January 24, 2025 • 42 mins
Jess Beckerling was Campaign Director of the WA Forest Alliance (WAFA) when we had this conversation (she’s currently put all aside to stand at the 2025 WA state election). Jess is a highly respected figure in the southern reaches of Western Australia, by both those who would traditionally have prioritised conservation, and those who might not have. I spoke with Jess back in July 2021 for the Clean State podcast. At the time, WAFA was seizing the opportunity it sensed to finally end native forest logging in WA.
With the comprehensive and poetically conceived Forests for Life Plan in hand, WAFA had been showing how we can stop bleeding finances, forests, farmlands and communities, and back in the growing suite of ecologically and economically beneficial industries. Come September, just two months after our conversation, the WA government agreed – and in an Australian first announced the end of native forest logging in WA. That end arrived at the start of 2024.
This is our conversation in full for the first time (previously having been restricted to a shorter episode on Clean State, and an excerpt of that on The RegenNarration). Then I’ve patched in Jess’s media statement from Parliament House on the dramatic day of the government’s announcement (a few minutes long), along with some of her comments.
Part of this episode was originally released as episode 8 of a series of 9 episodes for the Clean State podcast, dedicated to regenerative transitions in my home state of WA. Sadly, the podcast and its host non-profit are no more. But the episodes featured such brilliant guests and stories, that are still so very relevant, and not just to West Australians, so we resolved to re-release them here.
The Clean State Plan is on the episode web page below.
For more from behind the scenes, become a supporting listener via the links below.
Recorded 13.7.2021 & outside WA Parliament on 8.9.2021.
Title slide: Jess Beckerling (supplied).
With thanks to the CCWA, auspicing organisation for Clean State WA, for permission to re-release this series.
Music:
A Forests Dream, by Cloudjumper, sourced from the Free
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jess (00:00):
Premier McGowan has just announced that native forest
logging is going to end in thesouthwest of Western Australia
by the end of 2023.
This is huge.
This is an historic moment andwe applaud the Premier and
Minister Sanderson and Kelly fortheir leadership and thank them
for this major and long-awaitedbreakthrough.
AJ (00:21):
You're with The RegenNarration d ad free, freely
available, independentlistener supported.
This is regenerative media awhole food diet for your heart
and mind.
G'day and happy new year to you.
My name's Anthony James andthat was Jess Beckerling,
(00:45):
Campaign Director of the WestAustralian Forest Alliance, or
WAFA.
Jess is a highly respectedfigure here in the southern
reaches of Western Australia byboth those who would
traditionally have prioritisedconservation and those who might
not have.
We shared a conversation back inJuly last year for the Clean
State podcast, a spin-off seriesfrom the regeneration specific
(01:07):
to WA.
At the time, WAFA was seizingthe opportunity it sensed to
finally end native forestlogging in WA.
With the comprehensive andpoetically conceived Forests for
Life plan, WAFA has beenshowing how we can stop bleeding
finances, forests, farmlandsand communities and back in the
(01:30):
growing suite of ecologicallyand economically beneficial
industries.
Come September, the WAGovernment agreed announcing the
end of native forest logging inthis state.
It's an Australian first andpotentially a much-needed
transition model for furtherafield.
My family and I have started2022 in Jess's neck of these
(01:54):
incredible woods, so it seemedfitting to kick off the new year
of the podcast with this.
You'll hear my conversationwith Jess, closing with a few
special minutes.
That just couldn't fit in theClean State half-hour format and
I've patched in Jess's briefmedia statement made at
Parliament House on the dramaticday of the government's
announcement, along with some ofher comments to the journos
(02:16):
present.
Here's Jess.
Jess (02:18):
I've lived in and around the South West Forest for the
last 24 years or so and I feel avery strong dedication to their
protection and with my verydeep love and connection to
these places which are soprecious.
AJ (02:34):
And when did that start?
I mean you mentioned the last24 years living there in some
capacity.
But what about earlier in yourlife?
Was the love forged earlier, orat least an instinct for it?
Jess (02:44):
Yeah, I think so.
I was raised in South Africatill I was 10.
We moved around a lot, but itwas always the natural
environment that really held me,and I come from a long line of
ecologists and botanists, a lotof scientists going back through
my mum's side of the family,and paleontologists and various
other sorts of earth scientists.
(03:06):
So I think that's come through.
And then we moved to Australia,like I said, when I was 10,
lived in Perth through highschool and then, when I came
down to the southwest when I was18, I was a first year uni
student came into the forest andmet some of the people who were
working to defend them and Iwas equally blown away by their
(03:28):
intelligence and capacity andcommitment and way of turning
difficult circumstances intohope and solutions, as I was by
the just complexity and beautyof the forest themselves.
So I've been brought into andthen maintained my connection
through both of those things.
AJ (03:47):
You've been recognised by not just people who care for the
forests and who are with you,let's say, in those efforts, but
also with a government awardthat tend to suggest, I guess,
an ability on your part to reachacross divides.
Is that something that you'vesort of held close to your
methods and your processes?
Jess (04:09):
Yeah, I suppose.
So I think synthesising thevarious issues and trying to
draw them together andunderstand where the
similarities are and how we canforge together and find
solutions has always beensomething that I've tried to
bring into the work that I do.
So that early award that you'retalking about, I think was the
(04:30):
Youth Leadership Award thatactually, richard Court at the
time was the Premier and wasresponsible for the policy that
was seeing old growth forestlogging continue in the late 90s
.
It was his government whoawarded me, so I suppose it must
have, although the people whonominated me for that award were
quite smart as well in notnominating me for the
(04:52):
Environment Award, which wasbeing sponsored by the
department who was doing thelogging, but for the Leadership
Award, which was sponsored by auniversity.
So it meant that I was muchmore likely to receive it.
AJ (05:03):
Yeah, that's a testament to you.
So before we delve into some ofthe detail, let's just lay down
why we're speaking today.
That the pointed aspect of whywe're speaking today, in the
public survey that's outcurrently, and you've got a very
sort of clear cut umbrellamessage for people with regards
to that survey.
Run us through it.
Jess (05:23):
Yeah.
So the survey is an absolutebreakthrough.
We've been campaigning andmaking very loud noises for a
long time about the need tofully protect what's left of the
southwest forests and reallyfeeling as if we're doing so up
against this incrediblepolitical inertia that's been in
this space for a long, longtime.
But this survey is the dooropening for us to now be able to
(05:46):
start that conversation aboutfully and securely protecting
the southwest forests at agovernment level.
So it's the first step in thedevelopment of the next 10-year
forest management plan, andthat's why it's so important
because it's opening theconversation so that that next
10 years of how we manage thesouthwest forests can, instead
of just being sort of tinkeringat the edges, can be a complete
(06:08):
rethink about the way that we'remanaging the forests.
So it's a signal that ourcampaigning is working, that the
state government are hearingthe calls from the community,
but also from businesses, whohave been really very vocal and
speaking very clearly about theneed to protect forests for
southwest sectors like tourismand honey production that rely
on protected forests, and also,of course, from scientists
(06:30):
climate scientists andbiodiversity scientists and from
traditional owners.
And those calls now havereached a particular volume and
are across such a widespreaddemographic in the state that
government are now listening andwe're making some progress.
AJ (06:48):
So the survey can be.
I mean it takes about 20minutes.
It's not overly complex, butthere are some.
Obviously, your phrasing ofquestions come from particular
lens and you'd like to reallycommunicate with people what to
look out for and what toemphasise.
Jess (07:05):
Yeah, thanks.
So we've been absolutelyinundated with requests from
people.
Within the first 24 hours I'dhad about 100 phone calls and
emails from people who said I'mfilling in the survey and
there's some really complicatedquestions and I don't know what
to say here.
So we've put together a guide.
That's on our website,waferorgau.
You can find it under the GetInformed section, dot, org, dot,
au.
You can find it under the getinformed section, um, and it's
(07:26):
been really widely used andwe've had some great feedback
from people saying that uh,which is what we intended.
It hasn't been prescriptive.
We haven't told people what tosay.
We trust that people know whatthey want out of the forest, but
we've just tried to give someguidance on some of those
particularly tricky questions.
The main one is question 3.4and um.
It puts logging through the lensof the timber industry, which
says um, only 1% is logged peryear.
(07:46):
So you know that doesn't soundthat bad if it's creating jobs.
Obviously, what that does iscompletely negates how much has
already been lost and howdestructive that logging is.
They equally could have said if10 football fields of Cary and
Jarrah Forest are being cut downevery single day, 10 football
fields every day, when is thatappropriate?
And of course, they would havehad a different sort of a
(08:08):
response from people who aren'tas well informed.
So it is very loaded languageand we want people to really be
aware, when they get to thatquestion, that that 1% equals 10
football fields a day, and alsoit's happening in the context
of 90% of the natural vegetationin this global biodiversity
hotspot already having been lost.
So we've got this tiny andgorgeous and incredibly precious
(08:30):
state forest fringing the coast, so important for climate and
water and threatened species andall of the other things that we
love about the forests, and nomore logging of those precious
forests is appropriate.
