Tasmania's Wilderness Battles

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Tasmania's Wilderness Battles: A History
Tasmania's Wilderness Battles by Greg Buckman cover.jpg
First edition cover
AuthorGreg Buckman
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
SeriesJacana
GenreEnvironmentalism, Current Affairs, Social Issues
Publisher Allen & Unwin
Publication date
2008
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages304
ISBN 978-1-74175-464-3

Tasmania's Wilderness Battles: A History is a 2008 book by environmentalist Greg Buckman, who has "spent [his life] fighting Tasmanian environmental battles." [1] The book looks at the wilderness areas of Tasmania which have been the focus of extensive conflict over environmental issues. Buckman presents a record of some of the significant events in that conflict, primarily from the viewpoint of an environmentalist. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Overview

The book has several primary themes, including:

The black and white photographs included capture the iconic characters of the major environmental battles of the era being examined, and include images of Eric Reece, Olegas Truchanas, Doug Lowe, and Bob Brown.

Tasmania's Wilderness Battles is one of a number of books that were published in connection with the 25th anniversary of the halting of the Franklin Dam project, one of the campaigns which is described in the book, [1] and in which Buckman was active. He has also been involved in campaigns to save Tasmania's forests. Since the early 1990s he has been associated with the Tasmanian and Australian Greens. [2]

The book was launched in Hobart on 12 June 2008 by a Green senator, Christine Milne, outside the Tasmanian State Parliament. [11]

The book was longlisted for the 2009 John Button Prize. [12]

Critical reception

Stephenie Cahalan, reviewing and contrasting Tasmania’s Wilderness Battles and Geoff Law's The River Runs Free, notes that environmental issues and the places over which the legal and political battles were fought "have played a huge part in shaping the Tasmanian parliament either by prompting the election of Green party candidates or featuring strongly in policy and debate." By including excerpts from the 1998 Labor Green Accord, Tasmania’s Wilderness Battles, Cahalan writes, "helps to detail an important feature of Tasmanian political history which is frequently referred to but seldom explained." [13] Buckman "studies Tasmania’s three big industries — hydro-electricity, mining and forestry — and provides surprisingly easy reading for what is essentially a meticulous reference book." She praises its index and detailed timeline, thorough assemblage of facts and figures, combined with a light tone. [13]

Susan Austin, writing in GreenLeft , describes Buckman's section on national parks as "a little dry and detailed" but approves the way that, throughout the book, "time and time again Buckman exposes the 'development at all costs' attitudes of present and past state and federal governments". [14]

Use in education

The book is used for teaching Environmental Studies in Victoria, Australia, [15] and in Washington State University, Vancouver's history program. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park</span> Protected area in Tasmania, Australia

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania, 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park - the Franklin River and the Gordon River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Brown</span> Former Australian Greens politician, medical doctor, environmentalist

Robert James Brown is an Australian former politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasmanian Greens ticket, joining with sitting Greens Western Australia senator Dee Margetts to form the first group of Australian Greens senators following the 1996 federal election. He was re-elected in 2001 and in 2007. He was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia and the first openly gay leader of an Australian political party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin River</span> River in western Tasmania, Australia

The Franklin River is a major perennial river located in the Central Highlands and western regions of Tasmania, Australia. The river is located in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at the mid northern area of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Its source is situated at the western edge of the Central Highlands and it flows west towards the West Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Pedder</span> Lake in South West Tasmania, Australia

Lake Pedder, once a glacial outwash lake, is a man-made impoundment and diversion lake located in the southwest of Tasmania, Australia. In addition to its natural catchment from the Frankland Range, the lake is formed by the 1972 damming of the Serpentine and Huon rivers by the Hydro Electric Commission of Tasmania for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Dam controversy</span> Proposed dam in Tasmania, Australia

The Gordon-below-Franklin Dam project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of the most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon River</span> River in Tasmania, Australia

The Gordon River is a major perennial river located in the central highlands, south-west, and western regions of Tasmania, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydro Tasmania</span> Government hydro electricity provider in Tasmania, Australia

Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC) or The Hydro, is the trading name of the Hydro-Electric Corporation, a Tasmanian Government business enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator in the state of Tasmania, Australia. The Hydro was originally oriented towards hydro-electricity, due to Tasmania's dramatic topography and relatively high rainfall in the central and western parts of the state. Today Hydro Tasmania operates thirty hydro-electric and one gas power station, and is a joint owner in three wind farms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Milne</span> Australian politician

Christine Anne Milne is an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Tasmania. She was the leader of the parliamentary caucus of the Australian Greens from 2012 to 2015. Milne stepped down as leader on 6 May 2015, replaced by Richard Di Natale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wilderness Society (Australia)</span>

The Wilderness Society is an Australian, community-based, not-for-profit non-governmental environmental advocacy organisation.

