Cry of the Forests is a stunning Western Australian documentary film, produced by Jane Hammond (Fremantle Freelance). The film looks at the plight of Western Australia’s unique forests and their value in mitigating climate change. The forests of the south west of Western Australia are part of one of the most biodiversity-rich hotspots on the planet and are excellent at storing and drawing down carbon.

Community screenings of Cry of The Forests are currently taking place across Perth and the South West - the Urban Revolution team were lucky enough to see the emotional movie at Connect Vic Park in October.

Cry of The Forests - Synopsis

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 nearly ten football fields every single day. More than 80 per cent of the trees felled will be turned into woodchips, charcoal or paper and burnt within two years of being cut down.

The effects of native forest logging are devastating to ecosystems and our planet

(Photo credit: Cry of The Forests)

 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 in the intervening decades the hard won gains have slowly been eroded away.

The movie follows demonstrators campaigning to stop the logging of native forests (Photo credit: Cry of the Forests)

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. 

Numbats are just one of the endangered species under threat from native forest logging.

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. Meet traditional custodians, tourist operators & farmers on the frontline of the battle to protect these forests.

Cry of The Forests follows activists risking their lives and their freedom to protect the native forests of the South West of Australia

(Photo credit: Cry of The Forests) 

What we can do for our Forests

• Lobby your Member of Parliament to protect WA’s mature forests
• Join the Forests for Climate campaign and help us spread the word about the value of our forests
• Make a donation to the Forests for Climate campaign
• Watch the Cry of the Forests Movie

About the WA Forest Alliance

The WA Forest Alliance (WAFA) is a major supporter of Cry of The Forests, and the film was instrumental in WAFA's successful campaign to end native forest logging in WA. The WA Forest Alliance is a grassroots not for profit group working towards the permanent, secure protection of all native forests in the South West from logging, clearing and mining. They are calling for a just transition of the timber industry to sustainable and ecologically beneficial farm forestry and plantations.