Gerry Georgatos
Forests Rescue Australia (FRA) coordinator Simon Peterffy appeared in Manjimup Court on July 26 and feared that a prison term was on the cards for his activism in protecting the Warrup forest's numbats.
Mr Peterffy said he has never spent time in prison however feared that his persistent activism may have culminated in a prison sentence "because it appears that police have been coming down harder in recent times and the instructions from 'above' are that harsher penalties need apply" to dissuade FRA type protest actions.
He faced a charge of one count of "without lawful excuse trespassing on a place". Mr Peterffy was arrested and charged on March 19 for trespassing a fenced private property on Edwards Road adjacent to Warrup forest where Forest Products Commission (FPC) logging machinery was located.
The police prosecutor said that he entered the property without the consent of the owners and that another FRA activist 'locked on' to one of the logging machines. It was alleged that Mr Peterffy was 'challenged' by one of the FPC contractors however would not leave the site.
Mr Peterffy said he did not dispute the fact of trespass and said that after a couple of minutes of being 'challenged' by an FPC worker he left the site.
Without a lawyer and representing himself he presented Magistrate Hamilton an impassioned speech for the need to save the endangered species of numbats and their forest habitat and argued that his actions were therefore lawful.
"I decided to not muck around and told the prosecutor two days ago that I would plead guilty. I said there would be no need for any witnesses. I am not disputing the facts," he said to the Magistrate.
"I have a defence and a lawful excuse for the trespass which constitutes mitigation."
"The primary reason for the trespass was to protect people carrying camera equipment from assault."
Mr Peterffy said that in the past camera equipment had been taken from the activists.
"My presence was a preventative measure in a climate of fear."
"We only walked as as far as only 30 to 40 metres onto the property and then when I was asked to leave I did so within two minutes."
He said to Magistrate Hamilton it was imperative to save the numbats, which he said number less than one thousand.
"The numbat is a WA fauna emblem and they are in decline and without our government having managed any science into their decline. How will future generations judge us if we idly sit by and watch them die out?"
"Logging in Warrup is contributing to this environmental disaster."
"In China, the pandas, which number more than the last remaining numbats, are also threatened with extinction. What if Chinese activists were to trespass to defend panda habitats? Should they be arrested? What would the Australian government say about this?"
Magistrate Hamilton interjected and said she "appreciated" the nature of the environmental concerns however "that this court is not an appropriate forum for them."
Mr Peterffy presented as evidence of the community's concern for the numbats and of their forest habitats a certificate of the nomination of the FRA for The Sunday Times sponsored Pride of Australia Medal.
The police prosecutor said the WA Police were not looking for a prison sentence despite Mr Peterffy's long record of various trespass and protest actions however that a suitable fine would suffice as adequate deterrence.
Magistrate Hamilton appeared sympathetic to the FRA's environmental activism and despite Mr Peterffy sporting a previous suspended prison sentence summarily concluded the matter with 40 hours of community service over six months for Mr Peterffy.
Mr Peterffy was relieved he had not received a prison sentence nor a hefty fine. "Yes, I was concerned however we have to do what we do in order to protect species, to save the environment and to do the right thing for those to come after us."
He said that the FRA's mistake was to get involved in trying to save the Warrup 06 coupe far too late however that the FRA will be ready to protect Warrup 07 coupe this spring prior to the commencement of logging by the FPC contractors. "We will be ready for them, and right there before they start the logging, and we will be better prepared this time than we were for Warrup 06."
A supporter and fellow FRA activist Hrimnir Benediktsson was at Manjimup Court with Mr Peterffy and said he was relieved that no prison sentence was imposed. "I am relieved for Simon however I am also disgusted at the system and the apathy by the many. We are not criminals and we do no wrong. We give up so much of our lives to do what our governments should be doing. Do you know we lose career opportunities? Do you know that the outrageous criminal records that are being dumped on us for saving animal life and forests prohibit us from various employment? We FRA activists are discriminated all the time as if we're some sort of criminals. Who really are the criminals here? I ask you," said Mr Benediktsson.
LINKS:
Debate takes in forest management
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/debate-takes-in...
Forest debate rages
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/forest-debate-r...
Traditional owner outraged over endangering of forest habitats
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/traditional-own...
Nine hectares of Warrup forest to be preserved
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/nine-hectares-o...
Giz Watson's unfinished business with saving the forests
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/wa-greens-leade...
Two sides to the logging debate
http://www.indymedia.org.au/2012/05/10/two-sides-to-the-debate-on-loggin...
South West forests dying
http://www.indymedia.org.au/2012/05/07/australias-south-west-forests-dyi...
Protests from all quarters as Warrup grabs national attention
http://www.indymedia.org.au/2012/03/27/protests-from-all-quarters-as-war...
Warrup actions heighten
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/03/21/forest-rescue-heighten-protest-action...
International Year of Forests - 2011
http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/
Western Australian Forest Alliance
http://waforestalliance.org/
Help us save the Warrup forest
http://savewarrup.wittenoom.com.au/
Bridgetown-Greenbushes Friends of the Forest
http://www.bgff.org.au/
Forest Rescue Direct Action
"With an ever evolving unique style of Non-Violent Direct Action, Forest Rescue has been highly instrumental in saving large tracts of south west forests."
http://www.forestrescue.com.au/
http://www.australiassouthwest.com/Things_to_See_and_Do/Nature_and_Wildl...
There are four dominant tree species throughout Australia's South West - jarrah, karri, tingle and tuart. All are unique to Western Australia and support a diverse range of fauna and other flora species in their associated forests. A great way to explore the region’s forests is by following one of the many sign-posted scenic drives. Some sections of these drives are on gravel roads, so please drive carefully and pay attention to road and weather conditions.
