A 21,000 strong parliamentary petition to end native forest logging triggered yesterday’s NSW parliamentary debate — a sign that it is time to transition our dying native timber industry into sustainable plantation timber.
NPA NSW Acting CEO Samantha Newton said NPA NSW was one of 14 conservation groups who rallied in front NSW Parliament to show their support for ending public native forestry logging.
“The NSW Government’s refusal to end native forestry logging is out of touch with community expectations,” said Ms Newton.
“We are shocked that government MPs used the debate to spruik the benefits of biomass fuel — the burning of native forest timber for renewable energy.
“This is a con. The public is waking up to the fact that our precious native forest timber is being wasted, unnecessarily incinerated for electricity, and wrongly being classified as a renewable resource.
“It is unconscionable to promote such misinformation, especially when the whole world watched in horror as NSW’s wildlife suffered from the devastating Black Summer Bushfires 2019/20.
“The science now shows that logging intensifies the risk of fire and thus harms our unique wildlife and us as humans.
“The government has no excuse but to end native forestry. The government must listen to the community and the science. It’s time to put an end to a wasteful industry, which is a drain on the public purse and is sending our iconic species towards extinction.”
The parliamentary petition calls on the NSW parliament to:
- Transition NSW’s native forestry industry towards sustainable plantations by 2024.
- Immediately place a moratorium on public native forest logging until the regulatory framework is introduced.
- Urgently protect high-conservation value forests through gazettal in the National Parks estate.
- And ban biomass fuel, made from native forest timber.
ENDS
Media: NPA NSW Acting CEO Samantha Newton (02) 9299 0000