Miranda Gibson
Australian environmentalist

Miranda Gibson is an Australian environmental activist and school teacher[1] who is known for their tree sitting to save the rainforest in Southern Tasmania from logging. Their 449 days spent up the tree is the longest running tree sit in Australian history.

Biography

On 14 December 2011, Gibson climbed up a 60 m (200 ft) old-growth Eucalyptus delegatensis tree, dubbed the 'Observer Tree',[2] in the heart of Tasmania's southern rainforest.[3][4][5] Gibson vowed to stay until the forest in the Styx Valley was protected. The area was due to be logged by a Malaysian company, Ta Ann.[3][1] After three months, their blog about the experience had attracted over 50,000 views.[1]

Gibson had a 3 m (9.8 ft) platform built at the top of the tree,[6] and was connected to a safety harness at all times. During the sit they experienced snow, hail and gale-force winds.[7] they used a composting toilet, which they would lower down to their support crew on the ground, and slept under a tarp. A solar-powered computer and satellite technology enabled them to write a blog and attend environmental conferences, school groups and festivals by video link. Gibson did not come down from the tree at any point during their sit, which broke the previous Australian record of 208 days, set in 1995.[7] At the one year anniversary they was thanked by Nick Cave, John Butler, Blue King Brown, Bob Brown and Julia Butterfly Hill.[6] Gibson had visitors on their platform during their tree sit, including their mother who stayed with them for four days.[7]

Gibson came down from the tree in March 2013 after 449[8] days as a safety precaution due to a nearby bushfire.[3][9] they voiced their disappointment in having to come down under those circumstances, though said they were proud of their achievement and vowed to keep fighting for Tasmania's forests.[10] In June 2013, Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area was officially extended by 170,000 hectares (420,000 acres), which included the area their tree sit had been in. Gibson said they were thrilled with the decision; they had been contemplating returning to the tree if the World Heritage space had not been extended.[8][11]

Gibson is also a co-founder of Inside Out, an Australian quarterly newsletter aimed at LGBTIQ prisoners.[12] On behalf of Inside Out, Gibson has advocated to overturn the ban on pen pal programs in Victorian prisons,[12] and called for the release of low-risk prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia due to the lack of adequate hygiene products, visits and rehabilitative programs available in custody at the time.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c Birch, Simon (12 April 2012). "Tree-top vigil highlights destruction of Tasmanian forest". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  2. ^ Gibson, Miranda (2011). The Observer Tree. Tasmania: Still Wild Still Threatened.
  3. ^ a b c "Wildfire forces anti-logging activist from tree after 449-day vigil". Mongabay. 7 March 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Media Release: The world celebrates the success of community action to protect forests". The Observer Tree. 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Meet the person who lived in a tree for 449 days to save a Tassie forest". ABC News. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b Sheperd, Tony (14 December 2012). "Miranda Gibson has spent a year up a tree". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Williams, Glen (30 July 2012). "Miranda's treetop vigil: I've spent 299 days up here". Women's Day. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  8. ^ a b Gibson, Miranda (24 June 2013). "I spent 449 days in a tree without touching the ground - it was all worth it". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  9. ^ Milne, Christine (7 March 2013). "Wildfire ends Miranda's vigil. Brown fire probe call". Tasmanian Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Australian tree-sitter ends 15-month protest after bushfire". BBC News. 7 March 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  11. ^ Jabour, Bridie (24 June 2018). "Tasmania's old growth forests win environmental protection". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  12. ^ a b Romensky, Larissa (31 May 2018). "Legal group urges Victoria to overturn ban on prison pen pal program". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018.
  13. ^ Farhart, Claudia (1 May 2020). "Australian prisoners report spending up to 22 hours per day in their cells in coronavirus lockdown". SBS News. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022.
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