Weld Valley forest activists arrested at protest

Media Release 28/07/09 - Two Conservationists Arrested In Tasmania’s Weld Valley Protest

“Two Conservationists were arrested in threatened forests of the Weld Valley yesterday. The two conservationists were attached to machinery and atop a tripod for ten hours, and were arrested at 2pm,” Huon Valley Environment Centre’s Jenny Weber said.

“Conservationists participated in a non violent direct action in the Weld Valley to halt the logging of two forest areas. These threatened forest areas are ancient ecosystems, one of these areas is adjacent to the Tasmanian World Heritage Area. Logging in these areas is a travesty in a time when climate change is a global emergency,” Jenny Weber said.

“Huon Valley Environment Centre is calling for the immediate end to all logging in the Weld Valley, and real action taken to protect ancient forests for future generations. Logging of these wild forests is currently at an alarming rate with seven logging operations in the valley. Wildlife habitat of the Wedge tailed Eagle, Spotted Tail Quoll and the Pygmy Possums are vanishing,” Jenny Weber said.

Follow up message:

While forest activists participated in this action yesterday in the Weld Valley, logging contractors informed them that they had seen pygmy possums and spotted tailed quolls (endangered species) in the coupe known as WR15F, while they were logging!!!!
Also these forest activists are witnessing the huge stockpiling of logs on the coupe landings, as log trucks are not transporting logs to the woodchip mill for the next two weeks as these mills are closed.

Whilst forest activists were climbing trees the other day, they witnessed gliders flying through the trees of the threatened forest they were in.