Head of Sustainability and Community

Bunnings Group Limited

Hawthorn East, Victoria 3123

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Dear Ms Rand,

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Blue Derby Wild, and the thousands of people undersigned, would like to again extend an invitation to meet and tour the native forests we have conducted tree fern logging surveys in over the past year, led by a Conservation and Wildlife Biologist. Providing the opportunity to see first hand the impacts of logging native forests, and better understand the role of Tasmanian tree fern glades in complex forest ecosystems.

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In the north east of Tasmania you will get to experience first hand the richness of Tasmania's native forests and the rare Tasmanian tree fern rich glacial refugia forests of the area, which hold unique species found nowhere else on earth.

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Logging of Tasmania’s native forests continues to fail to meet the standards necessary to obtain Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The ongoing logging of our Gondwanic rainforests and glacial refugia forests, from which  these much loved Tassie tree ferns are taken, is part of that ongoing failure.

 

Logging of native forests that are habitat to rare, threatened and endangered species such as the Tasmanian devil, masked owl and spotted tail quoll (all present in the forests we surveyed) is permitted as logging of native forests in Tasmania, and mainland Australia, is exempt from federal environmental regulation under the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBCA). This Act is supposed to protect native ecosystems and threatened species found in our native forests. Logging of these habitat rich, carbon dense forests is allowed due to state based permits and regulations under the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) which circumnavigates national threatened species regulations.

 

The need for businesses who retail in products from native forest logging to divest from this trade is especially pertinent after the landmark recommendation made in the Environment Heritage and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act) review, in which Professor Samuels calls on the federal government to "abolish the effective exemption from environment laws granted to all native forest logging covered by Regional Forestry Agreements (RFA) between the federal and state governments."

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Bunnings has the opportunity to be a leader in the garden centre trade and stop buying into Tasmanian tree fern logging. This would be in keeping with the steps your business has taken to become powered by 100% renewable energy in recent months.

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Blue Derby Wild, and the thousands of Australians who have taken action with us via tastreefern.com, would encourage Bunnings to take up the opportunity to end the trade in Tasmanian tree ferns for garden decorations. These Gondwanic giants, and the increasingly threatened native forests they live in, are worth more standing for biodiversity, climate action and for the future of our community to prosper in a safe, healthy environment.

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We look forward to your response.

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Louise Morris

Coordinator of Blue Derby wild, and the undersigned.