Tandberg Wildlife Cartoon

ZOOS Victoria was forced to bin its recycled paper campaign rather than agree to endorse certification on products that come from the habitat of one of its top-20 endangered species – the Leadbeater’s possum (”Zoo told the dump recycle paper campaign”, 11/2). In 2011, Reflex Paper lost its Forest Stewardship Council accreditation because it was buying wood from VicForests in a supply chain that comes directly from Leadbeater’s habitat and Melbourne’s water catchments.

VicForests failed to attain FSC accreditation due to the council’s strict principles around biodiversity management. The Australian Forestry Standard has only 40 mandatory requirements whereas the FSC has between 250 and 300.

Minister Peter Walsh is legitimising Reflex Paper because the state government logging company VicForests makes a quid from it. But is neutralising competition by homogenising the two very different wood standards in conflict with the national competition policy to which COAG are signatories?

THE state government is making it much harder for consumers to support more sustainably sourced products. Yet again it has shown on which side of the fence it sits when it comes to countering the loss of endangered flora and fauna, climate change (recycled paper saves on embedded energy, and reduces wood-chipping and monoculture forestry), and vested interests.

THE state government really is ”behind” the times (”Zoo told to dump recycled paper campaign”, 11/2).

THE Coalition is flushing the state’s wildlife down the toilet.