Untitled Document

FOREST AWARENESS TOUR NOV/DEC 2001
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click to go to FAT Tour gallery

Tasmania is currently in the grips of a logging onslaught that is far beyond anything that has been seen either on the mainland or within the Island State itself in previous years.

In an effort to document and understand the implications of past logging practices and the current unprecedented rates of logging in Tasmania. A Forest Awareness Tour (F.A.T.) of Tasmania by a collective of forest activists (the F.A.T. five), has been undertaken to document the views and experiences of Tasmanian residents. Especially what it is they envisage for the future of Tasmania's forests, and how they perceive this to be most achievable, based on their experiences of past failures and successes.

The people who are engaging with the tour and sharing their knowledge and views on Tasmanian forests and the forest industry come from an extremely diverse selection of the Tasmanian population. They include local revegetation specialists, indigenous peoples, flora and fauna experts, timber industry representatives, local land owners, tourism operators, long-term resident forest activists, doctors for forests, organic farmers, specialists in Pine plantations and noxious weeds, as well as small mill operators.

This wide ranging coverage of peoples perspectives and interests is all to be compiled onto a web-page that can give one of the more comprehensive and current pictures of the issues facing Tasmania's Old Growth Forests. As well as the people who are working with the land to try and find a solution to the problem of our rapidly decreasing ancient forests and the resulting land and water degradation.

The compilation of the many stories, personalities and perspectives that will be encountered on the tour, will be invaluable in the lead up to the summer campaign of forest rescue camps, as well as the broader campaigns that are well and truly established in the forest regions of Tasmania.

From the knowledge and networks that will be created and enhanced throughout the three week tour, the upcoming summer forest campaign looks set to be one of the most highly supported in a long time. Not since the campaigns of The Road to Nowhere and Mother Cummings has there been so much energy, both in Tasmania and on the mainland to support forest rescue camps in Tasmania. With the networks and information links that are being established as part of the Forest Awareness Tour, it is hoped that the immanent arrival of activists to Tasmania, will result in one of the most effective community based forest rescue campaigns in recent history and set the stage for more pro-active and effective campaigning in the future.

With initiatives such as the F.A.T. tour and the growing recognition in the need for cohesive community campaigning on many levels, hopefully many more tours of regional areas and other campaigns will continue to grow. Recognising the importance of information sharing in our communities and the effectiveness of creating and keeping networks between like minded and seemingly opposed people all of whom have valuable information to share and points of view and experiences that are vital to the pool of knowledge and community empowerment.


Home Articles Discussion Gallery Maps Links	FOREST AWARENESS TOUR NOV/DEC 2001 _________________________________________________ click to go to FAT Tour gallery Tasmania is currently in the grips of a logging onslaught that is far beyond anything that has been seen either on the mainland or within the Island State itself in previous years. In an effort to document and understand the implications of past logging practices and the current unprecedented rates of logging in Tasmania. A Forest Awareness Tour (F.A.T.) of Tasmania by a collective of forest activists (the F.A.T. five), has been undertaken to document the views and experiences of Tasmanian residents. Especially what it is they envisage for the future of Tasmania's forests, and how they perceive this to be most achievable, based on their experiences of past failures and successes. The people who are engaging with the tour and sharing their knowledge and views on Tasmanian forests and the forest industry come from an extremely diverse selection of the Tasmanian population. They include local revegetation specialists, indigenous peoples, flora and fauna experts, timber industry representatives, local land owners, tourism operators, long-term resident forest activists, doctors for forests, organic farmers, specialists in Pine plantations and noxious weeds, as well as small mill operators. This wide ranging coverage of peoples perspectives and interests is all to be compiled onto a web-page that can give one of the more comprehensive and current pictures of the issues facing Tasmania's Old Growth Forests. As well as the people who are working with the land to try and find a solution to the problem of our rapidly decreasing ancient forests and the resulting land and water degradation. The compilation of the many stories, personalities and perspectives that will be encountered on the tour, will be invaluable in the lead up to the summer campaign of forest rescue camps, as well as the broader campaigns that are well and truly established in the forest regions of Tasmania. From the knowledge and networks that will be created and enhanced throughout the three week tour, the upcoming summer forest campaign looks set to be one of the most highly supported in a long time. Not since the campaigns of The Road to Nowhere and Mother Cummings has there been so much energy, both in Tasmania and on the mainland to support forest rescue camps in Tasmania. With the networks and information links that are being established as part of the Forest Awareness Tour, it is hoped that the immanent arrival of activists to Tasmania, will result in one of the most effective community based forest rescue campaigns in recent history and set the stage for more pro-active and effective campaigning in the future. With initiatives such as the F.A.T. tour and the growing recognition in the need for cohesive community campaigning on many levels, hopefully many more tours of regional areas and other campaigns will continue to grow. Recognising the importance of information sharing in our communities and the effectiveness of creating and keeping networks between like minded and seemingly opposed people all of whom have valuable information to share and points of view and experiences that are vital to the pool of knowledge and community empowerment.