“We will march! We will roar! Forests are worth fighting for!”

On Sunday 22nd March 2026 at 11am roughly a thousand people gathered on a hot Autumn day in Parliament Gardens (Naarm/Melbourne, Australia) for a March in March for Forests event organised by the Bob Brown Foundation. It was one of 14 protests with thousands of people around the country drawing attention to the systemic failures leading to the significant destruction of old wild growth forests.

Below you will find my visual coverage and quotes of interest from the speeches that were held in Parliament Gardens before the march.

Protestors march from Parliament Gardens up Nicholson St towards the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) building.

..native forests need to be protected and we have a responsibility to protect them! Our leaders have shown they are irresponsible and cannot be trusted with the power that they have. Because when the people have to step in and fight for themselves then it shows that a systematic failure of the government has occured..
Oliver Jobe – a student who will not stand for the deforestation in his local area of Bass and Victoria

An tourist stops to capture photos of the passing march

One of the many hand made signs brought by protestors to the event

Protestors stopped in the intersection of Victoria St and Nicholson St in front of DEECA

Protesters occupy the interestion as more speeches are heard

A car passenger stuck in traffic due to the interestion occupation takes a photo of the sign & crowd

As the traffic delay continued some drivers wanted a better view of what was happening.

Traffic was stopped for roughly 15 minutes until speeches were completed in front of DEECA

..it is in our coloniser minds that we think the world has to have us take charge and be the managers and change it all, the forest works, we need to learn how to fit into the forest.
Philip Zylstra – Adjunct Associate Professor and fire behaviour scientist at Curtin University and the ANU

The event was well organised, with volunteer community first aid officers and marshalls

The signs at the event were diverse and creative

Members of the public documented the passing protest

Those experiencing delays to public transport were largely unphased by the disruption

..let’s be clear, it is an organised deforestation. It is structural issues. It is the forestry crimes, and it happened in a very well organised supply chain, from the forest to the industry and to the market. And now we ask, is there something to do with Australia. Yes, it is because the the major driver of the deforestation is because the mining, the logging and the palm oil plantation, that is done by the private sectors. And the shocking news is this, those private sectors are funded by four Australian banks..
Izzah Mujahidah – Acehnese youth activist, environmental & human rights enthusiast and law student.

The intersection of Lonsdale St and Russell St was occupied while more speeches were conducted

Information was handed out to those who wanted it as they passed by the event

Traffic was diverted around the protest through the city and met with curiosity from onlookers

The event went by without any logistical issues due to the community volunteer marshalls

A marching band helped keep marchers and onlookers engaged

..time is running out, look at the water quality, the air quality, the food, its going downhill, lets leave something for our children, lets do something for our ancestors, lets start protecting it in a real way… gotta keep fighting no matter what..
Robbie Thorpe – long-time Aboriginal activist and Krautungalung Elder

“We will march! We will roar! Forests are worth fighting for!”

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