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Tiwi Islands

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The Environment Centre of the NT is very concerned about the current Great Southern Plantations (GSP) (formerly Sylvatech) forestry project on the Tiwi Islands (Melville Island), north of Darwin . We are even more concerned about major expansion plans for the same project.

Tiwi Islands - old cyprus pine plantation beside land cleared for new Acacia plantation, 2001

GSP (formerly Sylvatech) has gained approval from the Territory and Commonwealth Governments to clear up to 26,000 hectares of old growth forest on Melville Island and replace it with an exotic acacia species, acacia mangium. The acacia plantations will be used for a new large scale woodchip export industry supplying Japan and other Asian countries.

There are many reasons to be concerned about this project, which appears to currently have the backing of the Tiwi Land Council.

Making matters worse, in an advertisement in The Australian newspaper in May 2005, Sylvatech referred to its "aggressive expansion plans" which would, if approved by Government and Tiwi Islanders, result in the clearing of a massive 100,000 hectares of Tiwi Island forests.

SOME OF OUR CONCERNS:

»	The forests being cleared are unique and magnificent and contain several endangered species;
»	The traditional owners and indigenous communities have not been fully informed as to the risks and dangers of this project, or the impacts of the proposed "aggressive expansion";
»	There have been many failed plantation forestry projects in the NT and this one could well fail too, leaving the local Indigenous people in a very serious situation;
»	Establishing largescale monocultures of exotic species grown as short rotation commodity crops entails many dangers including the use of large quantities of toxic chemicals and fertilisers which can harm local species and pollute waterways and ultimately impact on the health of local communities;
»	The price received by the company, and hence any income for the Tiwi Indigenous community, may turn out to be far less than expected given the worldwide glut of pulp plantations and the general decline in commodity prices.

The Environment Centre fully supports Indigenous self-determination, but this must be based on informed consent. Companies and Governments seeking to sell projects to Indigenous communities have a heavy burden of responsibility to make sure the community is made fully aware of the impacts, costs, risks and trade-offs involved. We do not believe that has occurred here.

ECNT is calling on the Territory Government to undertake, in co-operation with the Tiwi Islanders, a full, independent, expert audit of the existing project to ensure that all environmental and community protection conditions are being fully complied with and that no significant environmental or community problems are emerging.

We are also calling on Territory and Commonwealth Governments to rule out the proposed aggressive expansion to 100,000 hectares, which can never be sustainable.

LATEST NEWS

6 June 2006. Melville (Tiwi) Island clearfelling "atrocities": an eye-witness account.

I am responding to your campaign against the expansion and practices on Melville Island by Great Southern Plantations Ltd (GSP).

In 2004 I worked with Sylvatech Forestry (former owners of the clearfelling project prior to take over by GSP in 2005) on Melville Island.

I have numerous photos which illustrate unsafe and poor environmental work practices and have first hand experience as to the practices being undertaken on the ground. I worked within an entirely non-indigenous work crew and believe that the involvement by traditional land owners is token at best.

I have never been so overwhelmed by the blatant unsafe work practices in place and the total disregard for the environment and remaining native forest. One of the reasons tossed around by workers as to "how they got away with it" was the isolation of the island and the inacessibility by campaigners and work safe investigators....

I wish your campaign the best of support and hope that the atrocities occuring in such an unspoilt area of Australia can be stopped before it is too late.

Name withheld by request.

Tiwi Islanders ripped off over clearfelling project?

This statement (below) by the new owners of the Tiwi forest clearfelling and woodchipping project, Great Southern Plantations Ltd (WA), raises questions about the ethics of their operation and their dealings with the Tiwi Island Indigenous communities whose land is being targeted for clearing.

"COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENT / MEDIA RELEASE
Thursday, 17 February 2005
Great Southern to Acquire Sylvatech Limited and Assets of Environinvest Limited.

Great Southern Plantations Limited (ASX Code GTP) is pleased to announce its intention to make a takeover bid for Sylvatech Limited and at the same time acquire certain assets from Environinvest Limited...Sylvatech is an unlisted public company involved in the development and management of forestry projects on the Tiwi Islands . The Sylvatech acquisition will provide Great Southern access to extensive plantation land for future projects at a significant discount to current market prices for land in Great Southern's traditional plantation regions. Further details of Sylvatech and the impact of the acquisition on Great Southern are contained in the investor presentation to be released today." (GSP Media release, Feb 2005)

"Market based rentals: ~$1/ha p.a. for land that is not plantation ready" (GSP shareholder presentation, 2005)

Are the Tiwi Island Traditional Owners and communities being severely ripped off by being paid far less for the use of their land than are landholders involved with plantation companies in southern Australia ? ECNT will investigate further.

MORE INFORMATION

»	If you would like more information or wish to get involved contact us.
»	See also: Landclearing Media Releases

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The Environment Centre of the Northern Territory
3/98 Woods St, Darwin » Postal Address: GPO Box 2120, Darwin 0801 NT
Phone: 08 8981 1984 » Fax: 08 8941 0387 » E-mail: ecnt@octa4.net.au