[Greens-Media] Media Release - Draft Forest Management Plan disastrous: Greens - Hon Giz Watson MLC - 15 August 2012

[Jurak, Nina]

Giz Watson MLC
Member for North Metropolitan Region
MEDIA RELEASE
Released Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Draft Forest Management Plan disastrous: Greens

"The Draft Forest Management Plan released for public comment today will be disastrous for WA's forests and woodlands," said Greens MP Giz Watson.

"The forests need a management plan for forest restoration not more exploitation," she said.

"WA's forests are already under extreme stress from rapidly declining rainfall and dramatically reduced stream flows and any proposals to increase logging in these forests is grossly irresponsible," she said.

"Independent scientists are telling us our forests are in trouble.* The last thing needed is the additional destruction caused by on-going or increased logging," she said.

"There are significant collapses occurring that indicate that areas of the forest have already reached their ecological tipping points," she concluded.


*In their presentation 'Reaching critical resource thresholds in WA's forests and woodlands: How should we respond?' Dr. George Matusick and Professor Giles Hardy from The Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Woodland & Forest Health, Murdoch University, WA said:

"The South-West of WA, while being one of the global hotspots for biodiversity, is expected to continue to get hotter and dryer. Many of the tree species currently dying are some of the most well-adapted for extreme soil water deficits on the planet. Their ability to sustain massive crown dieback, while preserving the ability to re-sprout enables many of these plants to survive during prolonged droughts. Despite these adaptations, many trees on the most susceptible sites are reaching their threshold and dying. We believe the scale and severity of the damage is a clear warning for what will happen on many more, larger areas of the forest if something does not change. The current trajectory of the forest is not sustainable in the current climate cycle... Many sites within the Northern Jarrah Forest and other areas of the South-West are currently reaching their thresholds for soil water and are dying on a large-scale. ..The South-West of WA is considered one of the global "guinea pigs" for the effects of climate change. The current disaster in the forest is one of the first signs that this prediction is true."

For further comment, contact Giz Watson on 08 9201 0582, Mobile: 0414 837 753

Nina Jurak on behalf of Hon Giz Watson MLC
Electorate Officer
Hon Giz Watson MLC | Member for North Metropolitan Region
T (08) 9201 0582  F (08) 9201 0583  E nina.jurak at mp.wa.gov.au<mailto:nina.jurak at mp.wa.gov.au>
339 Oxford Street, Leederville, WA, 6007
http://www.mp.wa.gov.au/giz-watson

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