Police have arrived at a forest protest underway today in Tasmania’s Eastern Tiers to rescue habitat for the critically endangered Swift Parrots from destruction. Right now, Swift Parrots are returning to lutruwita / Tasmania to breed and yet again they return to logging machines flattening their only breeding habitat in the world.

“Citizens are protesting today in forests behind Swansea that are being logged but have known Swift Parrot breeding habitat. Ignoring conservation advice to protect all Swift Parrot habitat on public lands, Premier Rockliff oversees the flattening of breeding habitat and flowering feed trees of this critically endangered species. It must stop,” said Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager.

Forest defender Sandra Van Den Berg (55) has stood in defiance of this destruction.

“With the Swift Parrots returning to lutruwita, I feel it’s important to protect what little remaining habitat that’s left,” said Sandra, Bruny Island resident.

“I don’t understand why our government has not stopped logging native forests. We are in a climate crisis, and I urge them to heed the science and act now. It’s the government who should be prosecuted for ecocide. It’s time to end native forest logging,” said Sandra.

“Instead of sending in Tasmania police to arrest the parrot’s defenders, Premier Rockliff must remove logging from all native forests. Lutruwita is a sanctuary for the Swift Parrots to breed, they are critically endangered due to logging and the ongoing logging of their habitat will push them to extinction. That is the choice Premier Rockliff is making,” said Jenny Weber.