Challenging to ‘save’ the remaining native forests in Tasmania: assessing the strength of the Tasmanian environment movement and Japanese companies’ level of ‘greening’

© 1999 Akiko YamaneFor the past two to three decades, logging of native forests for woodchips to produce paper has been the icon of controversial environmental issues in Australia, particularly in Tasmania. This thesis argues that Tasmania's remaining native forests will not be saved from 'woodchipping' by either current and planned campaign strategies of Tasmanian environmentalists, or the 'greening' of the largest customers for Australia's woodchips, Japanese general trading companies and paper companies. This argument is based primarily on information gathered through literature searches and extensive interviews of parties with interests in shaping the future of Tasmania's native forests - personnel from the export woodchip industry and relevant Japanese companies as well as environmental activists. This exercise also highlighted the positions of the various interest groups within the dynamic global woodchip trade. One set of trade relationships, between the Tasmanian export woodchip company North Forest Products and its Japanese customers was closely examined. Studying these parties' business behaviour and trade practices within the context of Australian environmental politics between the early 1980s and late 1990s enabled the researcher to conclude that Tasmanian environmentalists are losing political influence. Some Tasmanian environmentalists are seeking new campaign strategies and they are hoping to directly contact with Japanese customers in order to convince them of the significance of halting native forest woodchip imports. However, despite their efforts in establishing environmental management systems and their eagerness to become 'green', these Japanese companies appear to be unsympathetic to the views of Tasmanian environmentalists on the need to reduce and stop the trade of native forest woodchips. This is not because these Japanese companies are 'green image' makers, as some scholars argue, but these companies are simply interested in 'greening' in their own ways. However, their efforts are considered 'insufficient' by environmentalists and their 'greening' will not contribute in 'saving' Tasmania's existing native forests. A small scale study such as this is unable to make detailed conclusions on the future patterns of Tasmanian forest exploitation. However, it foresees a disheartening future for Tasmanian environmentalists, if they try to realise their dream of 'saving' Tasmania's remaining native forests from 'woodchipping', especially by using stated strategies