Goongerah Environment Centre

Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) is a grassroots environment organisation campaigning for the protection of East Gippsland's old growth forests. We use a diversity of tactics including public campaigning, lobbying, threatened species survey programs, monitoring of logging operations, education and last but not least direct action.

GECO are currently coordinating a threatened species survey and forest rescue camp in the Kuark forest. The magnificent Kuark forest is home to rare rainforest threatened forest Owls, Greater gliders and Endangered Long footed potoroos, but is earmarked for logging in the next 12 months. Click here to view the Camp Kuark blog site, updated live from the forest.

     

Kuark forest is currently the subject of a Supreme Court case run by Environment East Gippsland. Large fires in 2014 destroyed thousands of hectares of critically important habitat for East Gippsland’s threatened wildlife. This region is the stronghold for large forest owls yet the State government has refused to urgently review protection measures, breaching laws that require minimum areas of high quality habitat for threatened Owls to be protected.

GECO volunteers have been collecting essential data on Owl habitat that can used as evidence in the Supreme Court case. All three species of large forest Owls have been detected in the Kuark forest, Sooty, Powerful and Masked.

              

GECO is working hard to boost the public profile of Kuark forest . This crowdfunding project will help us to achieve this.

This Pozzible project aims to raise funds to produce much needed campaign materials. We will use the funds to produce a brochure, a lobby document for presentation to the Victorian government, a short video and a campaign coffee table photo book.

With a new Victorian Labor Government, our forests have their best chance for years to be protected as wildlife arks and as a refuge for the now rare giants of our Earth.

The new Labor Government (elected Nov 2014) is showing a more progressive approach to land management than the previous Coalition Government. Now is their chance to protect East Gippsland's forest wonders and now is the time for a public campaign to highlight their importance. 

- Produce and print a glossy colour brochure to showcase the special values of Kuark forest, raise awareness about the threat of logging and inspire people to take action.  Cost $2500

               

- Produce and print a lobby document that makes the case for protecting East GIppsland's forests. The document would be an A4 ring bound report printed in colour on recycled paper.  The document would be sent to state and federal MPs and presented to them and discussed in meetings between MPs and our campaigners.  Cost $1000

- Produce a coffee table book of high quality photos of the Kuark forest. This book would raise awareness about the Kurak forests and be sold for $30 with all funds going back to our organisation to continue the campaign. Cost - $3500

- Pozzible fee - $350

  

Being a grassroots environment organistaion we have faced many challenges when raising funds over the years. However we are resilient and creative and have manged to keep up our campaign activities solely by seeking funding through our own grassroots initiatives. If we fail to raise the money required for this project through crowd funding we will fall back on our traditional fundraising strategies of holding events, stalls, parties, auctions, raffles and catering at festivals.