22.1.2009 Forest activists call on Rudd for Upper Florentine moratorium

This morning, forest activists called on Prime
Minister Rudd, who is visiting Hobart, to place
an immediate moratorium on forestry operations in the Upper Florentine
Valley. Activists
attempted to present the Prime Minister with a letter detailing their Southern
Forests Solution, which was ignored by the Tasmanian and Australian Governments
in November 2008. They also attempted to present Kevin Rudd with an Upper
Florentine Crisis Report, released today, and a large aerial photograph of the
impacts of current roading operations in the Upper Florentine
Valley.

Two activists have locked themselves to roading
machinery in the Upper
Florentine Valley
this morning to protest against Forestry Tasmania's roading operations in the
old growth forests of the valley.

"We are once again calling for a Tasmanian and
Australian Government driven solution to contentious logging and roading
operations in the Southern Forests. The Tasmanian community want to see an end
to the long running debate over the destruction of our old growth and high
conservation value forests" said Ali Alishah, spokesperson for Still Wild
Still Threatened.

"We will be sending the Upper Florentine Crisis
Report to all key decision makers in Australia,
as well as international bodies like the IUCN and the World Heritage Centre,
who have expressed concern about logging operations in Tasmania's ancient forests" said Mr
Alishah.

Updates will
continue during the day. A pdf version of the crisis report is will be
forwarded shortly.

For comment, contact: Ali
Alishah    0400 651 764

--
Still Wild Still Threatened is a grassroots community organisation campaigning
for the immediate protection of Tasmania's
ancient forests and the creation of an equitable and environmentally
sustainable forestry industry in Tasmania.

www.stillwildstillthreatened.org
stillwildstillthreatened@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/stillwildstillthreatened  
PO Box 295.
South Hobart TAS 7004