PRESS RELEASE Friday 21st April 2000 HISTORIC TALKS BETWEEN OTWAY CONSERVATIONISTS AND LOGGERS REACH A SHORT TERM AGREEMENT VIOLENCE IN THE FOREST STILL TO BE RESOLVED A short term peace deal has been developed between conservationists and loggers to avoid tension in the Otway State Forest for the rest of the logging season. The deal came yesterday after 14 hours of professionally facilitated discussions with representatives from the Wye River Action Group, Otway Ranges Environment Network, Apollo Bay residents, native forest loggers, forestry union, police, Department Natural Resources and Environment and a Ministerial political advisor. The short term peace deal until the 31st May involves initiatives including a halt to logging in some of the most contentious forest areas. This= includes: * Logging is not to commence in the West and East Barwon forest blocks which are a part of the Geelong water catchment area. The West Barwon block is in the headwater of the West Barwon Dam and is only 6% full of water. * Logging is not to recommence at Riley=92s Ridge, Cumberland River Catchment, Wild Dog Ridge and that future discussions will resolve to have these areas placed under a logging moratorium. * A current logging operation is to be halted in a coup that threatens Cool Temperate Rainforest in the Aire Valley near Lavers Hill. The logging contractor must stop clearfelling trees by the end of Friday (today). After logs have been carted from the Coup, the logging contractor will be relocated to another less contentious area. * Four logging coups in the Warrnambool Water Supply are not to commence. This includes coups in the Carlisle Block near the Arkins Creek catchment area and Sheepyard Block. In return for a halt to logging in contentious forest areas, OREN will not support protest action that prevents logging contractors clearfelling native forest. There are five other logging crews which will be allowed to continue clearfell logging the native forest coupes they are currently in. Another outcome from the meeting was a commitment to call a forum/meeting that will discuss the role of the regional police force in the forest debate. This meeting is necessary due to the issue of past criminal violence in the forest. Conservationists are concerned that some of the regional police force may have a bias against the conservation movement and that this bias has interfered with police duty to protect conservationists from criminal attacks from loggers and to adequately follow up these incidents. The police forum/meeting will attempt to resolve this issue. The date of this meeting has not been set but should occur before the 10th May. "There has been genuine commitment between all parties to reach an agreement to relieve the tensions in the Otways. The government has, in the past, made mistakes by ignoring community concerns over forest management and using a confrontational approach. Yesterday's outcome is a positive first step in solving the Otway forest debate. However it is only the very beginning," Said Otway Ranges Environment Network spokesperson, Simon Birrell. "Only by all parties consulting with each other can we get a long term resolution to the forest debate. The issue of criminal violence is still to be dealt with by the police and in the courts and all parties need to be committed to not only solve the forest debate but ensure that violence towards residents and conservationists is stopped." Further meetings will be held on the 10th of May to talk about the RFA commitments to conduct Hydrology Research that investigates the impact logging has on water yields and studies to investigate the potential of tourism development in the Otway forest hinterland. -- O t w a y s R a n g e s E n v i r o n m e n t N e t w o r k An affilliation of Otway's residents, regional and Victorian conservation groups, Community groups and campus conservation networks [EMAIL PROTECTED] (OREN Propaganda) WEB SITE http://www.oren.org.au DO NOT assume that any act of damage to logging equipment or logging infrastructure is done by conservationists or members of anti - logging groups. - Victorian Police (internal memo) -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
