Protecting Tasmania's native forests from logging and burning key to real zero by 2030

Our Gondwana remnant eucalypt forests are some of the most carbon dense forests in the world. Research by the ANU found that eucalyptus regnan mixed forests are our best assets for storing carbon in complex forest ecosystems. While also keeping moisture in the landscape which makes our country and communities more resilient to increasing temperatures and fire threats that climate change is causing.

The research concluded that conserving forests with large stocks of biomass from deforestation and degradation avoids significant carbon emissions to the atmosphere, irrespective of the source country, and should be among allowable mitigation activities. Similarly, management that allows restoration of a forest's carbon sequestration potential also should be recognized.

To get real about Tasmania's climate action Premier Gutwein needs to list all the polluting sectors emissions profile, and detail how their emissions will be cut. Key to this is revealing the tonnage of greenhouse gas pollution released for each hectare of Tasmanian native forests logged and then incinerated each year in forest ‘regeneration’ burns

We hope that Premier Gutwein, and the whole of the Tasmanian parliament, take into account the very clear message sent by over 165 tourism and outdoor adventure businesses to take practical action on climate change by protecting our forests, and in turn Brand Tasmania.

The letter supported the vision for Tasmania to be a carbon-neutral state, aligned with the Tasmanian Government Climate Action 21 agenda. There are measures we can introduce quickly to achieve this goal; immediate and practical action including removing the three Blue Derby Gondwana native forests of Krushka’s (CC105A and CC119A) and Atlas (CC120B) from logging and burning plans. Protecting the carbon dense forests of this iconic tourism destination area has the immediate impact of stopping the carbon emissions associated with logging and burning Gondwana native forests, protecting local biodiversity and will help safeguard the Blue Derby brand.

Tasmania has invested so much in promoting ourselves as Clean, Green and Clever, now we need to live up to that vision and safeguard our Gondwana native forests which are the green natural assets that are critical in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and building clever local communities and economies.