The state government has stopped logging in the Queensborough river forests where protected Greater Gliders were detected by our survey team.
The report we submitted on Wednesday morning with our friends at the FFRC Inc documented 11 Greater Gliders within a distance of 1km, triggering legal protection of the forest. The environment department will now conduct verification surveys in the coming days.
Thanks to everyone who emailed the Ministers and Premier. About 500 emails were sent in just a few hours yesterday afternoon! Great work everyone!
At least two Greater Glider locations that were detailed in our report have now been logged. Logging continued for a full day on Wednesday after VicForests were alerted to the high density of Greater Gliders and the locations of individual Gliders. Logging then occurred up until 2pm on Thursday further impacting on locations where the protected Greater Gliders had been found.
This may affect the results of the department's verification survey, as a number of Gliders are likely to have died in the logging that occurred in the past two days, after our report was submitted.
In East Gippsland's forests, 11 Greater Gliders must be found in 1km to trigger protection of Greater Glider habtiat. If any number less than 11 are found, logging can proceed.
Photo: Glider location point from our survey, reported to Vicforests on Wednesday and then logged.
In addition to logging the locations of Greater Gliders that were reported to them by us, we've also learned that VicForests have logged other known locations of Greater Gliders.
Earlier this week we reported that VicForests had not conducted a survey for Greater Gliders, this was based on a survey report we found on their website that stated 'no spotlighting survey' required.
Yesterday it was brought to our attention that another survey report exists detailing a VicForests commissioned spotlighting survey of the forest. This survey did in fact find Greater Gliders, but not enough to trigger protection. Their survey found four Gliders, ours found 20 (11 of the 20 were within a distance of 1km).
Instead of protecting the Greater Gliders they found, VicForests has logged the precise locations where they found them.
Out of the four Greater Glider locations VicForests surveys recorded in the forest before logging, at least two have already been logged. The other two are likely to be logged if the operation is allowed to proceed.
Photo: VicForests logged Greater Glider location (2) as detailed in this report
Photo: VicForests logged Greater Glider location (same location as above image)
Photo: VicForests logged Greater Glider location (3) as detailed in this report
Photo: Looking towards VicForests Greater Glider location (4), 100m straight ahead from where photo taken. This location is most likely to be logged already or will be logged if the operation proceeds.
We'll be watching closely over the coming week to see what happens and will continue our advocacy and surveys until this forest receives the protection it deserves.
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