For years, Friends of the Earth Melbourne supporters have fought for the end of native forest logging in the Central Highlands and across so-called Victoria. Now that native forest logging has finally ended, the government is facilitating a consultation about the future uses and management of state forests.
What is this consultation?
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure good outcomes for forests, after decades of industrial logging and hundreds of years of colonial exploitation and inappropriate management.
Engage Victoria is the Victorian Government’s online community consultation platform. It provides one way for the public to share their views on ‘what’s next’ for Victoria’s state forests, beyond logging. Please read the details of the consultation before making your submission.
The online consultation process closes soon, on April 29, so make your own submission ASAP below.
Why engage in this consultation?
With native forest logging finally ending, the people of Victoria have an unprecedented opportunity to re-image our relationship with these unique, precious forested landscapes. It’s time to properly value forests, invest in their long-term care and resilience, permanently protect them from future resource exploitation, and return them to First Nations custodians. We must fully embrace this opportunity and be loud and clear with the government about how much we value these forests. We must insist on a relationship of care with these incredibly diverse landscapes, not one of exploitation or neglect.
We must call for the active restoration and long-term care-taking of forested Cultural Landscapes. We must make it clear that we will not accept the resumption of resource exploitation at any time in the future. This transition away from logging should also be a decolonising process that asserts the Sovereignty of the four First Nations across the Central Highlands.
In your submission, we recommend speaking from the heart about why these forests matter to you. We have also highlighted some key things that Friends of the Earth’s Forests Collective supports below to help guide you in your own submission. You are welcome to copy and paste our text as a guide, but make sure to include your own words and personal experiences.
Unfortunately, the online feedback form only allows for 500 characters per section. Please capture what's most important to you personally & make sure to mention your support for First Nations governance in solidarity. There is an example at the bottom of this page. You can also provide more more detail on specific specials areas that you love via the 'mapping what's important' part of the online survey.
Some information to guide your own submission
FOE Forests Collective asks of the state government via the eminent panel process:
1. Support First Nations governance and the holistic care of forested Country as interconnected Cultural Landscapes.
These forests exist within the Cultural Landscapes of the unceded sovereign lands of Traditional Custodians. Government should fully resource First Nations groups to build Nation-based capacity to care for Country on a boundary level and through a Cultural Landscapes lens. Traditional Owners are decision makers, not stakeholders. Government must meaningfully empower First Nations groups by implementing direct management arrangements & equitable decision making frameworks, like collaborative management.
Taungurung Land & Waters Council has released a brilliant report documenting their recent bio-cultural assessment of forested Cultural Landscapes on Taungurung Country. The report recommends establishing collaborative arrangements, wherein Cultural Knowledge and practice, western science, and community participation will enable care for Country to be implemented in a holistic way into the future.
Friends of the Earth recommends that our supporters read TLaWC's bio-cultural assessment report and state their support for TLaWC's specific asks in their own submission. This would enable the Taungurung Nation and the state government to collaboratively design management arrangements which would enable Country to be cared for through a bio-cultural lens and on a place-specific and ‘whole of landscape’ scale.
The Central Highlands area spans Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung/Bunurong, Gunnai/Kurnai & Taungurung Country. You can state your support for First Nations governance and self-determination: e.g. "each First Nation must be fully resourced & supported to conduct their own bio-cultural assessments and lead the transition process for their own Country on a boundary level."
Here are the specific recommendations to government from Taungurung Land & Waters Council (pg. 39 of their report) for your information:
Supporting Taungurung Land & Waters Council to seek equitable decision making with state government and to manage forested Country holistically by re-asserting bio-cultural relationships across Taungurung Country:
- "We seek the Minister’s authority to designate all the State Forests within the Central Highlands RFA (Regional Forest Agreement) Region that falls on Taungurung Country for activation under collaborative management, according to the framework outlined in the Cultural Landscape Strategy (see CLS: p46). This will be activated upon the advice of Taungurung Land and Waters Council to DEECA (and to the Minister for the Environment in the interim while the Public Land legislation is being prepared) and will be provided by TLaWC when resourcing and Nation capacity exists for each state forest and for the collective of state forests within the landscape, respectively. Specific arrangements for management, planning and governance for each reserve (e.g., whether DEECA management, joint management, direct management or sole management) will be negotiated with partners based on information revealed through Reading Country (including a Country Speaks Statement), together with scientific data and analysis. This will ensure that conditions are being created to meet the needs of Country at that time and place. We will also seek to ensure consistency with the strategic objectives and shared vision for the cultural landscape." pg. 39.
Supporting Taungurung custodianship of Tallarook state forest and the Yawang cultural landscape.
