BUNBURY environmentalists joined a group of protestors outside the Margaret River courthouse on Tuesday in support of two people facing court over their action in Mowen Forest.
Bunbury supporter John Sherwood said a local group had helped to create banners to display in an upcoming rally at state parliament as well as Tuesday’s court appearance.
Mr Sherwood said the pair was facing charges over non-violent action to stop logging in the Margaret River forest.
Last month the state government rejected a $90,000 offer to stop the logging.
Forestry minister Mia Davies received the offer by Save Mowen Forest group on February 17 but said the government would continue to support the industry.
South West environmentalists have been campaigning against the logging by the Forest Product Commission since November last year.
It started with a petition of more than 1600 signatures supported by the Shire of Augusta Margaret River council and taken to state parliament.
In December the group launched a fundraising drive to pay the state government to permanently abandon logging the native forest.
Campaigner Naomi Godden said questions in Parliament in 2014 revealed that the State Government’s Forest Products Commission stood to earn a net income of approximately $90, 000 from logging Mowen Forest.
Donations came from the community as well as musician John Butler, author Ben Elton and chef Ian Parmenter.
Ms Davies said many local communities relied on the employment and opportunities the forestry industry creates.
“Harvesting of forest areas, like Mowen, employs people in the harvesting, processing and manufacturing sectors and also has flow on benefits to the wider communities including kids in schools, increased participation in community groups and sporting clubs and income being spent in local economies,” she said.
Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren has also joined the fight saying the government had no other option but to accept the money raised.
Ms Davies said old-growth forest continued to be protected and was not available for harvesting.
“The forest proposed to be harvested is regrowth forest,” she said.