Cry of the Forests (ATOM Study Guide)

Western Australia's unique south west forests have stood for millennia and are a key part of one of the world's top biodiversity hotspots, yet we are cutting them down at a rate of ten football fields every single day. More than 80 per cent of the trees felled are turned into woodchips, charcoal, firewood or mill waste and burnt or decay within two years of being cut down. An initially successful battle to save WA's native forests in the 1990s led to a public perception that these forests had been protected but logging and clearing has continued behind a thin buffer of trees along highways, with devastating impacts on already endangered wildlife.

Forests play a crucial role in the water cycle but the streams that once bubbled through these unique ecological communities in Western Australia are drying up and the critical habitat they provide for endangered species is shrinking.

Cry of the Forests takes viewers into these majestic forests to meet the activists armed with go-pros and dressed in camouflage gear risking their lives to bear witness to the logging. We meet Traditional Owners, tourist operators and farmers on the frontline of the battle to protect these forests. It includes footage of the rarely seen destruction happening in our forests on a daily basis. The film is a riveting cinematic journey into the heart of our stunning forests and their unique wildlife. It is here that the audience is introduced to people risking everything in an effort to protect the forests they love.

Curriculum Links:

Cry of the Forests is suitable for Years 5 to 12 students undertaking:

• Science
• Geography
• Economics and Business

With further links to English, Senior Biology and the Cross-curricular priorities of Sustainability and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures. Teachers are advised to consult the Australian Curriculum and curriculum outlines relevant to their state or territory for further information.