The Animal Justice Party (AJP) recognises that the value of native forests, including old-growth forests, is greater to animals, biodiversity and the climate than the commercial value of harvested material. Logging of native forests must cease immediately.

The AJP accepts that contemporary human society requires wood products, however, it is currently impossible to harvest these products at scale in a way that does not cause harm to animals or the environment. We must constantly work to improve plantation management and harvest practices and seek better alternatives to minimise adverse impacts.

While standing forests are best at capturing carbon, the AJP believes that minimising harm is a nuanced issue and that timber products may be more climate-friendly than cement and steel for building and construction.

Forestry and land clearing are different issues (see our Land Clearing Policy).

Key Objectives

1. Immediately cease the logging of native forests.

2. Support people and communities who may be affected by the transition away from native forest logging.

3. Revegetate, rehabilitate and protect all native forest areas where logging has taken place, and support all animals remaining in native forests (including threatened and endangered species) to thrive.

4. Ensure that the transition to plantation timber harvesting is conducted in a way that maximises the protection of animals.

5. Strengthen pre-logging wildlife surveys, report the number of animals killed, displaced, injured and orphaned by forestry operations, both directly and indirectly, and impose significant penalties for forestry operations that injure or kill wildlife. 

6. Support wildlife carers who care for animals impacted by logging (see our Wildlife Care Policy).

7. Reduce reliance on new timber products, increase the recycling of timber and timber products (see our Waste Policy) and fund research into less harmful alternatives to timber.

8. Assist households to transition from wood stoves to clean energy and prohibit wood burning for electricity generation.

9. Pending Key Objective 1, remove the current exemptions for forestry operations conducted under Regional Forestry Agreements and ensure they are subject to the full requirements of federal environmental law.

10. Strengthen animal protection and sustainability requirements for imported wood products.

Related Policies

• Climate Emergency Policy
• Land Clearing Policy
• Wildlife Care Policy
• Land Transport Policy
• Koala Policy
• Waste Policy