The Role of Environmental
Movements
From the study design
Key Knowledge:
 The foundation and role of environmental movements in changing relationships
with outdoor environments, in relation to at least one of the following:
– The Wilderness Society
– Australian Conservation Foundation
–Victorian National Parks Association
– Greenpeace
– Gould League.
Key Skills:
 describe and analyse the changing relationships with Australian outdoor
environments influenced by historical events and associated key social and
cultural issues
 evaluate the role of a specific environmental movement in changing
relationships with outdoor environments
What is an environmental Movement
 Non-government organisations
 groups who conduct campaigns on environmental issues
 community based and made up of volunteers
 aim to change government policy and protect environments.
Introduction: Why do we need to study this?
 This area focuses on a time of real change in attitudes amongst society and
the relationships we have with nature.
Brief history:
 Little early concern for the environment, although there was a recognition of
pollution – particularly in water sources – as an issue. First environmental
laws passed.
 Naturalists become interested in Australian flora and fauna throughout the
19th century.
 The first National Parks form in the latter part of the 19th century. Royal
National Park in Sydney, declared in 1879, is the second such place in the
world.
 The rise of recreation in the early 20th century – including skiing,
bushwalking, and scouting – gives Australians a greater connection with
natural places and leads to the formation of many protection and
preservation groups.
Student task
 Students are to read pages 158:
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5.
How is someone's view and lifestyle in regards to the
outdoors different if they are from an urban (city)
environment compared to rural?
List the different environmental interest groups
mentioned.
What was the Lake Pedder campiagne? What where the
conflicting views/interest parties involved?
Was is successful? Why/why not?
Watch Lake pedder campaign video
The Wilderness Society
 Established in 1976,
 Not-for-profit, non-government organisation.
 Funding: is provided by members who pay membership and
regular donations to support our work. Other funds come
from public fundraising, bequests and donations, and online
and retail sales of campaign merchandise
“TWS is a national, community-based, environmental advocacy
organisation whose purpose is protecting, promoting and
restoring wilderness and natural processes across Australia
for the survival and ongoing evolution of life on Earth”
Achievements:
 Since its formation in 1976, The Wilderness Society has
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achieved the secure protection of over seven million hectares
of wilderness and other high conservation value areas in
Australia, including:
Kakadu
The Daintree
Kangaroo Island
South West Tasmania
Australia's sub-Antarctic Islands
Victoria's mallee woodlands.
Interesting Facts
 The Wilderness Society (TWS) is Australia's largest national,
community-based, conservation organisation
 TWS works through the avenues of public education and
empowerment, advocacy and negotiation, political lobbying,
and desk and field research.
 The Wilderness Society supports indigenous land and sea
rights, and is committed to proper and detailed consultation
with affected indigenous people
Wilderness Society: Franklin River
Campaign
 The Franklin and Lake Pedder campaigned are significant moments in
Australian history developing environmentalism at a national level.
 These major campaigns began to influence the way people perceived
nature and the relationships/interactions people have with nature.
 The fight between using the land for its resources vs
conservation/sustainability (Huge media attention!)
 From these campaigns “The Wilderness Society” was formed and now has
become the largest national community based conservation organisation.
 Today they are involved in several campaigns:
climate change, Gunns Pulp Mill, Kimberley, Marine and Coastal, River
protection, Coal Seam Gas...
But first, lets take a trip back memory lane and investigate how
it all started on the Franklin River.
The Photo
Franklin Clip View
 Part 1 and 2 of Clickview on Franklin
 Read Article: Franklin River Campaign (word doc)
 There’s a nice summary of the Franklin campaign at
http://www.lakepedder.org/resources/reports/Governme
ntBackgroundFranklin.htm. This could be used as the basis
for a brief to students.
Reflections clickview
About the Wilderness Society:
Timeline of Wilderness Society
 You are to construct a computerised timeline of TWS in a
visually appealing way on your computer using the document
found on edmodo/Library “about the wilderness society”
and appropriate search engines and the .
 Once completed , turn it in on edmodo, print it off and put
it in your display folder.
 Use the resources given under your folders on edmodo.
 Pay more attention and detail to the early years- creation of
the movement.
After the Franklin
 What happened next? Briefly talk about the rise of the environmental
vote, the lobbying of green groups and the mainstreaming of some of the
green activism of the 60s and 70s. This has put radical practices of green
campaigns into a much smaller role.
 Note the rise of green parties, from the first green political party in the
world – the United Tasmania Group – through the Tasmania Greens to
the Australian Greens to other parties around the world. (Note the
success of green parties in Germany in particular.)
 This is a brief Flash animation that shows the location of the southwest
Tasmania area. http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=8433 It’s not
bad – but it loops automatically, so make sure to right click on it to
control it.
What you need to know about the
Environmental Movement
 Describe this environmental movement, including an
overview of its foundation, aims and achievements
 Describe how this environmental movement is connected
with your chosen environment
 Evaluate the role this environmental movement has played in
changing relationships with this environment.
