State of the Forests Report: Agenda still incomplete
18 Sep 2003
"WWF welcomes the Australian Government's State of the Forests Report as a useful addition to our knowledge of Australia's precious native forests," Michael Rae, Senior Policy Officer, Business and Industry, said.
"Overall the report notes that Australia has more than 10 per cent of its native forests in protected areas. In global terms Australia has a reasonable forest reserve system."
"The raw numbers of the State of the Forests report, however, belie the fact that many areas of high conservation value forest, including the rain forests in the Tarkine region in Tasmania, are not protected from clearing and logging."
"In 2003 Australia is still logging pristine rainforest."
"These and other high conservation value native forests need to be included in Australia's protected areas system before Australians can claim to have a comprehensive, adequate and representative forest protected areas system - eleven years after it was promised to them by the State and Federal Governments."
"But the whole story goes well beyond Australia's forest reserves. We should also be managing native forests that are not in the reserve system in a sustainable way. This is the 87% of forests not currently in reserves."
"The Australian Forestry Standard, promoted by the Australian Government, fails this test - it still allows the broadscale clearing of native forest to be converted into plantations."
"Instead, the Australian and State Governments should adopt the Forest Stewardship Council for forest management standards in Australia. Only then can we claim to be managing Australia's forest estate sustainably."