AJ (08:45):
Yeah, and that's partly now because, as it's been said, the
southwest forests are worth morestanding now, of course, they
probably have been for a bloodylong time, but in a market sense
they are.
So in a sense the timberindustry as it stands looks a
bit like coal, where it's justdropping through the floor
because we didn't transitionwell in it.
(09:07):
Let's delve a little into howit's become so nonsensical, even
from a financial perspective.
So yeah, you talked about thecumulative impact, which is
vital, and that somehow we'vebecome now the state with the
second highest rate of primarydeforestation in the country and
particularly with this sort ofold which has always blown me
away, this sort of old statewith the second highest rate of
primary deforestation in thecountry and particularly with
this sort of old which hasalways blown me away, this sort
(09:28):
of old third world export modelnot even a current one of cut
down such an extraordinary youknow asset, quote unquote and
turn it into wood chips and thelike, and that upwards of 80
percent of it goes to that, butthat it's also the timber
industry as it stands.
Native forest timber industryis operating at a financial loss
to the state.
That's quite significant in thetens of millions of dollars.
(09:50):
How is that passing muster andcontinuing?
What's your take on that?
Jess (09:58):
Yeah, well, that's exactly right.
It's been a long time sincenative forest logging was
profitable and it's because ofthe way that it's been
approached, like you said, thatthat export model and since the
1970s when wood chipping beganin wa, it's been based on this
very high volume, low valuebusiness model and we were sold
a lie that it was only going tobe the residue that was used for
wood chipping and what we'veseen now, as you said, is more
(10:19):
than 80 percent of all thetimber goes to these incredibly
low-value products.
And you know, in terms of thesocial implications, you know
there's fewer than 500 peopleemployed in the sector now and
that number continues to decline.
Those jobs are insecure andpeople in the timber industry
are aware of that.
So it really is, you know, thefundamental question of what on
(10:40):
earth is going on, how is thisbeing allowed to persist.
I think there's a few thingsthere.
The first, most obvious one isthe contracts that the
government has entered into andthey've got a certain period of
time that they committed tosupply that timber for Some of
those even come with stateagreement acts, which makes it
increasingly even more difficultfor government to extract
(11:04):
themselves from, and others comewith investment security
guarantees, which were 10-yearpromises on top of current
contracts that were introducedby the Barnett government to
give industry a little bit morecertainty so that they could
invest and expand.
So there are these legal andfinancial incumbencies on
governments when they want tomake policy change, which make
(11:26):
it slightly more difficult.
But actually I think thatunderpinning all of this is more
of a cultural problem than afinancial or a legal one.
I think in WA and aroundAustralia we still suffer from
the terra nullius myth.
We still suffer from this ideathat the early pioneers and that
manly kind of you know bringingthe bush under control to
(11:46):
create safe places for us to beable to build our houses.
We still sort of have that inour dialogue in WA and, I think,
around Australia, and we thinkof the forest as being
never-ending.
It goes on forever and there'slittle bits that we've clawed
back for ourselves to be able tolive in are really precious.
We're on the brink, though, Ithink, of starting to really
appreciate that the naturalenvironment is a lot more than a
(12:08):
commodity.
It doesn't actually pose athreat to us.
It takes care of us and itlooks after us, and without it
we're stuffed.
And that cultural shift isbecoming evident in the
community and then, slowly, isbecoming more palatable for
government to be able to makethe policy changes that are
necessary that come off the backof that.
Also probably, you know, maybe ashorter answer to your question
(12:32):
is that in 2001, when weprotected the old growth forest
you know, according to thecurrent definition anyway the
wind was really taken out of thesails of the campaign.
It had been such a big campaign, so well known across the state
and the country, and peoplewanted to believe that we'd won.
So in 2001, when people werecelebrating, I had this horrible
(12:52):
feeling in my guts that weweren't finished, but that the
campaign had gone and what werewe going to be left with.
And it's been the last 20 yearsI've been really just fighting
to put the spotlight back on thecontinued destruction in the
forests.
AJ (13:06):
Wow, you mentioned some of the cultural aspects there and
of course, fire management isanother aspect that's been in
the news a lot lately, in someagain just sort of so
nonsensical a way but lockedinto quotas of burning and so
forth and doing inordinatedamage, while other states are
really picking up the culturalburning aspect.
(13:27):
Turning to First Nations,empowering First Nations with
custodianship in these sorts ofmanners that they know so well
Is there scope in the survey tohighlight that this is important
for people?
Jess (13:40):
Yeah, there is a couple of spots where you can talk about
fire and also about mining,which is the other really major
effect, that impact on foreststhat often gets missed.
There's only two places reallywhere fire and mining come up as
something that you can selectas being something that you
think needs to be managed.
So I actually phoned and spoketo the person who put the survey
(14:02):
together and is going to bemanaging the data, because there
were some bits there that Ireally wasn't clear about, where
they say which of these thingsneed to be managed.
What they mean is need to behauled in and had a close look
at.
So that's where people shouldsay fire and mining and native
forest logging need to bemanaged.
It doesn't mean you're sayingthey need to be done.
(14:24):
It just means you're saying yourecognise that they are
happening and that someone needsto haul them in and have a
close look at them.
So, yeah, look, fire is having amajor impact and we've got this
outrageous annual target of200,000 hectares per year that
needs to be burned and wildfireis encountered in that.
So, if you know, 200,000hectares of forest burn in a
(14:45):
wildfire.
They still aim for their200,000 hectare target for
prescribed burning and it'shaving devastating impacts on
biodiversity in individualpopulations of different species
and, of course, on climate andhealth, and it needs to be put
under some serious scrutiny.
And there's a lot of greatscience that has now been done
and it needs to be put undersome serious scrutiny.
And there's a lot of greatscience that has now been done
(15:08):
and is being done.
And, of course, aboriginalpeople have been looking after
country for a bloody long timeand have got the knowledge and
the capacity and they need to begiven some active custodianship
from the policymakers and theagencies so that they can share
that wisdom and science andknowledge with us so that we can
be managing country moreappropriately.
(15:30):
And that is being done onsmaller scales, but it needs to
be done on a broader scale.
AJ (15:35):
Yes.
Amongst the other bigachievements over the decades is
a more recent 12-monthmoratorium on logging of the
two-tiered carry forest lastyear.
So is that still in place andis that part of what has led to
this survey?
Jess (15:50):
Yeah.
So the first sort of win that wehad just before the state
election, that we knew we weregetting onto the right path, was
when that 12-month moratoriumwas extended for the next three
years and that's 10,000 hectaresof old-growth carry forest that
should have been protected backin 2001, but wasn't.
Because of the definition it'snow called two-tiered, which you
(16:10):
know it's a bit of a strangeterm.
People wouldn't really knowwhat it means.
Essentially it means that it'sgot an old-growth and a regrowth
component to it, so one or twotrees might have been cut down
in a two hectare area, whichmeans it's been disqualified
from all growth protection.
So it's now called two-tiered,um.
And yeah, we finally, after allthese years, managed to get
those 10 000 hectares of carryoff the logging plans, which was
(16:33):
, you know, just such a reliefto me after such a long time of
fighting for those forests.
But um certainly doesn't takeus nearly far enough towards the
protection of the forests thatwe have left and that gave us
confidence that we really weresetting the foundation well for
this next phase of the campaign,which is making sure that the
(16:55):
next 10-year forest managementplan is a forest conservation
plan, and the next step has beenthe release of this survey.
AJ (17:01):
Okay, meanwhile, wafa has a plan that is taking all these
learnings and what we need to doand putting it forward in a
coherent framework whichinvolves, indeed, the finance,
economic stuff, sustainingcommunities, transitioning, of
course, in that sense in amanaged way, and protection of
the forests in an integrativefashion, which is quite powerful
(17:24):
and a terrific piece of work.
So I was hoping we can leverageoff this enormously.
Do you want to run us throughwhat led to that and the key
components?
Jess (17:33):
Yeah, I'd love to.
So it's called Forests for Lifeand there's a dedicated website
to it that people can find.
I was actually on maternityleave and unable to be out in
the forest and doing a lot ofthe kind of normal campaigning
that I do and spending a lot oftime thinking about what we
needed to do to bring this to aclose.
So I started researchingprograms that have been in place
(17:57):
in WA and also around Australiaand the world that have grown
timber sustainably, of growingtimber sustainably.
I didn't want to just copy theplantation model of
fence-to-fence tree plantings,which you know come with their
own challenges.
I wanted to look at how wecould be growing trees in
association with continuedfarming practice and bring
(18:18):
benefits for water quality andsalinity and amenity and all
those sorts of things onto farms, because I thought that was
more likely to work, was morelikely to get up and also it
brings benefits onto farmland.
AJ (18:32):
Well, just on that, jess, I see farmers packing out carbon
farming workshops, trying to geta grip on the changes that are
coming in that are ostensibly toincentivize them doing just
this.
So they are looking for ways toparticipate in the best fashion
.
It seems like a marriage madein heaven in that sense.
You know, all come togetherwith the same sort of
(18:54):
overarching goal.
