Historic court orders permanently stop logging in Mt Tongatabu coupe

In a landmark first, the Supreme Court of Tasmania has permanently restrained Forestry Tasmania (trading as Sustainable Timber Tasmania), from logging in a coupe on Mt Tongatabu in the state’s south-east. The orders, endorsed by the Court yesterday, makes this the first time in Tasmania that a permanent injunction has been granted to stop logging on public land.

By agreeing to today’s consent orders, it can be inferred that Forestry Tasmania has accepted that its operations on Mt Tongatabu could not lawfully continue. The agency is now permanently barred from logging coupe KD045E under its forest practices plan and is limited to restorative works only.

This decision shows we get better outcomes for people and nature when the community is able to challenge bad decisions.

Mt Tongatabu is a place of towering old-growth trees, fern-lined creeks and rich understorey supporting threatened wildlife including Tasmanian devils, masked owls, wedge-tailed eagles and the critically endangered swift parrot. It also contains sites of deep cultural significance and is a place the local community values for its peace, beauty and restorative power.

The permanent injunction comes three years after the Wilderness Society originally brought a case because forest practices plans (which are legally required whenever logging is undertaken) are both prepared and approved by Forestry Tasmania’s own employees. While the case has proceeded through the court, a series of temporary injunctions were granted until today when the coupe has been granted a permanent injunction.

“This is an extraordinary moment for Tasmania’s forests,” said Alice Hardinge, Tasmanian Campaigns Manager for the Wilderness Society. “For the first time, a court has permanently shielded a public forest from logging under a forest practices plan, and we are left to think that the logging agency and the regulator the Forest Practices Authority have agreed that the logging was or would continue to be unlawful. That speaks volumes about the broken system that continues to drive destruction of Lutruwita / Tasmania’s native forests.”

“Mt Tongatabu’s forests, wildlife and cultural heritage are too precious to lose. This decision not only secures lasting protection for a special place, but it also sends a powerful signal that unlawful logging will be challenged and stopped. This is as much a win for communities as it is for nature”

“This is a victory for nature and for the community. Now it’s time for the Tasmanian government to step up, close the loopholes that allow destructive practices to persist, and ensure Lutruwita / Tasmania’s forests are managed for their true value: biodiversity, climate, culture and community.”

Local community member Linda Cockburn from the Save Mt Tongatabu group said that “with so much old growth and native forest being logged there's a risk there will be none in the future. We understand that people rely on forestry for a living, but many species rely on it for a life. We hope that when native logging ends we can support new jobs in industries that enable both. If we decided to, we could create jobs that enhance Tasmania rather than destroy.'