Australia woke yesterday to a sobering assessment of the state of Australia’s environment. The State of the Environment report was a sombre reminder of the challenges the country faces in protecting country and rewinding the damage that has been caused. Source: Timberbiz
“The report is a sobering reminder of the current challenges Australia faces in relation to climate change and reduction in biodiversity. It is, however, a real opportunity for industries such as ours, to continue to champion its environmental credentials which time and time again are backed by robust scientific data.” Carlie Porteous, General Manager of the Australian Forest Contractors Association said.
“Adaptive and active forest management is key for ensuring the storage and capture of carbon from the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that sustainably managing our native forests for timber delivers the best climate change mitigation results: IPCC,” she said.
The report highlighted an urgency to address the real documented threats to our environment and threatened species, such as invasive flora and fauna, disease, climate change, and catastrophic bushfires. The impacts of more frequent and intense catastrophic fires were considered a key contributor to the acute reduction in flora and fauna species.
“Again, adaptive and active forest management ensures that not only is carbon being absorbed from the atmosphere, but fuel stocks are managed reducing the spread of catastrophic bushfires such as those seen in 2019-2020. Our members are best placed to continue their work as stewards of the forest and in times of need, the volunteers that protect areas for further fire damage.” Ms Porteous said.
AFCA looks forward to working with the Minister of Environment, Tanya Plibersek, to shape Australia’s response to this challenge with a responsible forestry solution.
