Victory for trees, but more is needed

Gavan McFadzean, Victorian campaigns manager, Wilderness Society, Melbourne, The Age (letter), 8/11/02

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Premier Bracks' pledge to protect the Otway forests and phase out woodchipping in the Midlands is a major step forward in bringing Labor's forest policy in line with majority public opinion, which strongly opposes the woodchipping of our native forests.

However, most of Victoria's biodiversity and wilderness values are located in the forests of eastern Victoria, the north-eastern Alps and east Gippsland, and in Melbourne's water catchments, which are still being logged despite our worst-ever drought.

The protection of the Otways is a popular announcement that deserves applause - but to protect the state's most ecologically significant forests, both the major parties should commit to the protection of old-growth forests and Melbourne's water-supply catchments.