Jarrah Forest
The diverse ecosystem of the jarrah forest is named after the dominant tree species 'jarrah' (Eucalyptus marginata). Jarrah trees grow up to 40 metres in height (130 feet) and can live up to 1,000 years. Its long, straight trunk of richly coloured and beautifully grained timber make it perfect for woodworking, and because it’s very durable, it’s also used as a structural material for building. For this reason, around half of the original jarrah forests that covered 3.9 million hectares from Perth to the South West have been destroyed by extensive logging and clearing for agriculture.
The jarrah forests that remain are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna species, including 150 birds, 29 mammals, 45 reptiles and over 1,200 plants and wildflowers. Excellent examples of jarrah forest can be found at the Collie River Valley and around the town of Nannup.
Karri Forest
The Southern Forests area of Australia's South West is well known for its majestic karri forests. Typically found between Manjimup and Denmark, the smooth-barked karri tree (Eucalyptus diversicolor) grows up to 90 metres in height, making it the tallest tree in Western Australia and one of the world's tallest hardwood trees.
Other tree species that shelter beneath the mighty karri include the peppermint tree, so-called for the peppermint-like smell of its leaves when crushed, and the delicate karri sheoak. Come spring, a stunning display of wildflowers colours the forest, with the blues of tree hovea and native wisteria contrasting with the cream flowers of old man's beard and star-shaped crowea. The Brockman, Beedelup, Gloucester and Warren National Parks are excellent examples of these beautiful forests.
Tingle Forest
The Walpole-Nornalup National Park is the only place where the red tingle tree (Eucalyptus Jacksonii) is found. This buttressed, rough barked tree can live over 400 years and grows up to 75 metres in height, and with a girth of up to 26 metres, they have the largest base of all the eucalypts. There is also a yellow tingle tree (Eucalyptus guilfoyle) which doesn't grow as wide as the red tingle tree.
While tingle trees are often hollowed out by fire and fungal attack, their robust structure allows them to continue growing. An excellent example of this is the Giant Tingle Tree near Walpole. The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk gives visitors a different perspective of the tingle forest from 38 metres above the forest floor.
Tuart Forest
Tuart forest is one of the rarest ecosystems left on Earth and is only found along the Swan Coastal Plain, from Jurien Bay to Busselton in Western Australia. The dominant species within this forest is the tuart tree (Eucalyptus gomphocephala). Tuarts are characterised by grey bark and elongated, spiral-shaped leaves. They can grow up to 33 metres high, 10 metres in girth and live over 500 years. In the 1830s tuart timber was highly valued by millrights, shipwrights and wheelrights, as it is almost impossible to split or splinter the timber.
The tuart forest within Australia's South West is protected by the Tuart Forest National Park and is the largest area of pure tuart remaining in the world. The park is also home to a number of rare and endangered species including the Carnaby's black cockatoo, chuditch, brush-tailed phascogale, western ring-tailed possum and brush wallaby.
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/protestors-brin...
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/bridgetown-folk...
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/forest-products...
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/forest-industry...
http://www.donnybrookmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/activists-to-st...
http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm
The disappearing rainforests
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/amazon_destruction.html
Destruction in the Amazon
Comments
Conservationists admit species not made extinct
Despite wild claims of extinctions, no species has been made extinct after 150 years of timber cutting. Even the Conservation Council's Piers Verstegen agrees (ABC Regional Drive - May). In fact the forest is the last refuge for many species, where even with extensive cutting they have successfully maintained viable populations.
So why with the rate of cutting 25% of what it was 10 years ago, and vast areas of forest in new national parks, is the risk any greater?
It isn't.
We all know that is predation by foxes and cats is the major threat to numbats, it's a pity that activists can't put their energy into the real threats instead of illegal activity such as was penalised here.
Surrounded by truth, logic and inevitability, time to surrender
Your comment about feral predators is only part of the story and is half truth, conveniently leaving out other inconvenient truths and facts and very typical of the forest industry.
Anyone familiar with the extinction process knows that there is rarely a single cause or single industry that causes extinction. It is the cumulative effect of a variety of causes and in the case of the Numbat, cats and foxes are just one threat. Climate Change is a threat to our forests and by default, also a threat to threatened species in the forest.
Habitat loss and fire are the other two main threats, as seen here at Project Numbat - http://numbat.org.au/numbats/threats/. Habitat loss means land clearing and logging combined and as far as fire goes, burning of the forest, after and at regular intervals between logging, is part of the logging process.
In the case of the threat of predators to native animals it is the State government that is directly responsible for their control, not the public, nor environmental activists and it is failing in that regard. The money wasted on propping up the loss-making logging industry should be redirected to feral predator control and rehabilitation of our native forest.
I guess that in a way, forest activists are trying to control a feral pest by trying to stop loggers from destroying Numbat habitat.
With less than a thousand Numbats left in the wild, the logging of one of their last remaining strongholds can only be seen as insane or Ecocide. The Barnett government is directly responsible for this behaviour, as is the government's logging arm, the Forest Products Commission.
Other threatened species known to inhabit jarrah forest (and Warrup itself) are: Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Carnaby's Black Cockatoo, Woylie and Western Ringtail Possum, making 5 species including the Numbat, so it's not just about the Numbats.
Time to surrender, you're surrounded by truth,logic and inevitability but if you're an Ecocidal maniac you'll probably be forced to impale yourself on your own ego.
Indonesia forest activists
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesian-forest-savior-among-magsa...
all power to you simon
all power to you simon