<i>Commonwealth v Tasmania</i> 1983 Australian constitutional law case

Commonwealth v Tasmania was a significant Australian court case, decided in the High Court of Australia on 1 July 1983. The case was a landmark decision in Australian constitutional law, and was a significant moment in the history of conservation in Australia. The case centred on the proposed construction of a hydro-electric dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, which was supported by the Tasmanian government, but opposed by the Australian federal government and environmental groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarkine</span> Region in Tasmania, Australia

The Tarkine, officially takayna / Tarkine, is an area containing the Savage River National Park in the north west Tasmania, Australia, which contains significant areas of wilderness. The Tarkine is noted for its beauty and natural values, containing the largest area of Gondwanan cool-temperate rainforest in Australia, as well as for its prominence in Tasmania's early mining history. The area's high concentration of Aboriginal sites has led to it being described by the Australian Heritage Council as "one of the world's great archaeological regions".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Lowe (Australian politician)</span> Australian politician

Douglas Ackley Lowe AM was the 35th Premier of Tasmania, from 1 December 1977 to 11 November 1981. His time as Premier coincided with controversy over a proposal to build a dam on Tasmania's Gordon River, which would have flooded parts of the Franklin River. The ensuing crisis saw Lowe overthrown as Premier and resign from the Labor Party, acting as an independent for the remainder of his political career.

The Tasmanian Wilderness Society was a Tasmanian environmental group that started in 1976 in response to a proposal by the state's Hydro Electric Commission to construct a dam on the Gordon River, downstream from the Franklin River, that led to the Franklin Dam controversy. The group evolved from membership of the South West Tasmania Action Committee and members of the United Tasmania Group. It was active in public protest about the issues of Wilderness, the Franklin River and South West Tasmania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarraleah Power Station</span> Dam in Central Highlands, Tasmania

The Tarraleah Power Station is a hydroelectric power station located in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia. The power station is part of the Upper Derwent hydro scheme and is operated by Hydro Tasmania.

The Labor–Green Accord was a 1989 political agreement between the Labor Party and the Tasmanian Greens to form government in the Australian state of Tasmania after the 1989 general election had resulted in a hung parliament.

The Tasmanian power referendum was a one-question referendum held on 12 December 1981, and intended to determine the location of a proposed hydroelectricity dam to be built on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia.

Brenda Hean (1910-1972) was a member of the Lake Pedder Action Committee (LPAC) and a resident of Hobart, Tasmania who disappeared at the time of the flooding of Lake Pedder.

The Lake Pedder Action Committee was a Tasmanian environmental group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental movement in Australia</span>

Beginning as a conservation movement, the environmental movement in Australia was the first in the world to become a political movement. Australia is home to United Tasmania Group, the world's first green party.

Helen Gee was an Australian author, editor, conservationist and environmental activist.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Moore, Matthew. "The day the tide turned" Sydney Morning Herald (June 28, 2008)
  2. 1 2 Tasmania's Wilderness Battles
  3. "Greg Buckman". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (RadioNational). June 18, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  4. Ambrose, Margaret (2008-10-01), "Tasmania's Wilderness Battles.(Brief article)(Book review)", Habitat Australia, 36 (3), Australian Conservation Foundation: 29(1), ISSN   0310-2939
  5. Robin, Libby (2009-03-01), "Tasmania's Wilderness Battles: A History.(Book review)", Australian Historical Studies, 40 (1), University of Melbourne, Department of History: 114–115, ISSN   1031-461X
  6. Paice, Jon (2009), "Reviews: Tasmania's Wilderness Battles: A History [Book Review]", Australian TAFE Teacher, 43 (1): 29, ISSN   0815-3701
  7. Buckman (2008), chapters one to three, pp. 3-66
  8. Buckman (2008), chapters four to seven, pp. 67- 54
  9. Buckman (2008), chapter eight, pp. 155-174
  10. Buckman (2008), chapters nine to eleven, pp. 175-288
  11. Milne, Christine (16 June 2008). "The Continuing Struggle". Tasmanian Times. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  12. Literary Awards: John Button Prize. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  13. 1 2 Cahalan, Stephenie (December 2008). "Reviews: The River Runs Free, and Tasmanian Wilderness Battles". FR38. Walleah Press. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  14. Austin, Susan (23 August 2008). "A Proud History of Environmental Struggle". GLW Issue 764. GreenLeft. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  15. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies Resources 2012–2016 , updated February 2012. Victorian Certificate of Education. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  16. Washington State University, Vancouver [ permanent dead link ]. Retrieved 6 June 2012.

Bibliography