Jess (18:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you know, I think, when wekind of lift ourselves up and
look over the landscape, one ofthe things that we would do, I
think, if we had the benefit ofhindsight, is we wouldn't have
allowed for the clearing of allof those streams and rivers,
would we?
I mean, the impacts of thathave just been so profound.
We can't reverse that, but whatwe can do is protect all of the
(19:19):
natural vegetation that we dohave left and then start
repairing where we've made theseterrible errors.
But there's no point going ontofarms and shouting at farmers
and telling them that they haveto do that themselves.
We need an integrated andholistic approach that's going
to actually work, that farmersare going to be willing to take
(19:40):
up, and so it's that stream andriparian veg restoration that
has really motivated me.
But at the same time, there arethese obvious synergies, like
you say, for the farmers, forpotential income that's coming
from these new economies andalso for avoided deforestation.
So one of the other things thatreally motivates me is I don't
(20:02):
want, in 35 years' time, for usto be importing timber from
overseas because we'vecompletely stuffed up our own
timber production here, which wehave and we're continuing to do
we need to get trees in theground right now so that we're
going to have our own timber,that our children are going to
have their own timber, or theywill be drawing on timber from
other countries?
(20:23):
So all of these things cametogether in my mind while I was
sort of sitting at home with thebaby.
AJ (20:30):
That's wonderful actually, I think that's a terrific sort of
well.
It's a terrific birthplace forthis.
Let's say that.
Jess (20:36):
Yeah, well it is.
It's got a kind of a maternaland a relaxed, synergising
rather than a rushed, you know,combative kind of yeah.
So I think there is somethingin that.
So the plan is for us to growin two zones, in the southwest
and the great southern, 40,000hectares of high-value hardwood
(20:59):
timber trees in association withexisting cropping and grazing,
and those would be east coasteucalypts for the timber trees
in association with existingcropping and grazing, and those
would be East Coast eucalyptsfor the timber trees and then
obviously natives for thepermanent re-veg that's
associated with it.
And they're grown in such a waythat the cropping or grazing
can continue.
And there's been excellentmodels for this in WA and around
Australia.
$40,000 is a minimum.
(21:21):
It would be better if we wenthigher than that, but that's the
bare minimum for being able toget an economy of scale sort of
situation so that you can buildthe processing centres.
The contractors are going to bewilling to go out to pull the
wood back in.
The trees have to be grownwithin 100km of the future
processing centre, otherwise thetransport costs become
(21:42):
uneconomic.
AJ (21:43):
Well that's significant in itself that there'll be
processing centres, that we'llhave the skills and the
manufacturing base to actuallydo our own work again.
Jess (21:51):
Yeah, that's right.
And also they'll be centredwhere we've already had timber
industry, so one will be centredon green bushes.
All the roads are in already.
There's a lot of people aroundthere who have the skills and
the history in the timberindustry and then the other
around Albany.
And, like you said when you wereintroducing this, we've drawn
on the lessons of the past,because there was mistakes made
(22:13):
with the MIS scheme.
One of them was that trees weregrowing too far away from
future processing centres.
Sometimes they were growing in,the lots were too small,
sometimes the rainfall zone waswrong, the soil type was wrong
and it wasn't managed in such away that had a view to how those
trees were then going to beused in the future.
It was kind of let's just gettrees in the ground, and
(22:34):
obviously I'm a big fan ofgetting trees in the ground, but
clearly we have to do it in away that is going to be
considered to have been valuablefor the people who put the
trees in.
Otherwise they get bulldozedand burned, which is what we're
seeing a lot of across the southcoast still.
AJ (22:53):
Yes, and the management of the land over the millennia was
never done in a haphazardfashion anyway, so it's just
continuing in tradition.
It's written how bad thecurrent economy of this is going
the deforestation model but onthe other hand you've got
industries that are alreadymassively outperforming that
dying timber industry.
(23:13):
So on the one hand, you'retalking about let's institute a
world-class timber industry notget rid of one, but have a
world-class level one and notthe old third world model.
Actually get manufacturing andprocessing back.
And then you're talking about,yeah, tourism, hospitality,
beekeeping, extraordinarilyunderrated economic contribution
.
It is a real picture you'retrying to paint of let's back
(23:36):
what's already emerged.
We don't even have to sort ofpluck out of the sky what we
know works down here.
Stop the erosion of thosethings and then, yeah, back them
in.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthose realities on the ground
that you've observed.
Jess (23:50):
Well, that's really just come out of the business sector.
You know people have approachedus and said particularly with
the honey industry most recentlythat they're losing forests
where their apiary sites are,that there's hardly any places
where they can have their beesbecause, you know, there's fewer
and fewer areas available forthem because of logging and then
(24:10):
also fire.
Climate change is having a hugeimpact.
You know bees can kind of actas a bit of a litmus test or a
canary in the coal mine for howwell a forest is performing,
because it can look like aforest is doing really well.
It's got great flower every youknow couple of years when it
should be there, but the beescome back down to the hive and
they haven't got any.
You know there wasn't anypollen up there.
So the beekeepers are quiteoften the people who are seeing
(24:35):
the declining health of theforest and then, you know,
experiencing that in a financialsense as well.
So we've been approached bylots of people in the honey
industry, but then alsoaccommodation providers who've
said you know, I'm getting thesehalf-star ratings on my Airbnb
site all of a sudden becausepeople have been woken up by
logging machinery.
AJ (24:55):
Wow.
Jess (24:57):
Yeah, and banging on their door at 3 in the morning
because they can't sleep,because, you know, several
people in Pempton area have beenreporting that.
And then avocado growers who theneighbouring forest is
clear-felled and all of a suddenthe wind is so severe that
their avocados aren't growing.
You know real tangible impactson local businesses small scale,
(25:21):
and then also really big scalebusinesses small scale, and then
also really big scale.
So, yeah, look, we've just beenreally heartened, though, by
how smart and dedicated andthoughtful a lot of the players
in those sectors are and howwilling they are to come to work
together, to make reallyexcellent media commentary, to
(25:41):
start talking to decision makers.
So this really organic allianceis now forming, where our job
is to be very clear about what'sgood for the forests and the
forest health in and of itself,and the job of the business
sector is to highlight thatprotected forests are actually
better for the southwest, forsocial and economic
(26:02):
considerations, and togetherwe're telling a pretty powerful
story.
I think that the timberindustry really is just the
native forest timber industry.
That just does not belong inthe 21st century.
AJ (26:16):
There was a terrific Clean State short film with Mikey
Chinotta, a honey producer, andhe said one tonne of Jarrah
firewood is worth about $300.
One tonne of Jarrah honey isworth $30,000.
That's landed pretty stronglywith people to illustrate your
point.
And then, of course, yeah,we've touched on but let's
highlight, because they'rehugely significant the soil,
(26:36):
water and climate connectionsand benefits related to this.
I'm conscious that, withindustry sort of playing its
part, then what is your sense ofthe public support for this?
Is that it's really sort ofclamouring to a crescendo as
well.
Jess (26:52):
Yeah, definitely.
There was some polling done atthe end of 2019 that showed 65,
68% I think it was somewherebetween 65 and 68% of West
Australians wanted to see thefull protection of southwest
forests, and a year later, atthe end of 2020, it was 78% of
people.
So you know it was the samequestion.
(27:13):
You know, clearly, a verysignificant increase in people's
understanding.
And, yeah, I mean, I thinkanecdotally, we all know you
can't it's difficult to findanybody who thinks that logging
native forests for woodchip,charcoal and firewood is a good
idea.
Yes, and then at aninternational level.
You know you're talking aboutclimate.
The IUCN has shown that onethird of all of the climate
(27:37):
mitigation effort that we needglobally must come from
protecting forests.
So it's not an insignificantcontribution that native forests
play, and we've got 850,000hectares here that are still
available for logging.
So when we make a policy changewhich I think is on the horizon
now and we protect that 850,000hectares, that's a significant
(27:59):
contribution that we have madeto continuing to draw carbon
down out of the atmosphere andto protecting biodiversity.
And in terms of water, you knowthe loss that we've already
brought to this landscape isimmense, and what some
scientists at UWA's WaterResearch Centre have shown is
that more than 50% of therainfall decline in the
(28:20):
southwest of WA is a result ofland clearing.
So that should empower us tosay we can make this significant
contribution by protecting theforest at a global level.
But also it really gives us thecapacity to build local
resilience, because we needrainfall down here and forests
bring and make rain.
So you know, the sooner weprotect what's left and start
(28:43):
restoring where we can, thebetter.
AJ (28:45):
The NAIDOC Week theme this year that we've just come out of
was Healing Country.
So right on with what you'resaying here and it made me
reflect on some of theconversations I've had certainly
talking about our combinedknowledge systems and how we can
do this together in a reallypowerful way, and is that
something you've observed andfelt and experienced yourself?
Jess (29:07):
Oh yeah, absolutely.
I think I remember hearing astory about some elders talking
about how they'd had theinformation passed down to them
about how the land you know usedto go out all the way out past
Rottnest.
I've forgotten its name.
Is its proper name, wajima?
Wajima yeah, and the storyincorporated all of this
(29:30):
knowledge about how the Ice Agefirst started to encroach and
how people knew what that wasand then how it then receded and
the way that the land hadchanged.
