Groups call for ancient forest protection
A number of conservation groups and other organisations have joined together in the US to call for the protection of areas of forest in the state of Alaska.
Alaska Native has teamed up with the state's tourism body and a number of environmental groups to put forward a legal case for the Tongass National Forest to be protected from road construction in the area.
The coalition claimed that when the forest was made temporarily exempt from the US Roadless Rule under the Bush administration, it was an illegal decision.
Commenting, Mike Jackson from the Organized Village of Kake in Alaska, said that the forest area is essential for local tribe members' survival.
"These lands are essential sources of food, medicine, clothing and traditional items for artistic and spiritual use," he said.
The Tongass National Forest is in the south-east of Alaska and is home to natural phenomena such as glaciers. Wildlife including native wildflowers can also be seen in the area, which is the biggest national park in the US.
Written by Kimberley Homer.
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