By JESSE GRAHAM
RENOWNED natural historian and filmmaker Sir David Attenborough threw his support behind Toolangi’s Great Forest National Park (GFNP) campaign in Toolangi, as support and opposition simultaneously grew for the proposal.
While the campaigning group faces an uphill battle in the State Election, GFNP steering committee member Sarah Rees said the proposal would endure, regardless of who was elected.
On Tuesday 11 November, the Victorian National Parks Association – a not-for-profit environmental organisation – announced that Sir David had given his support to the proposal.
In a written statement, he said the “maintenance of an intact ecological system is the only way to ensure the continued existence of biodiversity, safeguard water supplies and provide spiritual nourishment for ourselves for future generations”.
“It is for these reasons, and for the survival of the critically endangered Leadbeater’s Possum, that I support the creation of the Great Forest National Park for Victoria,” he wrote.
Ms Rees said the timing of the statement was meaningful, with the G20 leaders assembling in Brisbane and the UN Rainforest Summit occurring last week.
On Wednesday 12 November, the group received another boon, successfully raising over $70,000 for the campaign through online crowd-funding website, Pozible.
The fundraising is the latest step in a campaign that began in August last year, when Australian National University Professor David Lindenmayer proposed the park.
“It’s an idea whose time has come – it’s a Ghandi line, but appropriate in this situation,” Ms Rees said.
The group faces strong opposition to the campaign from the Coalition, with both the Nationals and Liberal candidates, Jim Child and Cindy McLeish – as well as Australian Country Alliance candidate Jeffrey Leake – ruling out their support for the campaign.
Their opposition is matched by that of local forestry group, Friends of Forestry, as well as the government-run VicForests, which undertakes timber harvesting in the Toolangi area – both groups have raised concerns for the future of the industry and local jobs if the park goes ahead.
With Labor also ruling out support for the campaign last week, the only political party offering definite support for the proposal is the Greens, which announced that it would demand the establishment of the park if it gained the balance of power after the 29 November election.
But Ms Rees said the campaign was not reliant on the outcome of the election, and that campaigning would continue regardless of the winning party.
“Once the election comes to pass, if we have support – great, if not, the show goes on,” she said.
Ms Rees said that discussions would need to take place with interest groups – such as hunters and four-wheel drivers – and timber industry representatives as the campaign went on.
Friends of Forestry members have previously stated their refusal to discuss the matter. Representatives contacted the Mail after a recent candidates’ forum with dozens of studies and records of roundtable conversations, to say that the discussions have already been had.
Ms Rees said the money raised through the Pozible campaign would be used to commission a white paper into the GFNP proposal, as well as producing promotional materials, including films.
“The funding is not going to pay wages,” she said.
“We’ve always worked in a voluntary capacity – it’ll be for very grassroots things, fliers, short films and websites.”
Ms Rees indicated that an announcement on the status of the Leadbeater’s Possum would take place on 11 December – the possum is currently listed as Endangered and an application to have its status upgraded to Critically Endangered is being considered by Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt.