And it incorporates all thisbeauty, you know, all this
spiritual and cultural knowledgeand way of maintaining our
connection into country as weunderstand that better and
(29:51):
understand it on so many levels.
And there was this guy sittingon the ridge with an
archaeologist and they were justrecognising how their knowledge
and understanding of countrymatched, but through these very
different ways of havingunderstood and being taught.
And you know, I see that allthe time.
But the problem is, I think werecognise and appreciate Western
(30:17):
science but we're still so farbehind in.
You know, that science, whichit is it comes from trial and
error and testing of hypothesesand that Aboriginal people have
been practising here for such along time is a potential gift to
all Australians and to the restof the world that we just
(30:38):
haven't accepted yet and that'sinsulting.
It's insulting to theAboriginal people who have their
hands out willing to offer it,and it's an insult that we've
been continuing with for, youknow, ever since colonisation,
and it's high time that we stopit and recognise the incredible
value that could come from justlistening.
AJ (30:58):
Beautifully said, and I've just been really moved by a
recent podcast I did on theregeneration with Willem Fervida
, who's the CEO of Commonland,and in his recent report that
launched with the UN Decade onEcosystem Restoration, he
actually put Oral Maguire'squote at the top of it.
Biodiversity is a manifestationof spirit, and so there's a
(31:21):
lovely grounding to sort ofboldly bring to in his case the
international sphere that he'sworking in, but just a lovely
way to ground us in the deeperfeeling and connection.
Jess (31:35):
That is such a beautiful.
I've never heard thatbiodiversity is a manifestation
of spirit.
AJ (31:40):
Yeah.
Jess (31:40):
Wow, absolutely beautiful.
Premier McGowan has justannounced that native forest
logging is going to end in thesouthwest of Western Australia
by the end of 2023.
This is huge.
This is an historic moment andwe applaud the Premier and
Minister Sanderson and Kelly fortheir leadership and thank them
(32:05):
for this major and long-awaitedbreakthrough.
The southwest forests areincredibly precious and they're
vital to climate.
Their leadership and thank themfor this major and long-awaited
breakthrough.
The South West Forests areincredibly precious and they're
vital to climate and to wildlifeand to biodiversity and culture
, and this new direction thatthe Premier has announced today
to end native forest logging injust over two years' time is
profoundly important and will beheartily welcomed by the West
(32:28):
Australian community.
But I have to say this is notthe end.
We still have two years aheadof us until the forest
management plan is signed andsealed and we must maintain our
focus and ensure that this verywelcome new direction results in
the forest protection that weso desperately need in this
state.
(32:49):
This announcement from thePremier today comes as a result
of the work of thousands ofpeople over many decades, and I
want to acknowledge every one ofyou and say also to forest
supporters we're on track andwe're nearly there.
We're going to fully andsecurely protect what's left of
(33:11):
the Southwest's native forests.
I also want to be clear thatthe Premier's announcement
doesn't address all of thethreats facing the forests.
It doesn't end the clearing ofthe Jarrah forest for bauxite
mining or deal with issuessurrounding thinning of degraded
regrowth forests.
It also doesn't address firemanagement.
There will, however, be plentyof opportunity coming up for us
(33:37):
to have an effect on these othermajor issues during the
development of the next 10-yearforest management plan and
through other processes, andwe'll be facing them with the
same determination that we areface logging with.
We also look forward to thedevelopment of world-class farm
forestry sector and a justtransition for those currently
engaged in the native forestlogging industry.
But today we've made historyWestern Australia will become
(34:02):
the first state in the countryto end native forest logging
after all of these decades, andour precious native forests will
be protected for their climate,biodiversity, water and
cultural values.
Thank you.
How is the union feeling aboutthis?
I haven't actually had aresponse from anyone in industry
yet, but there is a generouspackage from government.
(34:22):
So there's $350 million that'sbeen made available to the
plantation expansion, which isobviously going to create a lot
of jobs and and grow a lot oftimber, and there's 50 million
dollars available to helpworkers who need to transition.
Journo (34:35):
Obviously, this is a great start.
Is there anything more you'dlike to see from the government
to further protect our forest?
Jess (34:40):
Yeah, look, the next two years are going to be really
critical.
We can't take our eyes off theprize.
A lot of damage can still bedone in the forest in the next
two years, so we want to makesure that that damage is
minimised and also we want tosee the expansion of the farmed
wood sector.
That's going to have reallysignificant benefits on farms
and on cleared land for waterand salinity.
It's also going to make surethat we're not only self-reliant
(35:02):
in WA for softwood, which iscritically important, but also
for hardwood.
Journo (35:06):
You mentioned this statewide.
What would you like to seeAustralia-wide, eventually?
Jess (35:10):
Oh, this needs to happen across all of Australia.
It needs to happen across theglobe.
Forests are critical forclimate.
They draw carbon out of theatmosphere and they store it
safely in the soils and in thetrees, and that's where we need
the carbon to be.
And they're also obviouslycritical for biodiversity.
So we need to be protectingforests across the whole globe.
But thank God that finally,this long-awaited win is coming
(35:34):
to WA.
Journo (35:35):
And what are the steps from now until 2023 onwards to
protecting our forests?
Jess (35:40):
Well, look, it's not over yet.
We need all of our supportersto stick with us.
We need all forest supportersto stick with us.
The development of the next 10year forest management plan is
gonna be critical.
It's gonna be detailed.
It's gonna be important that weget it right.
So there's gonna be communitymeetings, there's gonna be all
sorts of opportunities for us tomake sure that the detail of
(36:01):
how forests are in fact managedfrom 2024 onwards is spot on.
We've had so many decades ofour forest being mismanaged and
this is our opportunity to getit right.
Journo (36:11):
Any specific challenge that you guys would be facing in
the next two years that you'vealready identified.
Jess (36:17):
Sorry, do you mean in terms of the campaign?
Well, look, I think if peoplewrongly read this as having been
a complete win for all forestissues, that would be a mistake.
We've still got a way to go todeal with other issues facing
the forests, and we've also gota way to go to make sure that
the detail around how forestsare managed in the next 10-year
(36:40):
forest management plan is spoton.
So we need to make sure thatthe way that any kind of
management activities occur inthe forest actually looks after
the ecological health of thoseforests.
Journo (36:50):
Any chances that it will go wrong?
Jess (36:53):
Well, look, we're feeling optimistic.
We really believe that we're ontrack here.
This is an historicbreakthrough and it comes on the
back of huge community support.
I mean the announcement of thesurvey results, where 17,000
people took a lengthy surveywhich you needed a reasonable
amount of information to get tothe end of, and that the
(37:16):
majority of people stronglyagree that all native forest
logging should end, is a verygood basis for this announcement
to be made on.
Thanks for your time thismorning.
Thank, you Pleasure.
Journo (37:27):
I am recording.
Okay, so, Jessica, you weretelling me before what kind of
went through your mind when youheard this news.
What was your first reaction?
Jess (37:36):
Oh, it's a huge thing.
It's an historic moment forWestern Australia and for
everyone in Australia.
ou gave me a lovely answerbefore when I asked you, you
know, if you looked back at thismoment in 20 years time, what
would you hope that you couldsay?
(37:56):
this moment actually meantWhat tangible impact it would
have.
Well, this is a shift in the way that we perceive of the
forest.
It's a shift in the way that wevalue them.
It's an acknowledgement by theMcGowan government that the
forests are so precious, thattheir intrinsic values and their
values for climate and waterand culture are so significant,
and that we need to be lookingat the forests through that lens
(38:19):
, not through a lens ofextraction or profit.
So I hope that when we lookback on this in 20 years, we see
it as having left a reallysignificant legacy and we see it
as a moment in time in which weshifted the way that we look at
our natural environment.
It's not about extraction, it'sabout conservation.
Journo (38:38):
And in terms of extraction.
This decision will, of course,have an impact on jobs in many
small regional communities.
What message do you have forpeople in those communities who
might be worried about theirlivelihoods and the future of
their towns?
Jess (38:50):
Yeah, look, it's really important.
And these sorts of transitionsdo come with challenges, and we
absolutely acknowledge that.
I'm from the South West, I'velived in the South West for more
than 20 years and I understandthose challenges.
But I think that the McGowangovernment's announcement about
the $350 million for expandingthe plantation sector and the
$50 million for the workers isgood.
(39:12):
It's a good start.
There is going to be some bumps, but we're looking forward to
there being a just transition.
And, look, we need to get outof native forest logging.
It's not sustainable, it's notprofitable, it was going to end
anyway and we need that justtransition to take care of those
workers.
Journo (39:29):
And for West Australians , who might not know much about
this issue, I suppose.
How would you explain it tothem, in terms of the impact
that this will have?
Why should it matter to them?
Jess (39:38):
Well, we're talking about a huge area of forests.
We understand that a minimum of400,000 hectares of Kari and
Jarrah forests will finally betaken off logging plans, so that
means that those forests aregoing to be drawing down carbon
from the atmosphere.
The habitat value in thoseforests is phenomenal.
