GECO turns 30 and we are having the party of the decade...

Posted by Tuffy Morwitzer · August 03, 2023 5:23 PM · 1 reaction

Logging to end by 2024! What's next I wonder...

Posted by Tuffy Morwitzer · May 25, 2023 7:17 PM · 1 reaction

Mass survey action planned to contest anti-protest laws

Posted by Tuffy Morwitzer · May 12, 2023 8:57 PM · 2 reactions

We hold all sorts of events from protests and forest blockades to parties, concerts and film nights.

We're most well known for our citizen science forest survey camps, held every three months in the forests of far East Gippsland. 

Recent surveying in the Cottonwood range forests has revealed vast areas of failed regeneration after logging. VicForests recently added 9 new logging areas (coupes) to their plans in the Cottonwood range, more than 20 coupes are on the logging plans in the Cottonwood.

Logging operations in this high altitude environment are failing to regenerate, this coupe was logged in 2004. Once a tall wet forest with a diversity of plant and animal species, it's now a paddock of grasses and dead bracken.

This is land clearing, not "sustainable" logging. Logging operations are currently occurring within 700m of this area of failed regeneration. There are 20 planned coupes all with in a 2km radius of the area. Will the forests being logged now and in the future on the Cottonwood range also fail to regenerate? It's very likely.

High altitude areas often fail to regenerate due to colder temperatures and frosts. Our photo was posted by our friends Environment East Gippsland on their facebook page and the ABC ran a story about this environmental disaster. Click read more to see the story. 

The State government has issued fines to three citizen science surveyors who reported illegal rainforest logging. Despite the State government committing to implementing a raft of changes to logging rules in light of the information we provided, fines have been issued for entering logging "safety zone". We'll be fighting the fines in court and will not be silenced for speaking out about VicForests unlawful logging operations.

The so called 'safety zones' are designed to keep the public out of the forests and shield VicForests logging operations from scrutiny. We'll continue to monitor and document logging operations. It's in the public interest for the public to know what is happening in their forests.

Thom Mitchell

The Victorian government has fined a conservationist who exposed what the Environment Minister described as “very disturbing” and “extremely poor practice” logging, despite reports he helped prepare becoming a catalyst for substantial reform of industry guidelines.

Originally published by New Matilda: https://newmatilda.com/2015/08/10/victorian-government-thanks-conservationists-exposing-disturbing-logging-practices-fining/

Last month VicForests proposed to add about 300 areas (coupes) to their logging schedule or Timber Release Plan (TRP). 172 in the Central Highlands and 127 in East Gippsland. The additional Central Highlands coupes are in some of the last remaining habitat for the critically endangered Lead Beaters Possum and within the proposed Great Forest National Park.

You can take action by visiting the TRP TimeOut website. The site is a great resource to help you write letters to Victorian Ministers requesting the new logging areas not be approved. Use the letter provided and add you own comments about East Gippsland's forests. You can share it on twitter and facebook using the hashtag #TRPTimeOut.

Camp Kuark threatened species survey weekend was a great success! 40 enthusiastic and energetic people from across Victoria and interstate attended and took part in forest walks, flora surveys, rainforest identification workshops, nocturnal spotlighting and Owl surveys.

It was great to meet so many new people, share with them the beauty of the Kuark forest and inform them about the logging that threatens this incredible forest.

Goongerah Environment Centre Office (GECO) is a grass roots group fighting for protection of East Gippsland's forests.

Based in the small town of Goongerah in far East Gippsland Victoria, since 1993 we have campaigned for ancient forests under threat from logging using education and public awareness, political lobbying, non-violent direct action, citizen science and forest monitoring.

We live and work on the stolen lands of the Gunaikurnai and Bidewell and Monero people, where sovereignty was never ceded. We pay respect to the thousands of years of their ongoing custodianship of the land.

Check out some of our achievements here:

Media - Survey reports - Awards

GECO is a non-hierarchical organisation. We are a group of individuals involved in collective action to protect East Gippsland's old growth forests and to support actions happening around Australia and the world.