On Saturday 9th May, the Nimbin Town Hall will host the second annual Aquarius Talks, a gathering inspired by the spirit of the 1973 Aquarius Festival.
This year’s theme, ‘Our Forests and People’, brings the focus back to something that has always mattered deeply in this region, the protection of forests and the communities that care for them.
The event aims to honour both the forests themselves and the many people who have spent decades defending them. It is also a chance for people to come together, share ideas, and consider what we can actually do from here.
“Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” – John Muir.
This spirit sits at the heart of this year’s gathering.
In our country many people have protested. I have seen this first-hand. I was at Terania Creek when the Forestry Corporation took many ancient trees. Only three could fit on a huge truck. I saw 11 people standing across one stump of a mighty Brush Box tree.
A few years later, I went to protest the removal of koala habitat trees near Casino and was struck by the condition of the forest: thin, crowded trees surrounded by dead branches, unmanaged and still marked for logging. It has come to this.
Destruction of the world’s forests is a long story, still unfolding. It began 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and continues today. Throughout history, societies have depended on forests, often depleting them faster than they could recover.
Exploitation of new land has repeatedly pushed people to move on to the next “new place”. America’s untouched forests once contributed to its allure as the land of opportunity, yet by the late 19th century most of the eastern American forest had been cleared and the country turned to coal and iron.
Almost 40% of Central America’s forests were destroyed between 1950 and 1980. During the same period, Africa lost 23% of its forests and the Himalayan watershed around 40%.
The consequences of deforestation are far-reaching. They include depletion of firewood supplies, severe flooding, accelerated soil loss, encroaching deserts, monoculture plantations, declining soil productivity and reduced crop yields.
Estimates suggest that one-third of the world’s arable land has been lost through soil erosion and degradation since 1960.
In many parts of the world, these pressures have reached critical levels. Billions of people rely on wood for cooking and heating, and scarcity can drive further forest destruction, accelerating erosion, climate change and desertification.
Loss of forests also intensifies the greenhouse effect. Many tropical forests are under severe threat, and with them disappear forest-dwelling peoples, plants, animals, foods and medicines.
Beyond environmental impacts, deforestation undermines communities and economies. Forests provide clean water, fertile soils, stable climates and habitats essential for agriculture. They support tourism, recreation and mental wellbeing.
Time and again, this pattern has repeated. Where once people trusted nature to provide, that certainty is no longer guaranteed.
Here in Australia, forests have often been treated as something to clear, mill and burn. Australia remains one of the few developed nations listed as a global deforestation hotspot, with 9.2 million hectares of tree cover lost between 2001 and 2024.
Land clearing continues to expand into natural habitats. Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinction globally and ranks second for biodiversity loss. Of the species listed as threatened, the majority are impacted by habitat destruction.
More than half of NSW’s native forests and woodlands have been cleared since colonisation, with millions of hectares further degraded. In 2023 alone, over 66,000 hectares of native vegetation were cleared in NSW, with agriculture responsible for most of it.
Over the past two centuries, around half of Australia’s forests have been cleared, and globally one-third of forests have been lost.
On-going pressures include agriculture, logging, bushfires, climate change, mining and urban expansion. Many ecosystems are under strain, and species loss continues.
Some countries are beginning to respond more decisively. Norway, for example, has committed to a zero-deforestation policy in its procurement practices. It raises important questions about what stronger action could look like here.
Protecting forests is central to addressing climate, biodiversity and food security challenges. In Australia, this means placing forests at the centre of conservation and land-use decisions. These are the issues at the heart of this year’s Aquarius Talks in Nimbin.
A number of influential environmental voices continue to shape this conversation. Dr Bob Brown has long advocated for the preservation of native forests. He argues that it is time to end public funding for native forest logging and ensure long-term protection of what remains.
Dr David Suzuki has also spoken about the urgency of the current moment. He emphasises that while many environmental thresholds have already been crossed, there is still value in collective action, connection and community resilience.
His message is simple. When people come together, even in difficult times, they are better equipped to respond.
This year’s Aquarius Talks invites the community to come together, listen and take part in a shared conversation about the future of our forests and the people connected to them.
Join us at Nimbin Town Hall on Saturday 9th May, 10am to 3pm. Entry by donation. See event in Nimbin Village Calendar.
