The Fight For Our Last Wild Places

“What if running could save a rainforest?”

This is the question that Patagonia is widely posing to its global community as they explore the ominous future of the Tarkine region (takayna) in northwestern Tasmania; a region that is home to one of the last undisturbed tracts of Gondwanan rainforest in the world and one of the highest concentrations of Aboriginal archaeology in the hemisphere. The area is a crucial habitat for sixty of Tasmania’s rare and endangered species including the Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish, the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle and the iconic Tasmanian devil.

Despite the rarity of its rainforest and abundance of Aboriginal archaeology, this wealth of ecological and cultural value remains unprotected and at the mercy of destructive extraction industries, including logging and mining. takayna / Tarkine exists largely as it was when dinosaurs roamed the planet. Weaving together the conflicting narratives of activists, locals and Aboriginal communities, and told through the experiences of a trail running doctor and a relentless environmentalist, this documentary, presented by Patagonia Films, unpacks the complexities of modern conservation and challenges us to consider the importance of our last truly wild places.

Trail runner and GP Nicole Anderson goes behind enemy lines to document the destruction and raise awareness on a national and global scale. ”Running is a marvellous tool in conservation work, it gives us the ability to cover long distances over forestry and mining roads behind locked gates”, says Anderson. “We must come in and actually document this destruction, the devastation of takayna / Tarkine needs to be exposed”.

Patagonia, in conjunction with the Bob Brown Foundation, has launched this campaign to raise awareness, with the ultimate goal to have this region listed as a World Heritage Area. The groups are calling on the Tasmanian State Premier Will Hodgman to take responsibility to protect this landscape in perpetuity as a World Heritage Area.

Researchers have already identified that takayna / Tarkine meets several of the ten Outstanding Universal Values criteria for this listing. Not only would a World Heritage Area designation benefit the ecological and cultural integrity of the landscape, it would also create economic opportunities for nearby communities as a result of increased global tourism—a market that already contributes $2.5 billion AUD to the Tasmanian economy. We all have a voice, and combined, we can have one unified and very powerful voice. One simple way you can jump on board and get behind this movement is by signing Patagonia’s Petition. 

takayna / Tarkine is named after the Aboriginal takayna people who lived in large numbers on the coast. The fight to save the area from extractive industries has been decades long, but Patagonia hopes to increase awareness—locally and globally— about the threats to the area and the need for protection. takayna / Tarkine  is home to 60 threatened and endangered species and its temperate rainforest is one of the oldest and largest on earth – dating back 60 million years.

#ExperienceIsEverything | Paddy Pallin