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The Gippsland Forests are situated north east
of Melbourne and is the largest forest in the state. It supports over 300 rare and
threatened species. Logging in Gippsland Forests is an ongoing and in depth issue that is
still being debated. The question is should logging continue in Gippsland forests or
should it be stopped to conserve it and the ecosystem it supports. Both sides of this
argument have very legitimate arguments. |
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The affirmative consists of mostly people
living in the area and people who are directly effected by the logging industry. The
logging effects them economically and provides jobs and local business for the area. It is
expensive to import timber products therefore Melbourne’s economy will greater
benefit from using their own timber resources and exporting them to other countries. The
cost of timber products for the consumer is then lesser than it would if imported. Many
social and economical considerations come up in this argument. |
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The negative consists of biologists,
environmental groups and conservationists. Mostly people living in cities, as they are not
directly effected by the loss of jobs in their area. These people are concerned about the
destruction of these forests and the impact logging is having on this very delicate
ecosystem. As Gippsland is one of the last and largest forests in Victoria it is important
to conserve it for future generations to enjoy. They argue that the destruction of habitat
is the highest cause of extinction of rare and threatened species. Therefore it is
important to conserve the natural habitats. |