- "We refer to the framework outlined in the Cultural Landscapes Strategy (see CLS: p46) and the Eminent Panel phase 1 report (August 2022). Strathbogies State Forest has been identified by the Eminent Panel as a pilot for the development of new governance, planning and management arrangements for state forests within the Yawang (Stone Country) cultural landscape. We seek authority to immediately extend these arrangements for Tallarook State Forest, to be activated once sufficient resourcing and Nation capacity exist. We also seek to extend the arrangements to Mount Wombat-Garden Range Nature Conservation Reserve, which is a Reserve within the Yawang landscape that us under Aboriginal Title and currently managed by Parks Victoria. We seek enabling of Direct Management rights consistent with new arrangements for Joint Management of Parks and Reserves in the Public Land bill. To be activated once sufficient resourcing and Nation capacity exists." pg. 39.
Supporting Taungurung custodianship of Nun Nun tun (Greater Cathedrals Cultural Landscape).
- "Nun nun tun (Greater Cathedrals Cultural Landscape) has been identified as central to Taungurung rights and interests. We seek authority to activate Nun nun tun as a pilot for development, and to immediately extend new governance, planning and management arrangements for state forests within the Greater Cathedrals Cultural Landscape, once sufficient resourcing and Nation capacity exists. We also seek to extend the arrangements to Parks and Reserves within the landscape that currently managed by Parks Victoria. We seek enabling of Direct Management rights consistent with new arrangements for Joint Management of Parks and Reserves in the Public Land bill. To be activated once sufficient resourcing and Nation capacity exists." pg. 39.
Supporting Taungurung custodianship of Deberra Biik (the bogong moth Cultural landscape that covers alpine areas on Taungurung Country in the Central Highlands, including the Rubicon state forest and Mt Torbreck).
- "Debera Biik Cultural Landscape has also been identified as central to Taungurung rights and interests. We seek authority to activate Debera Biik Cultural Landscape as a pilot for development, and to immediately extend new governance, planning and management arrangements for state forests within the Debera Biik Cultural Landscape, once resourcing and Nation capacity exists. We also seek to extend the arrangements to Parks and Reserves within the landscape that currently managed by Parks Victoria. We seek enabling of Direct Management rights consistent with new arrangements for Joint Management of Parks and Reserves in the Public Land bill. To be activated once sufficient resourcing and Nation capacity exists." pg 39.
The online feedback form only allows for 500 characters per section, so we recommend just stating clearly that you support the 'specific recommendations' of TLaWC's bio-cultural report (pg. 39). You can provide more detail on specific areas via the 'mapping what's important' part of the online survey. You could echo TLaWC's wishes for the specific Cultural Landscapes listed above, e.g. Debera Biik (the Rubicon state forest including Mt Torbrek), by using the mapping tool. W.O.T.C.H have outlined some additional special places you could mention via the mapping tool, identifying threatened species hot spots and other key values.
2. Permanently prohibit colonial extraction & industrial resource exploitation across all forested landscapes. All state forests must be re-categorised into reserves that permanently prohibit future industrially extractive activity, like industrial logging (including ‘salvage logging’) and mineral extraction.
New governance arrangements, land categories, and management prescriptions must permanently prohibit future resource extraction and industrial exploitation across all forested landscapes. We support First Nations groups to self-determine specific arrangements for management, planning and governance for each reserve (and we ask the government to fully facilitate the restoration of bio-cultural relationships via access to Country, application of Cultural practice, and access to bio-cultural resources). We ask that future land managers allow these over-exploited forested landscapes to recover and mature by permanently prohibiting all future colonial resource extraction and inappropriate industrial activity into the future. Reform of land legislation must be actioned before the 2026 state election, so that new reserves can be realised. Government must provide a clear pathway for state forests to be re-categorised into protected areas, under new or existing land categories, based on the wishes of the relevant First Nation.
3. ‘Right Fire’.
More frequent and intense bushfire disasters due to climate change, as well as current inappropriate fire management regimes administered by the state government (like the broad-acre prescribed burning currently carried out by Forest Fire Management Victoria) are significant and ongoing threats to the resilience of forested landscapes. These threats continue to risk the survival threatened species that call these forests home. We ask the government to empower First Nations to Culturally practise ‘right fire’, instead of inappropriate fire regimes, and proactively intervene to prevent catastrophic bushfires by significantly investing in rapid detection and suppression technology and remote area firefighting teams. We also ask for greater accountability mechanisms and scientific scrutiny regarding Forest Fire Management Victoria activity and all new or existing ‘bushfire mitigation’ activities not currently held to account (for example, FFMV recently damaged rainforest like myrtle beech during ‘bushfire mitigation activity' in the Yarra Ranges).
