: there are only 2000 left in the world and they are facing extinction due to logging and fire breaks in the Central Highlands of Victoria.