Grassroots Tasmania says it has stopped logging at West Kunanyi Range
An environmental group has gone to drastic lengths to stop logging at a coupe in the state’s south. Pictures from the protest at the coupe.
Tasmania
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Logging was halted on Tuesday in the West Kunanyi Range after an environmentalist suspended himself from a 9m tall structure tied to machinery.
Grassroots Tasmania has been attempting to stop logging in the location that joins onto the vast Tasmanian Wilderness Area in the southwest of the state.
The 37-hectare wildfire-generated re-growth coupe is situated on Permanent Timber Production Zone land, located on East Puzzle Road in the Derwent Valley.
Hugh Nicklason was the person who was suspended and said Grasrooters Tasmania were protesting “to answer the call” of Pakana Elder Uncle Jim Everett.
“Me personally, I was out there because I have a profound love and deep connection with this island, and I really hope that we can find a different way forward because the way that we’re currently managing land - interacting with land relating with the environment - is not sustainable with the future,” Mr Nicklason said.
“Ever since we got here - and I say we, the people of European descent who arrived here 220 years ago - we’ve just been pillaging this land.
“And so the reality is that we can’t keep doing that forever; we can’t just keep on taking.
“So we’re here to say today there is another way - and it’s not just looking, it’s not just fish farms or anything like that - it’s a complete shift in the mindset away from acting like conquerors - like pillagers - to a true sense of belonging.”
Mr Nicklason said protestors had been at the coupe for a while.
“We were there for some hours through the night before contractors and police arrived.
“We had people who were very, very skilled - and I was also wearing a helmet - so I wasn’t concerned (about my safety) at all.”
Sustainable Timber Tasmania Acting CEO Suzette Weeding said the protest activities at West Kunayni Range “briefly halted harvesting operations, and work resumed quickly.”
“Tasmania Police and search and rescue attended, once again diverting emergency services away from the community and presenting a safety risk for both responders and protestors.”
Mr Everett was arrested twice last year for trespassing logging coupes.
He was scheduled to appear in court in December but refused to attend because he did not want to bow to “colonial rule.”
“I don’t intend to go into the court. It’s got no jurisdiction over me,” Mr Everett said at the time.
“I’m here to thumb my nose at it. If you’re really serious about taking this issue on, then come and talk to us.”
An ex parte hearing has been scheduled in the Hobart Magistrates Court on January 28, which is planned to go ahead regardless of whether Mr Everett attends or not.
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