It's impossible to interprethow many animals, how many
(39:58):
plants are now safe to continueto live in those forests.
The streamlines that runthrough those forests are so
precious and they're nowprotected.
This is a major breakthrough.
AJ (40:20):
That was Jess Beckerling, Campaign Director of the WA
Forest Alliance.
For more on Jess and WAFA, seethe links in our program details
and if you're particularlyinterested in more stories like
this from the great south of WA,have a listen to episodes 78,
79, 82 and 87 of TheRegenNarration from last year
(40:43):
and stay tuned for more soon.
With thanks to the generoussupporters of the podcast for
making this episode possible.
Please join this growingcommunity and help keep the
regeneration going.
Just head to the website viathe show notes regennarration.
com.
support.
Thanks as always.
The music you're hearing is AForest's Dream by Cloudjumper,
(41:09):
sourced from the Free MusicArchive.
My name's Anthony James.
Thanks for listening,.
Premier McGowan has just announced that native forest
logging is going to end in thesouthwest of Western Australia
by the end of 2023.
This is huge.
This is an historic moment andwe applaud the Premier and
Minister Sanderson and Kelly fortheir leadership and thank them
for this major and long-awaitedbreakthrough.
AJ (00:21):
You're with The RegenNarration d ad free, freely
available, independentlistener supported.
This is regenerative media awhole food diet for your heart
and mind.
G'day and happy new year to you.
My name's Anthony James andthat was Jess Beckerling,
(00:45):
Campaign Director of the WestAustralian Forest Alliance, or
WAFA.
Jess is a highly respectedfigure here in the southern
reaches of Western Australia byboth those who would
traditionally have prioritisedconservation and those who might
not have.
We shared a conversation back inJuly last year for the Clean
State podcast, a spin-off seriesfrom the regeneration specific
(01:07):
to WA.
At the time, WAFA was seizingthe opportunity it sensed to
finally end native forestlogging in WA.
With the comprehensive andpoetically conceived Forests for
Life plan, WAFA has beenshowing how we can stop bleeding
finances, forests, farmlandsand communities and back in the
(01:30):
growing suite of ecologicallyand economically beneficial
industries.
Come September, the WAGovernment agreed announcing the
end of native forest logging inthis state.
It's an Australian first andpotentially a much-needed
transition model for furtherafield.
My family and I have started2022 in Jess's neck of these
(01:54):
incredible woods, so it seemedfitting to kick off the new year
of the podcast with this.
You'll hear my conversationwith Jess, closing with a few
special minutes.
That just couldn't fit in theClean State half-hour format and
I've patched in Jess's briefmedia statement made at
Parliament House on the dramaticday of the government's
announcement, along with some ofher comments to the journos
(02:16):
present.
Here's Jess.
Jess (02:18):
I've lived in and around the South West Forest for the
last 24 years or so and I feel avery strong dedication to their
protection and with my verydeep love and connection to
these places which are soprecious.
AJ (02:34):
And when did that start?
I mean you mentioned the last24 years living there in some
capacity.
But what about earlier in yourlife?
Was the love forged earlier, orat least an instinct for it?
Jess (02:44):
Yeah, I think so.
I was raised in South Africatill I was 10.
We moved around a lot, but itwas always the natural
environment that really held me,and I come from a long line of
ecologists and botanists, a lotof scientists going back through
my mum's side of the family,and paleontologists and various
other sorts of earth scientists.
(03:06):
So I think that's come through.
And then we moved to Australia,like I said, when I was 10,
lived in Perth through highschool and then, when I came
down to the southwest when I was18, I was a first year uni
student came into the forest andmet some of the people who were
working to defend them and Iwas equally blown away by their
(03:28):
intelligence and capacity andcommitment and way of turning
difficult circumstances intohope and solutions, as I was by
the just complexity and beautyof the forest themselves.
So I've been brought into andthen maintained my connection
through both of those things.
AJ (03:47):
You've been recognised by not just people who care for the
forests and who are with you,let's say, in those efforts, but
also with a government awardthat tend to suggest, I guess,
an ability on your part to reachacross divides.
Is that something that you'vesort of held close to your
methods and your processes?
Jess (04:09):
Yeah, I suppose.
So I think synthesising thevarious issues and trying to
draw them together andunderstand where the
similarities are and how we canforge together and find
solutions has always beensomething that I've tried to
bring into the work that I do.
So that early award that you'retalking about, I think was the
(04:30):
Youth Leadership Award thatactually, richard Court at the
time was the Premier and wasresponsible for the policy that
was seeing old growth forestlogging continue in the late 90s
.
It was his government whoawarded me, so I suppose it must
have, although the people whonominated me for that award were
quite smart as well in notnominating me for the
(04:52):
Environment Award, which wasbeing sponsored by the
department who was doing thelogging, but for the Leadership
Award, which was sponsored by auniversity.
So it meant that I was muchmore likely to receive it.
AJ (05:03):
Yeah, that's a testament to you.
So before we delve into some ofthe detail, let's just lay down
why we're speaking today.
That the pointed aspect of whywe're speaking today, in the
public survey that's outcurrently, and you've got a very
sort of clear cut umbrellamessage for people with regards
to that survey.
Run us through it.
Jess (05:23):
Yeah.
So the survey is an absolutebreakthrough.
We've been campaigning andmaking very loud noises for a
long time about the need tofully protect what's left of the
southwest forests and reallyfeeling as if we're doing so up
against this incrediblepolitical inertia that's been in
this space for a long, longtime.
But this survey is the dooropening for us to now be able to
(05:46):
start that conversation aboutfully and securely protecting
the southwest forests at agovernment level.
So it's the first step in thedevelopment of the next 10-year
forest management plan, andthat's why it's so important
because it's opening theconversation so that that next
10 years of how we manage thesouthwest forests can, instead
of just being sort of tinkeringat the edges, can be a complete
(06:08):
rethink about the way that we'remanaging the forests.
So it's a signal that ourcampaigning is working, that the
state government are hearingthe calls from the community,
but also from businesses, whohave been really very vocal and
speaking very clearly about theneed to protect forests for
southwest sectors like tourismand honey production that rely
on protected forests, and also,of course, from scientists
(06:30):
climate scientists andbiodiversity scientists and from
traditional owners.
And those calls now havereached a particular volume and
are across such a widespreaddemographic in the state that
government are now listening andwe're making some progress.
AJ (06:48):
So the survey can be.
I mean it takes about 20minutes.
It's not overly complex, butthere are some.
Obviously, your phrasing ofquestions come from particular
lens and you'd like to reallycommunicate with people what to
look out for and what toemphasise.
Jess (07:05):
Yeah, thanks.
So we've been absolutelyinundated with requests from
people.
Within the first 24 hours I'dhad about 100 phone calls and
emails from people who said I'mfilling in the survey and
there's some really complicatedquestions and I don't know what
to say here.
So we've put together a guide.
That's on our website,waferorgau.
You can find it under the GetInformed section, dot, org, dot,
au.
You can find it under the getinformed section, um, and it's
(07:26):
been really widely used andwe've had some great feedback
from people saying that uh,which is what we intended.
It hasn't been prescriptive.
We haven't told people what tosay.
We trust that people know whatthey want out of the forest, but
we've just tried to give someguidance on some of those
particularly tricky questions.
The main one is question 3.4and um.
It puts logging through the lensof the timber industry, which
says um, only 1% is logged peryear.
(07:46):
So you know that doesn't soundthat bad if it's creating jobs.
Obviously, what that does iscompletely negates how much has
already been lost and howdestructive that logging is.
They equally could have said if10 football fields of Cary and
Jarrah Forest are being cut downevery single day, 10 football
fields every day, when is thatappropriate?
And of course, they would havehad a different sort of a
(08:08):
response from people who aren'tas well informed.
So it is very loaded languageand we want people to really be
aware, when they get to thatquestion, that that 1% equals 10
football fields a day, and alsoit's happening in the context
of 90% of the natural vegetationin this global biodiversity
hotspot already having been lost.
So we've got this tiny andgorgeous and incredibly precious
(08:30):
state forest fringing the coast, so important for climate and
water and threatened species andall of the other things that we
love about the forests, and nomore logging of those precious
forests is appropriate.
AJ (08:45):
Yeah, and that's partly now because, as it's been said, the
southwest forests are worth morestanding now, of course, they
probably have been for a bloodylong time, but in a market sense
they are.
So in a sense the timberindustry as it stands looks a
bit like coal, where it's justdropping through the floor
because we didn't transitionwell in it.
(09:07):
Let's delve a little into howit's become so nonsensical, even
from a financial perspective.
So yeah, you talked about thecumulative impact, which is
vital, and that somehow we'vebecome now the state with the
second highest rate of primarydeforestation in the country and
particularly with this sort ofold which has always blown me
away, this sort of old statewith the second highest rate of
primary deforestation in thecountry and particularly with
this sort of old which hasalways blown me away, this sort
(09:28):
of old third world export modelnot even a current one of cut
down such an extraordinary youknow asset, quote unquote and
turn it into wood chips and thelike, and that upwards of 80
percent of it goes to that, butthat it's also the timber
industry as it stands.