Both TLaWC’s new report and a new scientific review released April 20 examine the character of the predominantly mountain ash forests of the Central Highlands and their relationship to fire. Much of the Ash forests are in recovery from logging and fire and in many instances, fire must be excluded as the vegetation communities recover. The Central Highlands has been damaged and fragmented and needs to be carefully cared for over the coming decades. As was demonstrated during Black Summer, despite welcome investment from the state government, Victoria does not have enough fire fighting capacity to protect fire sensitive vegetation communities in bad fire seasons. In addition to continued and sustained investment in remote area and appliance based firefighting crews and equipment, and aircraft (and the volunteer remote area firefighting teams proposed by FoE), it is essential that resource allocation decisions during fires ensure the protection of not only human assets but also fire sensitive ecological communities.
4. Securely fund long-term active restoration and monitoring.
FoE calls on the government to significantly and securely fund the active restoration and long-term care-taking of forested Cultural Landscapes. These forests and the diversity of species that call them home have been severely exploited by logging and impacted by bushfire. Forested landscapes ravaged by logging have failed to regenerate and will need long-term intervention and monitoring to ensure their survival, recovery & resilience to climate impacts.
We support the holistic view expressed in Taungurung Land & Waters Council’s Rapid Biocultural Assessment report, acknowledging that “It is … likely that currently accepted indicators of positive ecological health (e.g. age class distribution, time since high intensity fire, understory weediness or presence of requisite habitat components/structures) will present an incomplete picture of biocultural health”.
Significant, long-term investment for the lowest-impact restoration and management techniques is necessary. Ecologically sensitive restoration and management techniques must be made possible by significant funding (this would also create more jobs, see point 12 below). No large machinery (beyond road maintenance and access operations on existing tracks) should be employed, in order to avoid further disturbance or soil compaction.
Active restoration to manage invasive weeds, restore native flora, and monitor recovering species will be critical.
5. Build the resilience of alpine and subalpine forests (referred to as the Debera Biik Cultural landscape when found on Taungurung Country).
The government must significantly invest so that land managers can recover and build the resilience of vulnerable and collapsing ecosystems and obligate seeders like alpine ash and mountain ash, as well as sensitive snow gum ecosystems. Alpine environments are sensitive to repeated disturbance, and especially in light of imminent climate impacts like more frequent bushfires, they need proactive restoration and management. Other impacts, like snow gum die back, must also be actively and carefully managed.
6. Responsible and sensitive public access.
We want to ensure responsible, ecologically and Culturally sensitive access to forests by the broader public and tourism operators. While we highly encourage the local Victorian community and visitors to connect with the bush, collaborative management arrangements should protect against exploitative tourism activity that negatively impacts forests and communities. Overall public access should be carefully managed to mitigate harm and encourage respectful relationships of connection, education, and care. Investment in low-impact infrastructure and appropriate government resourcing is essential.
6. The opportunity of active restoration and regenerative livelihoods.
We ask the government to provide significant, long-term funding to land managers in order to enable the active restoration of forested landscapes. These forests have been severely over-exploited by logging and impacted by bushfire. Forested landscapes ravaged by logging have failed to regenerate and will need long-term, active restoration and monitoring to ensure their survival and resilience to climate impacts.
Significant, long-term investment for the low-impact, ecologically sensitive restoration and management techniques (no large machinery beyond roading works to avoid further disturbance or soil compaction) in order to manage invasive weeds, restore native flora, and monitor recovering species will be critical. We encourage local community participation in the restoration and care-taking of forested landscapes, including the funding and creation of regenerative jobs.
Government could fund environmental education and Cultural safety programs to enable local participation in land care. Local restoration jobs could be anchored to existing land managers (e.g. Taungurung’s Biik Cultural Land Management organisation) to ensure ecologically sound and Culturally safe practices with respect to existing leadership. Significant government funding for the creation of regenerative jobs (e.g regional restoration co-operatives) and community-based environmental education programs should help facilitate local communities to nurture a relationship of care with their surrounding landscapes and benefit socially and economically from the caring-taking of their local environment. Collaborative partnerships that enable Healthy Country and regenerative livelihoods for local people should be funded by the state government and anchored to local entities and institutions.
The skills of volunteer citizen scientists who have surveyed the forest on the ground for years should also be embraced. Cultural Tourism and eco-tourism experiences that centre environmental education and experiences similar to active landcare groups like Up2Us Landcare Alliance. Land care fees from tourism projects could fund collaborative land restoration and monitoring in an ongoing and circular way.
