Miranda Gibson tree-sitting. Photograph: Miranda Gibson

When we first wrote about Miranda Gibson November 2012 she’d already lived an arboreal life for 300 days. Her goal was simple: to protect Tasmania’s wild forests from logging and other man-made degredation. She’d learned early on that sometimes grandstand gestures were the only way to get her voice heard, and if living (and blogging about) 449 days in a tree without touching the ground isn’t such a gesture we don’t know what is.

We’re happy to report that yesterday the decision was official to increase the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area by 170,000 hectares to now cover over 1.4 million hectares (or about 3.46 million acres), thereby representing about 1/5 of the area of the island state of Tasmania.

Nothing can explain how I felt the moment the hammer went down to mark the decision yesterday – Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area was officially extended by 170,000 hectares. Forests that I had spent the past six years of my life fighting to defend, some of the most contentious forests that thousands of people here and around the world have fought to save for over two decades, were now officially listed.

There’s one patch of that forest that I know like the back of my hand. It’s the Tyenna Valley, surrounding a 400 year old giant Eucalypt known to me as the Observer Tree, and whose upper canopy I lived in for over 14 months without once setting my feet on the ground.

When I climbed that tree in mid-December 2011, I had no idea what I was really getting myself in for. But I vowed to remain until the forests were protected. I didn’t know if that day would be two or 10 years away, but I had hoped for the sake of the forests

that it wouldn’t take that long. The experience of living on a small platform 60 meters above the ground for over a year was one I will never forget: from the powerful moments of inspiration, to the depths of loneliness and isolation. But if I learnt one thing it was how much one action can make a difference.

Click here to read more…