Miranda Gibson is an
environmental activist
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advoc ...
and
school teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
from
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
who is known for her
tree sitting
Tree sitting is a form of environmentalist civil disobedience in which a protester sits in a tree, usually on a small platform built for the purpose, to protect it from being cut down (speculating that loggers will not endanger human lives by cutt ...
to save the rainforest in Southern
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
from
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars.
Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...
. Her 449 days spent up the tree is the longest running tree sit in Australian history.
Biography
On 14 December 2011, Gibson climbed up a old-growth
Eucalyptus delegatensis
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
tree, dubbed the 'Observer Tree', in the heart of Tasmania's southern
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
.
[ Gibson vowed to stay until the forest in the ]Styx Valley
The Styx Valley is a valley located adjacent to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site on the island of Tasmania, Australia. The Styx River is the main drainage system of the valley that lies about northwest of Hobart, with the nearest t ...
was protected. The area was due to be logged by a Malaysian company, Ta Ann.[ After three months, her blog about the experienced had attracted over 50,000 views.]composting toilet
A composting toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting. This process leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human waste into compost-like material. Composting is carried ou ...
, which she would lower down to her support crew on the ground, and slept under a tarp. A solar-powered computer and satellite technology enabled her 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 her sit, which broke the previous Australian record of 208 days, set in 1995.[ At the one year anniversary she was thanked by ]Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...
, John Butler John Butler may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*John "Picayune" Butler (died 1864), American performer
*John Butler (artist) (1890–1976), American artist
* John Butler (author) (born 1937), British author and YouTuber
*John Butler (born 1954), ...
, Blue King Brown
Blue King Brown are an Australian urban roots ensemble formed in 2003 in Byron Bay by mainstays Nattali Rize and Carlo Santone. They have released three studio albums, ''Stand Up'' (October 2006), ''Worldwize Part 1 – North & South'' (August ...
, Bob Brown
Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasman ...
and Julia Butterfly Hill
''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...
.[ Gibson had visitors on her platform during her tree sit, including her mother who stayed with her for four days.][
Gibson came down from the tree in March 2013 after 449][ She voiced her disappointment in having to come down under those circumstances, though said she was proud of her achievement and vowed to keep fighting for Tasmania's forests. In June 2013, Tasmania's Wilderness ]World Heritage Area
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
was officially extended by , which included the area her tree sit had been in. Gibson said she was thrilled with the decision; she had been contemplating returning to the tree if the World Heritage space had not been extended.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Miranda
1982 births
Living people
Australian environmentalists
Australian women environmentalists
Australian women in politics
Australian schoolteachers
Environmental protests in Australia