Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader and Parks spokesperson
The illegal tracking cutting on the shores of Lake Malbena in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park and adjoining lakes is a scandal and a crime against nature.
This area is in the Wilderness Zone under the TWWHA Management Plan, yet an unknown person or persons has taken a chainsaw to it.
This offence must be thoroughly and transparently investigated by DPIPWE. It cannot be ignored or dismissed by government.
Conservationists discovered the cleared areas joining Lake Malbena with Lake Kita – a trout fishing hotspot. Malbena doesn’t have much to offer anglers, while Kita is plentiful.
These tracks, through protected wilderness, have been smashed out by chainsaw. The person or persons who did this would have to walk for hours and then cross Lake Malbena carrying a chainsaw, or be flown in.
There are many questions that need to be answered about this illegal clearing.
There is no justification for delay in investigating this serious offence and crime against nature inside the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.