Together, we've put deforestation on the agenda
Dear ,
Last Saturday’s Queensland election was a critical moment in stopping Queensland’s deforestation crisis.
While counting continues and the result hangs in the balance, one thing is crystal clear—thousands of Australians have come together in a people-powered movement to end deforestation in Queensland and across the country.
The ABC is predicting a narrow win for Labor, who have committed to the strongest-ever laws to end deforestation in the state.1
It’s been a massive effort. In the last eight weeks, hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders have heard—many for the first time—about the deforestation crisis afflicting their state.
Volunteers led the effort in making sure Queenslanders were 100% clear on the commitments that the political parties were making to stop—or fail to stop—the rampant deforestation that kills 45 million animals every year.
Volunteers made 10,000 phone calls, knocked on almost 4,000 doors, and helped organise nearly 100 community meetings. That’s an incredible effort in anyone’s language.
And it wasn’t just volunteers on the ground in Queensland. So far, 38,906 people across Australia have signed the petition calling on political leaders in Canberra and Brisbane to end the deforestation crisis. Have you signed it yet?
Sign the petition
Hard-hitting drone footage of shocking deforestation in Great Barrier Catchments, widespread media coverage, a powerful TV advertising campaign, and lobbying to convince politicians and candidates to pledge to fix the crisis—all of this had a big impact.
Thanks to your support, both Labor and the Greens committed to pass new, strong laws to end deforestation, and provide funding to restore degraded land in Queensland.
Yours for nature,
Lyndon Schneiders
National Director, The Wilderness Society
P.S. Click here to sign the deforestation petition, and then share it with your friends.
1Read more about Labor's policy here
Tasmanian Premier’s plan to log old growth rainforest reserves
When you hear the words “rainforest logging”, what comes to mind is mindless destruction in the Amazon, Congo or Indonesia, right? Unfortunately, Tasmania’s Premier, Will Hodgman, wants to bring this type of environmental vandalism to our own backyard.
Email the Premier’s new Environment Minister today, and ask her to stand up for Tasmania’s old growth rainforest reserves. Sign now
Sign Today
Update on the Helena Aurora Range
Great news! The WA Environment Minister has backed the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and rejected Mineral Resources’ appeal of the EPA's report, which recommended against mining the Helena Aurora Range.
However, we're not out of the woods yet. The final call from the Minister—on whether to approve the mines and turn the range into a national park—is yet to come... Read more
Blow the lid of deforestation
Deforestation is Australia's biggest unseen environmental crisis—help blow the lid off it!
In the last 12 months, 45 million native animals have been killed as a direct result of deforestation.
It's staggering that we continue to clear so much land. In fact, in Queensland alone, an area the size of the MCG is bulldozed every three minutes.
Help make deforestation a thing of the past by making a donation today.
Donate now
Photo of the month
IMAGE: Sitting by the creek in Queensland | Harrison Warne, @harrisonwarnephotography via Instagram
For a chance to see your own wilderness photo in the next issue of Wild News, share your nature photos with us via Instagram using the hashtag #NatureWeLove or email it to [email protected] by 21 December 2017 with your name and short description. Good luck! Read the terms and conditions.
Watch this
Drink a beer, save a legend: After decades of poaching, habitat loss and mining pollution, the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster—the world’s largest freshwater invertebrate—faces extinction. So we’ve teamed up with Moo Brew, one of Australia’s most awarded craft breweries, to create a beer that celebrates what makes the Giant Lobster legendary. All profits will help bring them back from the brink. Watch now
Wild shop
The countdown to Christmas is on. And to get the holiday season started off right, we’ve got a gift for you! Get 20% off your order when you shop ethically this Christmas, and fill up those stockings with great products that help support The Wilderness Society’s work.
Enter the code STOCKINGSTUFFER at the checkout to receive 20% off your order. Go shopping
Have you heard?
A Giant Freshwater Lobster find has prompted more calls for Tarkine forest protection. The crayfish is the largest freshwater invertebrate in the world, found in remote areas of the state's north-west, and conservationists want the area protected from logging. Read more
Two big things happened in Queensland on the weekend. One was the state election. The other was the first Ashes Test at the Gabba. The two can be linked in a surprising way. Queensland bulldozes a Gabba's (or MCG's) worth of native bushland every three minutes, and it could get worse after the election. Read more
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