Native forest timber industryis operating at a financial loss
to the state.
That's quite significant in thetens of millions of dollars.
(09:50):
How is that passing muster andcontinuing?
What's your take on that?
Jess (09:58):
Yeah, well, that's exactly right.
It's been a long time sincenative forest logging was
profitable and it's because ofthe way that it's been
approached, like you said, thatthat export model and since the
1970s when wood chipping beganin wa, it's been based on this
very high volume, low valuebusiness model and we were sold
a lie that it was only going tobe the residue that was used for
wood chipping and what we'veseen now, as you said, is more
(10:19):
than 80 percent of all thetimber goes to these incredibly
low-value products.
And you know, in terms of thesocial implications, you know
there's fewer than 500 peopleemployed in the sector now and
that number continues to decline.
Those jobs are insecure andpeople in the timber industry
are aware of that.
So it really is, you know, thefundamental question of what on
(10:40):
earth is going on, how is thisbeing allowed to persist.
I think there's a few thingsthere.
The first, most obvious one isthe contracts that the
government has entered into andthey've got a certain period of
time that they committed tosupply that timber for Some of
those even come with stateagreement acts, which makes it
increasingly even more difficultfor government to extract
(11:04):
themselves from, and others comewith investment security
guarantees, which were 10-yearpromises on top of current
contracts that were introducedby the Barnett government to
give industry a little bit morecertainty so that they could
invest and expand.
So there are these legal andfinancial incumbencies on
governments when they want tomake policy change, which make
(11:26):
it slightly more difficult.
But actually I think thatunderpinning all of this is more
of a cultural problem than afinancial or a legal one.
I think in WA and aroundAustralia we still suffer from
the terra nullius myth.
We still suffer from this ideathat the early pioneers and that
manly kind of you know bringingthe bush under control to
(11:46):
create safe places for us to beable to build our houses.
We still sort of have that inour dialogue in WA and, I think,
around Australia, and we thinkof the forest as being
never-ending.
It goes on forever and there'slittle bits that we've clawed
back for ourselves to be able tolive in are really precious.
We're on the brink, though, Ithink, of starting to really
appreciate that the naturalenvironment is a lot more than a
(12:08):
commodity.
It doesn't actually pose athreat to us.
It takes care of us and itlooks after us, and without it
we're stuffed.
And that cultural shift isbecoming evident in the
community and then, slowly, isbecoming more palatable for
government to be able to makethe policy changes that are
necessary that come off the backof that.
Also probably, you know, maybe ashorter answer to your question
(12:32):
is that in 2001, when weprotected the old growth forest
you know, according to thecurrent definition anyway the
wind was really taken out of thesails of the campaign.
It had been such a big campaign, so well known across the state
and the country, and peoplewanted to believe that we'd won.
So in 2001, when people werecelebrating, I had this horrible
(12:52):
feeling in my guts that weweren't finished, but that the
campaign had gone and what werewe going to be left with.
And it's been the last 20 yearsI've been really just fighting
to put the spotlight back on thecontinued destruction in the
forests.
AJ (13:06):
Wow, you mentioned some of the cultural aspects there and
of course, fire management isanother aspect that's been in
the news a lot lately, in someagain just sort of so
nonsensical a way but lockedinto quotas of burning and so
forth and doing inordinatedamage, while other states are
really picking up the culturalburning aspect.
(13:27):
Turning to First Nations,empowering First Nations with
custodianship in these sorts ofmanners that they know so well
Is there scope in the survey tohighlight that this is important
for people?
Jess (13:40):
Yeah, there is a couple of spots where you can talk about
fire and also about mining,which is the other really major
effect, that impact on foreststhat often gets missed.
There's only two places reallywhere fire and mining come up as
something that you can selectas being something that you
think needs to be managed.
So I actually phoned and spoketo the person who put the survey
(14:02):
together and is going to bemanaging the data, because there
were some bits there that Ireally wasn't clear about, where
they say which of these thingsneed to be managed.
What they mean is need to behauled in and had a close look
at.
So that's where people shouldsay fire and mining and native
forest logging need to bemanaged.
It doesn't mean you're sayingthey need to be done.
(14:24):
It just means you're saying yourecognise that they are
happening and that someone needsto haul them in and have a
close look at them.
So, yeah, look, fire is having amajor impact and we've got this
outrageous annual target of200,000 hectares per year that
needs to be burned and wildfireis encountered in that.
So, if you know, 200,000hectares of forest burn in a
(14:45):
wildfire.
They still aim for their200,000 hectare target for
prescribed burning and it'shaving devastating impacts on
biodiversity in individualpopulations of different species
and, of course, on climate andhealth, and it needs to be put
under some serious scrutiny.
And there's a lot of greatscience that has now been done
and it needs to be put undersome serious scrutiny.
And there's a lot of greatscience that has now been done
(15:08):
and is being done.
And, of course, aboriginalpeople have been looking after
country for a bloody long timeand have got the knowledge and
the capacity and they need to begiven some active custodianship
from the policymakers and theagencies so that they can share
that wisdom and science andknowledge with us so that we can
be managing country moreappropriately.
(15:30):
And that is being done onsmaller scales, but it needs to
be done on a broader scale.
AJ (15:35):
Yes.
Amongst the other bigachievements over the decades is
a more recent 12-monthmoratorium on logging of the
two-tiered carry forest lastyear.
So is that still in place andis that part of what has led to
this survey?
Jess (15:50):
Yeah.
So the first sort of win that wehad just before the state
election, that we knew we weregetting onto the right path, was
when that 12-month moratoriumwas extended for the next three
years and that's 10,000 hectaresof old-growth carry forest that
should have been protected backin 2001, but wasn't.
Because of the definition it'snow called two-tiered, which you
(16:10):
know it's a bit of a strangeterm.
People wouldn't really knowwhat it means.
Essentially it means that it'sgot an old-growth and a regrowth
component to it, so one or twotrees might have been cut down
in a two hectare area, whichmeans it's been disqualified
from all growth protection.
So it's now called two-tiered,um.
And yeah, we finally, after allthese years, managed to get
those 10 000 hectares of carryoff the logging plans, which was
(16:33):
, you know, just such a reliefto me after such a long time of
fighting for those forests.
But um certainly doesn't takeus nearly far enough towards the
protection of the forests thatwe have left and that gave us
confidence that we really weresetting the foundation well for
this next phase of the campaign,which is making sure that the
(16:55):
next 10-year forest managementplan is a forest conservation
plan, and the next step has beenthe release of this survey.
AJ (17:01):
Okay, meanwhile, wafa has a plan that is taking all these
learnings and what we need to doand putting it forward in a
coherent framework whichinvolves, indeed, the finance,
economic stuff, sustainingcommunities, transitioning, of
course, in that sense in amanaged way, and protection of
the forests in an integrativefashion, which is quite powerful
(17:24):
and a terrific piece of work.
So I was hoping we can leverageoff this enormously.
Do you want to run us throughwhat led to that and the key
components?
Jess (17:33):
Yeah, I'd love to.
So it's called Forests for Lifeand there's a dedicated website
to it that people can find.
I was actually on maternityleave and unable to be out in
the forest and doing a lot ofthe kind of normal campaigning
that I do and spending a lot oftime thinking about what we
needed to do to bring this to aclose.
So I started researchingprograms that have been in place
(17:57):
in WA and also around Australiaand the world that have grown
timber sustainably, of growingtimber sustainably.
I didn't want to just copy theplantation model of
fence-to-fence tree plantings,which you know come with their
own challenges.
I wanted to look at how wecould be growing trees in
association with continuedfarming practice and bring
(18:18):
benefits for water quality andsalinity and amenity and all
those sorts of things onto farms, because I thought that was
more likely to work, was morelikely to get up and also it
brings benefits onto farmland.
AJ (18:32):
Well, just on that, jess, I see farmers packing out carbon
farming workshops, trying to geta grip on the changes that are
coming in that are ostensibly toincentivize them doing just
this.
So they are looking for ways toparticipate in the best fashion
.
It seems like a marriage madein heaven in that sense.
You know, all come togetherwith the same sort of
(18:54):
overarching goal.
Jess (18:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you know, I think, when wekind of lift ourselves up and
look over the landscape, one ofthe things that we would do, I
think, if we had the benefit ofhindsight, is we wouldn't have
allowed for the clearing of allof those streams and rivers,
would we?
I mean, the impacts of thathave just been so profound.
We can't reverse that, but whatwe can do is protect all of the
(19:19):
natural vegetation that we dohave left and then start
repairing where we've made theseterrible errors.
But there's no point going ontofarms and shouting at farmers
and telling them that they haveto do that themselves.
We need an integrated andholistic approach that's going
to actually work, that farmersare going to be willing to take
(19:40):
up, and so it's that stream andriparian veg restoration that
has really motivated me.
But at the same time, there arethese obvious synergies, like
you say, for the farmers, forpotential income that's coming
from these new economies andalso for avoided deforestation.
