Activists have warned the federally funded $276 million timber industry peace deal won’t stop protests in the state’s forests.
The most active protest groups are not parties to the agreement and say they have little faith that the conservation outcomes they want will be achieved.
Continuing uncertainty about forest preservation could see direct action increase, not tail off.
Miranda Gibson from Still Wild Still Threatened said without a moratorium on logging and protection for threatened forests, protests would certainly continue.
“If we’re not out there standing up for the forests then who is going to be?” she said.
“As long as they’re going to continue to log these areas, then obviously we’re going to continue to take action and to stand up to them because we see that these high-conservation-value areas need protection.
“I can foresee that unless there’s some drastic changes in that agreement there will be a lot of direct action happening over the next 12 months.”
Jenny Weber from the Huon Valley Environment Centre said groups that were not parties to the Statement of Principles had made no promises.
“The Huon Valley Environment Centre never committed to stopping protesting - even if we had been at the table we can’t say what communities down the track will be doing,” she said.
“I think it’s a hard ask on behalf of the direct action groups just to be nullified.
“If Ta Ann is locked in until 2027 and the Government is completely committed to that contract for them to get native forests, how can we say we will stop protesting about that company?”
Ms Weber said real peace would come to Tasmania’s forests only when the chainsaws fell silent.
“The peace is only going to happen when the forests are at peace,” she said.
And Joanna Pinkiewicz from Code Green said her group also had no plans to stop.
“We’re still hoping for peace … there’s just really no firm promise about forests being protected,” she said.
Peter McGlone from the Tasmanian Conservation Trust - which does not run direct action campaigns - said the environment movement should not overstate the gains in the agreement.
“This will not be the final forest peace deal. Even if we can improve it, we will only just get to first base. Let no one claim this agreement is a home run,” he said.
“Next Monday we continue working on all the other vital forest issues and stopping the Tamar Valley pulp mill.”
