A great day for old growth forests

Sunday, 02 February 2003 10:00

"The icons are irreplaceable, eminently worthy of protection and the plan brings a more stable future for the timber industry on-line. These forests have justifiably been a rallying point for forest campaigners over the last 20 or more years and their exclusion from the 1999 north east forest agreement just intensified the battle", said Jeff Angel, Director of Total Environment Centre.

"Its impressive that a few years later, the Carr Government can 'push the edge of the envelope' in arriving at decisions on such hard issues and deliver results for both protagonists. Boral who have been concerned about resource stability have clearly also recognised this in their MOU with the Government."

"Old growth forests are embedded in Australia's psyche - a symbol of how much has already been destroyed; and too valuable to lose - it's the sign of a community that is embracing a new environmental ethic."

"The job of course, is not yet complete and we still have to protect the forests of southern and western NSW, but it gives hope that the community can find a way to preserve these areas for future generations," Mr Angel said.