Save trees, save health, say doctors

CLAIRE MILLER, The Age (article), 28/3/2000

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A group of Melbourne doctors will begin an advertising campaign this week warning of the public health risks of clear-felling forests in water catchments.   Doctors for Native Forests say the Federal and State Governments are failing to take environmental health issues seriously as they prepare to sign 20-year regional forest agreements on Friday.

A spokesman for the group, Dr Nigel Strauss, said Australia's good-quality-of-life indicators, such as longevity, were due to public health measures such as secure, clean water supplies and good sanitation.

But he warned these could not be sustained if clear-felling continued.  "Unless we take great dare of certain things, we will run into problems, and we think the water issue is a priority. It is being overlooked, it is not being taken seriously and it poses health problems."

Dr Strauss cited research by the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology that found that run-off declined by up to 50 per cent after clear-felling.   The campaign begins as conservationists tally against clearfelling in the Wurdiboluc dam catchment, which supplies Geelong, and logging next to the Wombat reservoir, which supplies Daylesford. Geelong has had water restrictions for two years.


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