Wilderness Society calls for ‘no-strings attached’ protection of Australia’s native forests

The Senate has today voted against disallowing the Improved Native Forest Management (INFM) method, allowing the controversial carbon-credit pathway for protecting eligible native forest from logging to proceed.

The Wilderness Society believes the INFM sets a dangerous precedent that forest protection in one place justifies fossil fuel expansion somewhere else.

Nature protection must not become a licence for more pollution. Australia must protect its native forests because they are irreplaceable and stop approving new coal, oil and gas mining. 

Dr Kirsty Howey, CEO of Wilderness Society, said, “The Wilderness Society has made it very clear that we will not accept protected areas being made conditional on continued destruction elsewhere. We will continue to stand up for native forest protection with no strings attached.

“Big corporations should not be able to buy permission to keep polluting. Climate action means saving forests and transitioning away from coal, oil and gas. 

Sascha Hawkins, NSW Campaigns Manager for Wilderness Society, said, “Protecting forests should be a government responsibility, not dependent on whether a carbon market can pay for it. Regardless of the outcome of today’s vote, the NSW Government should be urgently legislating the creation of the Great Koala National Park.

“There can be no more excuses or delays. For more than 10 years Labor has promised this Park. It’s time to get it done.”

Alice Hardinge, Campaigns Manager for Wilderness Society Tasmania, said, “We will continue to advocate for the protection of Australia’s forests, like the globally significant  forests of Lutruwita / Tasmania, without carbon offsets as part of the equation.”

These forests are our life-support system. They deserve protection for their extraordinary ecological and cultural value, not because of their monetary value to a big polluter.