So one of the other things thatreally motivates me is I don't
(20:02):
want, in 35 years' time, for usto be importing timber from
overseas because we'vecompletely stuffed up our own
timber production here, which wehave and we're continuing to do
we need to get trees in theground right now so that we're
going to have our own timber,that our children are going to
have their own timber, or theywill be drawing on timber from
other countries?
(20:23):
So all of these things cametogether in my mind while I was
sort of sitting at home with thebaby.
AJ (20:30):
That's wonderful actually, I think that's a terrific sort of
well.
It's a terrific birthplace forthis.
Let's say that.
Jess (20:36):
Yeah, well it is.
It's got a kind of a maternaland a relaxed, synergising
rather than a rushed, you know,combative kind of yeah.
So I think there is somethingin that.
So the plan is for us to growin two zones, in the southwest
and the great southern, 40,000hectares of high-value hardwood
(20:59):
timber trees in association withexisting cropping and grazing,
and those would be east coasteucalypts for the timber trees
in association with existingcropping and grazing, and those
would be East Coast eucalyptsfor the timber trees and then
obviously natives for thepermanent re-veg that's
associated with it.
And they're grown in such a waythat the cropping or grazing
can continue.
And there's been excellentmodels for this in WA and around
Australia.
$40,000 is a minimum.
(21:21):
It would be better if we wenthigher than that, but that's the
bare minimum for being able toget an economy of scale sort of
situation so that you can buildthe processing centres.
The contractors are going to bewilling to go out to pull the
wood back in.
The trees have to be grownwithin 100km of the future
processing centre, otherwise thetransport costs become
(21:42):
uneconomic.
AJ (21:43):
Well that's significant in itself that there'll be
processing centres, that we'llhave the skills and the
manufacturing base to actuallydo our own work again.
Jess (21:51):
Yeah, that's right.
And also they'll be centredwhere we've already had timber
industry, so one will be centredon green bushes.
All the roads are in already.
There's a lot of people aroundthere who have the skills and
the history in the timberindustry and then the other
around Albany.
And, like you said when you wereintroducing this, we've drawn
on the lessons of the past,because there was mistakes made
(22:13):
with the MIS scheme.
One of them was that trees weregrowing too far away from
future processing centres.
Sometimes they were growing in,the lots were too small,
sometimes the rainfall zone waswrong, the soil type was wrong
and it wasn't managed in such away that had a view to how those
trees were then going to beused in the future.
It was kind of let's just gettrees in the ground, and
(22:34):
obviously I'm a big fan ofgetting trees in the ground, but
clearly we have to do it in away that is going to be
considered to have been valuablefor the people who put the
trees in.
Otherwise they get bulldozedand burned, which is what we're
seeing a lot of across the southcoast still.
AJ (22:53):
Yes, and the management of the land over the millennia was
never done in a haphazardfashion anyway, so it's just
continuing in tradition.
It's written how bad thecurrent economy of this is going
the deforestation model but onthe other hand you've got
industries that are alreadymassively outperforming that
dying timber industry.
(23:13):
So on the one hand, you'retalking about let's institute a
world-class timber industry notget rid of one, but have a
world-class level one and notthe old third world model.
Actually get manufacturing andprocessing back.
And then you're talking about,yeah, tourism, hospitality,
beekeeping, extraordinarilyunderrated economic contribution
.
It is a real picture you'retrying to paint of let's back
(23:36):
what's already emerged.
We don't even have to sort ofpluck out of the sky what we
know works down here.
Stop the erosion of thosethings and then, yeah, back them
in.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthose realities on the ground
that you've observed.
Jess (23:50):
Well, that's really just come out of the business sector.
You know people have approachedus and said particularly with
the honey industry most recentlythat they're losing forests
where their apiary sites are,that there's hardly any places
where they can have their beesbecause, you know, there's fewer
and fewer areas available forthem because of logging and then
(24:10):
also fire.
Climate change is having a hugeimpact.
You know bees can kind of actas a bit of a litmus test or a
canary in the coal mine for howwell a forest is performing,
because it can look like aforest is doing really well.
It's got great flower every youknow couple of years when it
should be there, but the beescome back down to the hive and
they haven't got any.
You know there wasn't anypollen up there.
So the beekeepers are quiteoften the people who are seeing
(24:35):
the declining health of theforest and then, you know,
experiencing that in a financialsense as well.
So we've been approached bylots of people in the honey
industry, but then alsoaccommodation providers who've
said you know, I'm getting thesehalf-star ratings on my Airbnb
site all of a sudden becausepeople have been woken up by
logging machinery.
AJ (24:55):
Wow.
Jess (24:57):
Yeah, and banging on their door at 3 in the morning
because they can't sleep,because, you know, several
people in Pempton area have beenreporting that.
And then avocado growers who theneighbouring forest is
clear-felled and all of a suddenthe wind is so severe that
their avocados aren't growing.
You know real tangible impactson local businesses small scale,
(25:21):
and then also really big scalebusinesses small scale, and then
also really big scale.
So, yeah, look, we've just beenreally heartened, though, by
how smart and dedicated andthoughtful a lot of the players
in those sectors are and howwilling they are to come to work
together, to make reallyexcellent media commentary, to
(25:41):
start talking to decision makers.
So this really organic allianceis now forming, where our job
is to be very clear about what'sgood for the forests and the
forest health in and of itself,and the job of the business
sector is to highlight thatprotected forests are actually
better for the southwest, forsocial and economic
(26:02):
considerations, and togetherwe're telling a pretty powerful
story.
I think that the timberindustry really is just the
native forest timber industry.
That just does not belong inthe 21st century.
AJ (26:16):
There was a terrific Clean State short film with Mikey
Chinotta, a honey producer, andhe said one tonne of Jarrah
firewood is worth about $300.
One tonne of Jarrah honey isworth $30,000.
That's landed pretty stronglywith people to illustrate your
point.
And then, of course, yeah,we've touched on but let's
highlight, because they'rehugely significant the soil,
(26:36):
water and climate connectionsand benefits related to this.
I'm conscious that, withindustry sort of playing its
part, then what is your sense ofthe public support for this?
Is that it's really sort ofclamouring to a crescendo as
well.
Jess (26:52):
Yeah, definitely.
There was some polling done atthe end of 2019 that showed 65,
68% I think it was somewherebetween 65 and 68% of West
Australians wanted to see thefull protection of southwest
forests, and a year later, atthe end of 2020, it was 78% of
people.
So you know it was the samequestion.
(27:13):
You know, clearly, a verysignificant increase in people's
understanding.
And, yeah, I mean, I thinkanecdotally, we all know you
can't it's difficult to findanybody who thinks that logging
native forests for woodchip,charcoal and firewood is a good
idea.
Yes, and then at aninternational level.
You know you're talking aboutclimate.
The IUCN has shown that onethird of all of the climate
(27:37):
mitigation effort that we needglobally must come from
protecting forests.
So it's not an insignificantcontribution that native forests
play, and we've got 850,000hectares here that are still
available for logging.
So when we make a policy changewhich I think is on the horizon
now and we protect that 850,000hectares, that's a significant
(27:59):
contribution that we have madeto continuing to draw carbon
down out of the atmosphere andto protecting biodiversity.
And in terms of water, you knowthe loss that we've already
brought to this landscape isimmense, and what some
scientists at UWA's WaterResearch Centre have shown is
that more than 50% of therainfall decline in the
(28:20):
southwest of WA is a result ofland clearing.
So that should empower us tosay we can make this significant
contribution by protecting theforest at a global level.
But also it really gives us thecapacity to build local
resilience, because we needrainfall down here and forests
bring and make rain.
So you know, the sooner weprotect what's left and start
(28:43):
restoring where we can, thebetter.
AJ (28:45):
The NAIDOC Week theme this year that we've just come out of
was Healing Country.
So right on with what you'resaying here and it made me
reflect on some of theconversations I've had certainly
talking about our combinedknowledge systems and how we can
do this together in a reallypowerful way, and is that
something you've observed andfelt and experienced yourself?
Jess (29:07):
Oh yeah, absolutely.
I think I remember hearing astory about some elders talking
about how they'd had theinformation passed down to them
about how the land you know usedto go out all the way out past
Rottnest.
I've forgotten its name.
Is its proper name, wajima?
Wajima yeah, and the storyincorporated all of this
(29:30):
knowledge about how the Ice Agefirst started to encroach and
how people knew what that wasand then how it then receded and
the way that the land hadchanged.
And it incorporates all thisbeauty, you know, all this
spiritual and cultural knowledgeand way of maintaining our
connection into country as weunderstand that better and
(29:51):
understand it on so many levels.
And there was this guy sittingon the ridge with an
archaeologist and they were justrecognising how their knowledge
and understanding of countrymatched, but through these very
different ways of havingunderstood and being taught.
And you know, I see that allthe time.
But the problem is, I think werecognise and appreciate Western
(30:17):
science but we're still so farbehind in.
You know, that science, whichit is it comes from trial and
error and testing of hypothesesand that Aboriginal people have
been practising here for such along time is a potential gift to
all Australians and to the restof the world that we just
(30:38):
haven't accepted yet and that'sinsulting.
