While some believe the protection of the Wombat through a selection of a number of parks is the way forward, other bush users are not convinced of the Central West Investigation’s draft recommendations.
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Approximately 1500 forest users, led by Riddles Creek horse riders and followed by people from all corners of the Wombat Forest, including four wheel drivers, mount bike riders, prospectors, firewood collectors and campers, marched in Gisborne’s central business district on Saturday, November 10.
United in protest against VEAC’s recommendations to transform the Wombat Forest into a national park, the protesters called on all candidates running for the seat of Macedon in the upcoming state election to declare their position on the recommendations for a national park.
The forest users hold a number of concerns around management and the forest’s future if they are pushed into one section of the forest.
Long time forest campaigner Tim Anderson and former front man of Wombat Forest Society, who assisted in organising the protest, described it as one of the biggest in regional Victoria.
He said the proposal to make the Wombat Forest a national park was the wrong direction for the forest on environmental and social grounds.
“The report is simplistic, rejects both science and our local communities and would be the worst outcome for the future of the Wombat Forest and its biodiversity in the face of climate change,” he said.
“What is being touted, for the Wombat Forest to become a national park, is a disaster for the forest and its natural values and for residents and users alike.”
