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Members of the Goongerah Environment Centre, The Wilderness Society and Concerned Residents of East Gippsland have organised the blockade in the Yalmy River catchment, a tributary of the Snowy. Government plans to intensively clearfell this and other catchments over the next 10 years could negate the 28% return which has been fought for by locals. About 30 environmentalists have erected tree platforms to prevent tree falling and bulldozer work in an area which borders the Snowy River National Park and the Rodger River Wilderness.
Those present at the forest rescue blockade are wearing ‘Peter McGauran masks’, to highlight the role the local National Party member for East Gippsland has played, in allowing this spectacular piece of Australian folklore and natural beauty to be destroyed.
“Peter McGauran has failed to understand the mounting body of scientific research that shows fast growing saplings in a clearfelled water catchment suck up huge volumes of water. This would negate efforts to restore environmental flows to the Snowy” said Jill Redwood, East Gippsland’s spokesperson for The Wilderness Society.
“It is hypocritical for the State and Federal Governments to agree to restore the Snowy’s flow while allowing the stripping of its forests in important headwaters” said Ms Redwood. “There is a mounting number of studies which show that clearfelling in catchments reduces water yields by at least 50% and this can take over 100 years to return to normal”.
“It’s an outrage that a national icon like the Snowy River is being sold out to overseas interests. Its upper waters are being sold to the French, while its lower catchments are being cleared and sold for a song to the logging industry” said Morgan Boehringer, spokesperson for GECO. “Our politicians are leaving the people of this region with a trickle more akin to a creek. Whatever party wins this weekend, it will face mounting conflict over catchment logging, as water issues are increasingly affecting everyone, from farmers to city dwellers”.
For comment:
Jill Redwood – ph: 5154 0145
Morgan Boehringer – ph: 5154 0156
Gavan McFadzean – ph: 0414 754 023
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