It's insulting to theAboriginal people who have their
hands out willing to offer it,and it's an insult that we've
been continuing with for, youknow, ever since colonisation,
and it's high time that we stopit and recognise the incredible
value that could come from justlistening.
AJ (30:58):
Beautifully said, and I've just been really moved by a
recent podcast I did on theregeneration with Willem Fervida
, who's the CEO of Commonland,and in his recent report that
launched with the UN Decade onEcosystem Restoration, he
actually put Oral Maguire'squote at the top of it.
Biodiversity is a manifestationof spirit, and so there's a
(31:21):
lovely grounding to sort ofboldly bring to in his case the
international sphere that he'sworking in, but just a lovely
way to ground us in the deeperfeeling and connection.
Jess (31:35):
That is such a beautiful.
I've never heard thatbiodiversity is a manifestation
of spirit.
AJ (31:40):
Yeah.
Jess (31:40):
Wow, absolutely beautiful.
Premier McGowan has justannounced that native forest
logging is going to end in thesouthwest of Western Australia
by the end of 2023.
This is huge.
This is an historic moment andwe applaud the Premier and
Minister Sanderson and Kelly fortheir leadership and thank them
(32:05):
for this major and long-awaitedbreakthrough.
The southwest forests areincredibly precious and they're
vital to climate.
Their leadership and thank themfor this major and long-awaited
breakthrough.
The South West Forests areincredibly precious and they're
vital to climate and to wildlifeand to biodiversity and culture
, and this new direction thatthe Premier has announced today
to end native forest logging injust over two years' time is
profoundly important and will beheartily welcomed by the West
(32:28):
Australian community.
But I have to say this is notthe end.
We still have two years aheadof us until the forest
management plan is signed andsealed and we must maintain our
focus and ensure that this verywelcome new direction results in
the forest protection that weso desperately need in this
state.
(32:49):
This announcement from thePremier today comes as a result
of the work of thousands ofpeople over many decades, and I
want to acknowledge every one ofyou and say also to forest
supporters we're on track andwe're nearly there.
We're going to fully andsecurely protect what's left of
(33:11):
the Southwest's native forests.
I also want to be clear thatthe Premier's announcement
doesn't address all of thethreats facing the forests.
It doesn't end the clearing ofthe Jarrah forest for bauxite
mining or deal with issuessurrounding thinning of degraded
regrowth forests.
It also doesn't address firemanagement.
There will, however, be plentyof opportunity coming up for us
(33:37):
to have an effect on these othermajor issues during the
development of the next 10-yearforest management plan and
through other processes, andwe'll be facing them with the
same determination that we areface logging with.
We also look forward to thedevelopment of world-class farm
forestry sector and a justtransition for those currently
engaged in the native forestlogging industry.
But today we've made historyWestern Australia will become
(34:02):
the first state in the countryto end native forest logging
after all of these decades, andour precious native forests will
be protected for their climate,biodiversity, water and
cultural values.
Thank you.
How is the union feeling aboutthis?
I haven't actually had aresponse from anyone in industry
yet, but there is a generouspackage from government.
(34:22):
So there's $350 million that'sbeen made available to the
plantation expansion, which isobviously going to create a lot
of jobs and and grow a lot oftimber, and there's 50 million
dollars available to helpworkers who need to transition.
Journo (34:35):
Obviously, this is a great start.
Is there anything more you'dlike to see from the government
to further protect our forest?
Jess (34:40):
Yeah, look, the next two years are going to be really
critical.
We can't take our eyes off theprize.
A lot of damage can still bedone in the forest in the next
two years, so we want to makesure that that damage is
minimised and also we want tosee the expansion of the farmed
wood sector.
That's going to have reallysignificant benefits on farms
and on cleared land for waterand salinity.
It's also going to make surethat we're not only self-reliant
(35:02):
in WA for softwood, which iscritically important, but also
for hardwood.
Journo (35:06):
You mentioned this statewide.
What would you like to seeAustralia-wide, eventually?
Jess (35:10):
Oh, this needs to happen across all of Australia.
It needs to happen across theglobe.
Forests are critical forclimate.
They draw carbon out of theatmosphere and they store it
safely in the soils and in thetrees, and that's where we need
the carbon to be.
And they're also obviouslycritical for biodiversity.
So we need to be protectingforests across the whole globe.
But thank God that finally,this long-awaited win is coming
(35:34):
to WA.
Journo (35:35):
And what are the steps from now until 2023 onwards to
protecting our forests?
Jess (35:40):
Well, look, it's not over yet.
We need all of our supportersto stick with us.
We need all forest supportersto stick with us.
The development of the next 10year forest management plan is
gonna be critical.
It's gonna be detailed.
It's gonna be important that weget it right.
So there's gonna be communitymeetings, there's gonna be all
sorts of opportunities for us tomake sure that the detail of
(36:01):
how forests are in fact managedfrom 2024 onwards is spot on.
We've had so many decades ofour forest being mismanaged and
this is our opportunity to getit right.
Journo (36:11):
Any specific challenge that you guys would be facing in
the next two years that you'vealready identified.
Jess (36:17):
Sorry, do you mean in terms of the campaign?
Well, look, I think if peoplewrongly read this as having been
a complete win for all forestissues, that would be a mistake.
We've still got a way to go todeal with other issues facing
the forests, and we've also gota way to go to make sure that
the detail around how forestsare managed in the next 10-year
(36:40):
forest management plan is spoton.
So we need to make sure thatthe way that any kind of
management activities occur inthe forest actually looks after
the ecological health of thoseforests.
Journo (36:50):
Any chances that it will go wrong?
Jess (36:53):
Well, look, we're feeling optimistic.
We really believe that we're ontrack here.
This is an historicbreakthrough and it comes on the
back of huge community support.
I mean the announcement of thesurvey results, where 17,000
people took a lengthy surveywhich you needed a reasonable
amount of information to get tothe end of, and that the
(37:16):
majority of people stronglyagree that all native forest
logging should end, is a verygood basis for this announcement
to be made on.
Thanks for your time thismorning.
Thank, you Pleasure.
Journo (37:27):
I am recording.
Okay, so, Jessica, you weretelling me before what kind of
went through your mind when youheard this news.
What was your first reaction?
Jess (37:36):
Oh, it's a huge thing.
It's an historic moment forWestern Australia and for
everyone in Australia.
ou gave me a lovely answerbefore when I asked you, you
know, if you looked back at thismoment in 20 years time, what
would you hope that you couldsay?
(37:56):
this moment actually meantWhat tangible impact it would
have.
Well, this is a shift in the way that we perceive of the
forest.
It's a shift in the way that wevalue them.
It's an acknowledgement by theMcGowan government that the
forests are so precious, thattheir intrinsic values and their
values for climate and waterand culture are so significant,
and that we need to be lookingat the forests through that lens
(38:19):
, not through a lens ofextraction or profit.
So I hope that when we lookback on this in 20 years, we see
it as having left a reallysignificant legacy and we see it
as a moment in time in which weshifted the way that we look at
our natural environment.
It's not about extraction, it'sabout conservation.
Journo (38:38):
And in terms of extraction.
This decision will, of course,have an impact on jobs in many
small regional communities.
What message do you have forpeople in those communities who
might be worried about theirlivelihoods and the future of
their towns?
Jess (38:50):
Yeah, look, it's really important.
And these sorts of transitionsdo come with challenges, and we
absolutely acknowledge that.
I'm from the South West, I'velived in the South West for more
than 20 years and I understandthose challenges.
But I think that the McGowangovernment's announcement about
the $350 million for expandingthe plantation sector and the
$50 million for the workers isgood.
(39:12):
It's a good start.
There is going to be some bumps, but we're looking forward to
there being a just transition.
And, look, we need to get outof native forest logging.
It's not sustainable, it's notprofitable, it was going to end
anyway and we need that justtransition to take care of those
workers.
Journo (39:29):
And for West Australians , who might not know much about
this issue, I suppose.
How would you explain it tothem, in terms of the impact
that this will have?
Why should it matter to them?
Jess (39:38):
Well, we're talking about a huge area of forests.
We understand that a minimum of400,000 hectares of Kari and
Jarrah forests will finally betaken off logging plans, so that
means that those forests aregoing to be drawing down carbon
from the atmosphere.
The habitat value in thoseforests is phenomenal.
It's impossible to interprethow many animals, how many
(39:58):
plants are now safe to continueto live in those forests.
The streamlines that runthrough those forests are so
precious and they're nowprotected.
This is a major breakthrough.
AJ (40:20):
That was Jess Beckerling, Campaign Director of the WA
Forest Alliance.
For more on Jess and WAFA, seethe links in our program details
and if you're particularlyinterested in more stories like
this from the great south of WA,have a listen to episodes 78,
79, 82 and 87 of TheRegenNarration from last year
(40:43):
and stay tuned for more soon.
With thanks to the generoussupporters of the podcast for
making this episode possible.
Please join this growingcommunity and help keep the
regeneration going.
Just head to the website viathe show notes regennarration.
com.
support.
Thanks as always.
The music you're hearing is AForest's Dream by Cloudjumper,
(41:09):
sourced from the Free MusicArchive.
My name's Anthony James.
Thanks for listening,.
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