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Destruction of our rainforests continue

Sari Russo

WHY did community members supported by government decisions fight so hard to protect our rainforests as world heritage and cultural sites in the 20TH century, effectively reducing our logging industries here in Far North Queensland and ensuring the industries have a strong commitment to first nations, sustainability and climate change if they are going to destroy our rainforests anyway to build wind turbines in the Wet Tropics and World Heritage areas?

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The Wet Tropic Times covered concerns last year in our April 22 edition with an article titled 'SHOCK! The Plan to partially surround the Wet Tropics with a giant steel ring could spark an extinction crisis,' reported by Freelance journalist Lexy Marquis. https://issuu. com/cassowarycoastindependentnews/ docs/2022_april_22_newspaper_ edition_binder1

Just last weekend, The Guardian followed up on the concerns with an article titled 'Queensland windfarm backed by Apple and Andrew Forrest sparks warning over impact on threatened species.’

Doug Ladner, formerly of Ingham, who was honoured in 2022 by the naming of Doug Ladner Bridge, got the nickname 'Bush Boss' when he worked in the timber industry before becoming a member of the SES, is quoted in the Herbert River Express back in February 1985 having said, “Anyone in timber is a conservationist. “The forest is not meant to be left idle with trees rotting away.

“We’re in the business of sustained, not clear-felling, which is rather like judicious farming of the forest.” Mr Ladner shared how glad he was when changes in the logging industry ensured that it no longer occurred in a hap-hazard way but was more conservation-focused.

HQ Plantations, who have an office in Ingham, now manage the wood plantations based in Cardwell, and they have a commitment to lower emissions to meet climate change concerns.

Serious concerns with the building of these wind turbines in the Wet Tropics Rainforests of Queensland are that the rainforest is much better at managing potential climate change concerns due to their ability to store carbon, reducing emissions and the potential impact of animals that are currently listed as threatened species at the large amount of proposed destruction to the rainforest.

I will be posing questions to the Queensland Ombudsman this week on what is occurring and why after the local community has fought against the destruction of their rainforests for over a year. The community is currently not being listened to.

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