Sustainable Timber Tasmania has backed down from plans to log two areas of forests in the Eastern Tiers that were central to a Supreme Court case brought by the Bob Brown Foundation.
The foundation challenged the Forest Practices Authority’s approval of logging operations in Tooms Lake and Snow Hill, areas that are home to critically endangered swift parrots.
According to Jenny Weber from the foundation, around half of the area targeted for logging remains untouched due to “non-violent direct actions” from activists and legal challenges.
“Our foundation’s scientific research informed the legal battle which led to Forestry Tasmania withdrawing their plans to log these forests,” she said.
“In documents released during the case, Forestry Tasmania (STT) admitted they logged less forest than they initially intended to in both areas and they will not resume in one of the forests due to the presence of swift parrots.”
“Under Tasmanian law, it is illegal to continue logging if swift parrots are present but logging continues in breeding habitat while the parrots are present and in forests with known nesting sites.”
Weber said that while a positive outcome, the company continues to “log the critically endangered species’ habitat without remorse”.
The foundation is pursuing this alleged “illegal logging” in the Supreme Court.
