On January 1, 2024, all native forest logging on public lands in the east of the state of Victoria ended. This is a wonderful win for forests, animals, landscapes and the climate, and comes after decades of hard work by many thousands of people.

After a long wait, the state government has now announced the consultation process for making a decision about how these forests should be managed in the future. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to influence the way Victoria’s forests are cared for into the future. Fill out this short survey as part of the Great Outdoors Taskforce’s engagement on the future of state forests.

The following information comes from Friends of the Earth Melbourne (FoEM).

The Taskforce will be giving recommendations to the government about forest management by mid 2025. This short online survey closes January 12, 2025. Get your responses in before the silly season distractions! The survey takes just 5-10 minutes. You don’t need to be an expert to contribute & your voice is essential to secure good outcomes for forests.

Make your voice heard here. 

You can also fill out a map based survey to identify important locations. FoE’s Places to Protect report lists some of the locations we feel are particularly special. Feel free to use this as a guide, but make sure you contribute your own knowledge about the places you know and love. Note that the area the GOT is consulting about covers the North East and Gippsland region, not the Central Highlands.

 

Some key points FoE thinks are important, if you would like a guide:

First Nations governance, including equity for First Nations not yet formally recognised. We support a cultural landscapes lens.

Fund forest restoration and land management. No more under-funding the reserve system! Securely fund land managers to restore forests and give Country what it needs to thrive.

Research, mapping, and monitoring programs (both bio-cultural knowledge gathering and ecological science engaged in two-way knowledge sharing) must be comprehensive and ongoing, so that collaborative decision making can be properly informed.

Recovery & repair. Forested landscapes have been over-exploited and ecosystems such as Alpine Ash are now vulnerable to collapse. It’s time to give, not take. Forests must be legally protected from industrial activity and colonial resource extraction in an enduring way. All future activity, including the visitor economy, must be circular and non-extractive. Management must be holistic and hands-on (think thousands of restoration jobs and community-led landcare). It must provide and protect habitat.

Respect and reciprocity, not reckless recreation. The relationship between both locals and visitors with the bush must be one of respect and reciprocity, not reckless recreation driven by entitlement. Regulation to prevent damage must be paired with educational experiences to promote ecologically and culturally respectful activity, teach people about the environment, and shift the broader community’s relationship to these landscapes in the long-term. People break rules they don’t understand. Tourism and recreation should funnel a percentage of profit back to fund landcare and restoration in a circular way.

Protection from disturbance and climate threats. No mechanical disturbance and active protection from bushfire in ash forest and snow gum woodlands. Myrtle wilt programs in rainforest. Management of snow gum dieback.

 

Fill out the survey now!