Miranda Gibson

Miranda Gibson is an environmental activist and school teacher from Australia who is known for her tree sitting to save the rainforest in Southern Tasmania from logging. Her 451‑day tree sit was "the longest running tree sit in Australian history."[1]

Biography

On 14 December 2011, Gibson climbed up a 60m old-growth Eucalyptus delegatensis tree in the heart of Tasmania’s southern virgin rainforest.[2] Gibson vowed to stay until the forest in the Styx Valley was protected. The area was imminently due to be logged by a Malaysian company, Ta Ann, despite being part of the area supposed to be protected under the fraught Forests Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), an "agreement that promised an ‘immediate conservation agreement’ to cover 430,000 hectares of forest."[3][4] The area is "one of the biggest untouched tracts of temperate rainforest left in the southern hemisphere," according to The Guardian.[5]

Gibson "endured snow, hail and gale-force winds."[6] She used a composting toilet, and slept under a tarp. A solar-powered computer and satellite technology enabled her to address environmental conferences from the tree.[6]

A pro-logging group, Give it Back, planned a counter vigil at the base of the "Observer Tree" in July 2012, in an attempt to convince Gibson to change her position.[7]

She was forced down from the tree after 15 months due to a bushfire.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Wildfire ends Miranda's vigil. Brown fire probe call". Tasmania Times.com. 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  2. ↑ Miranda Gibson, obeservertree.org
  3. ↑ "A Life on Hold, A Life Engaged". Earth Tribe. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  4. ↑ "Wildfire forces anti-logging activist from tree after 449-day vigil". 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  5. ↑ Birch, Simon (2012-04-12). "Tree-top vigil highlights destruction of Tasmanian forest". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  6. 1 2 "Miranda's treetop vigil: I've spent 299 days up here". Women's Day. 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  7. ↑ Killick, David (2012-07-18). "Counter vigil at tree-sit site". The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  8. ↑ "Australian tree-sitter ends 15-month protest after bushfire". BBC News. 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2013-06-02.

External links

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