Forests Roadmap
Wilderness Australia is leading a science-based education and communication strategy to prevent an emerging alliance of interests between two of our biggest environmental threats: fossil fuel companies and native forest loggers.
What needs to be done?
Forestry agencies must be converted to solely plantation managers
The State Government forestry agencies, such as the Forestry Corporation of NSW, manage the logging industry and must urgently be reformed. They have a positive role to play in managing plantation logging, but if allowed to, they will commandeer the carbon market to rescue the native forest logging industry and keep it running for as long as possible.
All native forests should be protected in publicly owned conservation reserves and wherever feasible co-managed with traditional owners
Following on from WA and Vic, all ‘state forests’ in NSW, QLD and Tas should be permanently protected and managed to support cultural and conservation objectives
Native forests should be excluded from Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) trading
The monetisation of forest carbon ACCUs that would be purchased by our biggest fossil fuel emitters to offset their own emissions will further delay their exit from fossil fuels. The principles governing the role and use of offsets need to be re-designed to ensure they are used as a last resort and as part of a clear plan to exit reliance on fossil fuels.