OK NOW LETS ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!
Describe this environmental movement,
including an overview of its foundation, aims
and achievements
This has been covered in previous slides but here is a shortened description:
Describe- expands on your knowledge, marks usually depends on amount of
marks.
 The Wilderness Society (TWS) is Australia's largest national, community-
based, conservation organisation
 TWS is a national, community-based, environmental advocacy organisation
whose purpose is protecting, promoting and restoring wilderness and natural
processes across Australia for the survival and ongoing evolution of life on
Earth
 Since its formation in 1976, The Wilderness Society has achieved the secure
protection of over seven million hectares of wilderness.
 TWS works through the avenues of public education and empowerment,
advocacy and negotiation, political lobbying, and desk and field research.
Describe how this environmental movement
is connected with your chosen environment
Describe- expands on your knowledge, marks usually depends on amount of marks.
Lets plan this answer by making a list of their involvement then will describe it on
the next slide.
List of ideas:
 Major contribution in campaigning against over irrigation of the Murray River.
 Campaigning in SA- Petitions, online info, Protest-gathering at rivers mouth
 Successfully campaigning for Barmah Forrest to become a National Park: Reduce
logging will be reduced by 70% in area, banning of cattle and logging in the N.P,
Protecting the red gums.
 Successfully campaigning alongside National Parks Association to protect the
internationally important River Red Gums and allowing joint management of the
Millewa Forrest by the Yorta Yorta Nation
Describe how this environmental movement
is connected with your chosen environment
Describe:
TWS is connected to Barmah Forrest and the surrounding areas as they
have been a major contributor alongside the National Parks Association in
successfully developing four National Parks alongside the Murray River.
They have used several different methods such as protests, development of
postcards, petitions, community gatherings and internet communication to
gain community support and change government policy. TWS involvement
will contribute to the conservation of the iconic river , the rive red gum
tress, cease cattle grazing inturn minimise compaction of the soil and
habitat destruction as well as promoting and restoring the indigenous
history of the area with the joint management of the National Park by the
Yorta Yorta people. This was noted on our experience to Barmah from
talking to the parks ranger, parks closure of off track 4wd routes and the
ceasing of the red gum mills.
Evaluate the role this environmental
movement has played in changing
relationships with this environment.
Key words: Evaluate, changing relationships, this environment
 Evaluate: a response that provides reasons why something has occurred
and gives a position (effective/ not effective) based on pros and cons.
 Changing relationships: how has it changed perceptions, interactions and
impacts
 This environment: Make clear references to the chosen environment
 Step 1: Outline a position: A positive or negative impact?
 Step 2: How TWS has encouraged positives impacts on the environment
 Step 3: How TWS has impacts changed some interactions
 Step 4: How TWS is/will change perceptions of the area
Evaluate the role this environmental
movement has played in changing
relationships with this environment.
 The TWS alongside the NPA and State Governments have and will continue to make
positive changes to users relationships with the Barmah National Park.
 Relationships with Barmah N.P. will change for the positive as TWS has influenced
users to have less impact on the environment. There already has been less compaction
of the soil, erosion of banks, habitat destruction and an overall increase in vegetation
cover by influencing the State Governments to cease cattle grazing and logging in the
area.
 Interactions in the Barmah area will change as roads will be closed that used to be
available for 4wd and dirt bikes and a larger focus will be put on conservation and
softer recreational activities. As mentioned earlier logging and cattle grazing has been
stoped and the Yorta Yorta people have been welcomed back to join in the decision
making processes and conservation interactions of the area.
 This movement will encourage people to change their perception from the past that
Barmah was seen as a resource and adversary. People will begin to move to a more
conservative perception of the land, seeing it as an area of iconic history, national
beauty and overall appreciating the life and aesthetics of the area.
Previous Exam Question
 Evaluate two ways in which environmental movements such as
the Franklin or Pedder have shaped human relationships with the
Australian environment. (4 marks)
 You could answer his the same as before but lets look at it from a
more National level as it asks “with the Australian Environment”.
Not this environment “Barmah”.
Possible answer suggestions:
 Perceptions:
People are now much more aware of environmental issues because of TWS national involvement.
There has been a change in the perception of the environment, becoming a major political issue –
governments are taking notice of the communities changing perceptions and environmental issues
can affect the way people act and vote.
 Interactions:
Conservation groups are now larger, organised groups with a broad range of issues rather than just
single issue groups with local focus.
People are now prepared to get organised and stand up for environments they know and even those
they don’t know.
 Impacts:
Conservation groups have led to many positive outcomes for the environment – protection of areas
and native species, regeneration of areas, tree planting, weed removal.
 You could use your knowledge and specific examples of TWS and the Franklin/pedder campaign.
Students should discuss two major points in relation to human relationships with the natural
environment and how it has changed due to the growth of the conservation movement. 2 marks
for each point if well discussed.