The community of the Bulga Plateau, west of Port Macquarie, turned out again on January 9 to block logging in the Bulga State Forest.
The forests of the Bulga Plateau are the water catchment for Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Taree and Wingham.
Forest protector 21-year-old Isla Lamont blocked access to the logging area on a tripod. Born in Taree, she said the Bulga Plateau鈥檚 waterfalls, forests and secret swimming holes 鈥渉as always had a special place in my heart 鈥 I couldn鈥檛 stand idly by knowing that the bulldozers were destroying Bulga forest. If not me, then who?鈥
Lamont said she was protesting because she wants to protect the greater gliders, sooty owls, spotted-tailed quolls and koalas for future generations.
She was supported by dozens of people holding colourful banners and signs, many with koala masks, and chanting 鈥淪ave our forest home!鈥
Greens MP Sue Higginson, who was at聽the camp, said industrial logging in public native forests needed to end. 鈥淩eport after report tells us we are absolutely stupid for doing this, that we are causing irreversible harm now and to the future.鈥
Even the New South Wales government鈥檚 鈥淚nsights and new opportunities for forest management鈥, released last November, said forests could become carbon stores rather than carbon emitters with better management.
鈥淲e need 鈥榤ajor intervention鈥,鈥 Higginson said. 鈥淚ndustrial-scale logging of our precious public native forests doesn鈥檛 even make money 鈥 it costs us money to destroy them.鈥
The community set up a 鈥渇orest support camp鈥 at the Ellenborough Falls campground to provide support for the protesters.
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