7. Invest in the proactive recovery and resilience of endangered and threatened species.
Critically endangered, threatened, and vulnerable wildlife like the Wollert/Leadbeater’s possum, Greater Glider, Yellow-Bellied Glider, Powerful Owl, and the Sooty Owl must be proactively recovered. This includes interventions like the installation of climate regulated nesting boxes, as well as the protection and restoration of habitat. Surveys and monitoring for threatened species must be thorough and comprehensive and must be conducted for the purpose of research and species resilience.
8. Land managers must properly value and protect habitat.
Existing protections for mature and hollow bearing trees and threatened species habitat have historically been woefully insufficient. Remaining and recovering habitat must be properly valued and protected according to the best available science. We ask for greater accountability for Forest Fire Management activity, especially broad acre burning & strategic fuel break operations that sacrifice critical hollowed habitat trees and stags. Existing protections for mature and hollow bearing trees and threatened species habitat have historically been woefully insufficient. Remaining and recovering habitat must be properly valued and protected according to the best available science. We ask for greater accountability and a review of Forest Fire Management activity, especially broad acre burning & strategic fuel break operations that sacrifice critical hollowed habitat trees and stags. Hollows take 100-120 years to form and house wildlife for their 400-500 years of life, plus about 100 years beyond that when they remain as stags. When a hollowed tree is felled or damaged by burning, the animals inhabiting them die. Endangered species like Greater Gliders do not survive their home tree being destroyed. In this instance we state our support VNPAs 21 recommendations regarding old, hollow bearing trees.
9. Value our unique tall forests.
The 'central highlands' boasts the tallest flowering trees in the world (the mountain ash) as well as stunning tree ferns, ancient Gondwana rainforest, endemic species like the Wollert/Leadbeater's possum, and astounding critters like the Greater Glider, Yellow-Bellied Glider, and threatened owls. These forests are also why Melbourne has the cleanest drinking water. Please mention about these unique and world class values in your submission to ensure the government starts promoting and protecting the values of the Central Highlands region.
10. Properly value forest as carbon stores.
The mountain ash forests of the Central Highlands store more carbon per hectare than anywhere else in the world! These carbon dense forests must be valued and permanently protected for their unique ability to store and draw down carbon. 'Ecosystem integrity' must be central to any carbon accounting. Land managers should reject climate offset schemes that fuel the climate crisis by displacing harm elsewhere. Land managers must design systems to communicate carbon storage values without creating new systems of extraction and exploitation. Carbon markets and 'nature based solutions', must not enforce or recreate exploitation in the global market. Instead, we should rely on localised systems of economic and social activity that support the wellbeing of people and forested landscapes in a sustainable and circular way.
11. Celebrate forest diversity and under-storey species.
All diverse flora and fauna (not just endangered species or tree over-storey) should be respected and understood for their habitat and bio-cultural value. Whole ecosystems and interconnected Cultural landscapes should be viewed and managed holistically. Government and land managers must value the full diversity of plants and animals for their Cultural significance, their contribution to whole complex eco-systems, and their role within the more-than-human world. Rainforest species and other wet under storey also provide a critical fire buffer (this can be seen, for example, in the surviving forests along Lady Talbot Drive, Marysville that were buffered by rainforest species when Black Saturday ravaged the landscape in 2009). Wet understorey like mesic rainforest should be valued and protected from harm.
NOTE: The online feedback form only allows for 500 characters per section. Please capture what's most important to you & make sure to mention your support for First Nations governance in solidarity. You can also provide more more detail on specific specials areas that you love via the 'mapping what's important' part of the online survey.
EXAMPLE:
What is important to you about the Central Highlands state forest area?
"I grew up exploring the Rubicon state forest & regularly spend time hiking in the Central Highlands. It is important to me to see the proactive restoration of logged landscapes, the recovery of threatened species, and the application of 'right fire' rather than inappropriate FFMV broad-scale burns. These diverse ecosystems must be valued holistically through a bio-cultural lens & protected for carbon storage, habitat, and regenerative livelihoods."
Looking to the future, how could the Central Highlands state forest be improved?
"All state forests must be re-categorised into reserves that permanently prohibit any future industrial activity and colonial resource extraction, like logging (including ‘salvage logging’) or mineral extraction. I support First Nations governance & direct management of Country on a boundary level, through a Cultural Landscapes lens. I support the 'specific recommendations' of TLaWC's bio-cultural report, pg. 39. Public access & tourism in forests must be ecologically & Culturally sensitive."
MAKE A SUBMISSION VIA THE ONLINE SURVEY NOW.
This is a once in a lifetime moment for forests. Thank you for taking the time to contribute.