Australian Governments
Forestry Package Fails To Protect Leatherwood Honey Industry
By Rich Bowden
02 October, 2005
Countercurrents.org
The Australian state of Tasmanias
much publicized Community Forestry Agreement, jointly announced by Australian
Prime Minister John Howard and Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon in May,
does not go far enough in protecting Leatherwood resources to guarantee
a viable future for the states honey industry according to an
industry expert.
Warning of a death
by a thousand cuts, Dr Pigot of the Tasmanian Beekeepers Association
stated that the agreement fails to deliver sufficient reserve stands
of Leatherwood trees and warned of a marked downturn in the industry.
The industry
in the south is on the rocks now and there are major operators there
who will go out of business in the next three years if things are not
done correctly, he said.
However Government
Ministers have denied the agreement is detrimental to the states
honey industry with Federal Minister for Forestry Senator Ian MacDonald
describing the $250 million forest initiative as an attempt to both
achieve environmental sustainability and ensure the survival of the
states embattled timber industry.
By implementing
the Agreement, the Government has not only added significant new reserves
to bring the area of protected old-growth to more than 1 million hectares,
it has also created an ambitious program to enhance growth in the Tasmanian
forest industry and increase forestry jobs, he said in a ministerial
press release.
Senator MacDonald
also noted that the agreement sets aside sufficient funding to support
beekeeping and other industries reliant on the preservation of Tasmanian
old growth forests.
Beekeepers though
have long seen the logging companies indiscriminate and destructive
practice of clearfelling and subsequent intense burning as responsible
for the Leatherwood industrys uncertain future and are disappointed
that the agreement fails to implement changes to these less destructive
forestry practices quickly enough.
Significant stands
of the Leatherwood tree (Eucryphia lucida) are routinely felled by loggers
along with the surrounding eucalypts despite being of low value as a
timber resource. Following the clearing of the land, the organic layer
of the ground area is subjected to high intensity burning to both encourage
the germination of eucalypts which thrive in bushfire-like conditions
and sterilize the soil of competitive trees such as the Leatherwood.
As a result of this
continual reduction of the bees habitat, beekeepers have been
forced into a marginal existence at the edge of forest areas or at higher
altitudes where the flowering is affected by the colder temperatures
and usually less reliable. Speaking on the ABCs Landline programme,
Julian Wolfhagen, of the Tasmanian Honey Company estimated that, if
present conditions continued, only enough resources for 10 years commercial
Leatherwood honey production remained in the states forests.
Citing responsible
resource management as the key to the Leatherwoods survival Dr
Pigot has urged government agencies to utilize the $11.4 million earmarked
in the forestry initiative for the beekeeping industry to implement
an industry plan stating, Its more a question of effective
use of a resource thats God-given rather than how long has the
industry got.
The pure, unblended
Leatherwood honey is made from the nectar of the rainforest Leatherwood
tree and marketed extensively as a premium quality gourmet product.
With around 45% of the $2 million industry produced for overseas markets,
the honey is an important export industry for the island state and trades
on its carefully promoted image as a product of the clean and unspoiled
Tasmanian environment. Famous for its uniquely strong and spicy flavour
and distinctive aroma, Leatherwood accounts for over 70% of the states
honey industry.
However more than
just the states iconic Leatherwood honey industry is at stake
should honey producers lose their battle for survival according to Dr
Pigot.
There is a
whole pollination industry in Tasmania dependent on the honeybee. Cherries,
apricots, blueberries are all industries the Government is desperately
trying to promote as high value Tasmanian agricultural products and
all are dependent on the bees for pollination, he said.
Theres
$180 million worth of agricultural production which is hanging off the
bees which are hanging off the Leatherwood.