Goongerah Environment Centre Office (GECO) has welcomed the state government’s announcement that some old growth forests in East Gippsland’s Kuark forest will be protected, but has raised concern over continued logging in environmentally sensitive forests under the Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs).

Forest in the Kuark that will now be protected from logging

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. 

UPDATE!!  - Thanks to our surveys and hundreds of emails and calls

LOGGING HAS BEEN STOPPED!!

The Department will now conduct 'verification' surveys. Stay tuned for updates and thanks for your support!

Twenty year long dodgy logging deals called "Regional Forest Agreements" exempt logging from national environment laws.

These dodgy deals expire in a few weeks time and could be rolled over for another two decades of doom for forest wildlife!

Take Action here! Call on state and federal governments to end the dodgy deals and give forest wildlife a fair go. Click here to email the Minister. 

In the Queensborough river forests of far East Gippsland protected habitat for the Greater Glider is being logged.

Community surveys reported a population of Greater Gliders in a logging coupe earlier this week triggering legal protection of the forest.

The Victorian Labor government are continuing to log where protected Gliders have been found. Locations where Greater Gliders were reported have now been logged.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas is the sole shareholder of government logging agency VicForests. 

He has the power to direct VicForests to stop logging in protected wildlife habitat and comply with the law. 

A colony of protected Greater Gliders has been found in VicForests logging coupe 892-507-0020 in the Queensborough river forest. Surveys conducted by GECO and Fauna and Flora Research Collective have documented a 'high density' of Greater Gliders triggering legal protection of the forest.

Media Release - Friday March 9th

VicForest has been charged for illegally logging rainforest in an East Gippsland logging coupe. The logging operation took place in the Serpentine Creek Rainforest Site of Significance near Cann River, causing serious damage to protected warm temperate rainforest.

Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald, March 9 

Author: Adam Carey

Victoria’s state-owned forestry corporation has been charged with illegal logging of a rainforest in East Gippsland after a near two-year investigation.

The Andrews government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning is pursuing VicForests over alleged destruction of a protected section of native forest near Cann River in the state’s far east.

VicForests will defend the charges in court next month.

Originally published in The Age - By Farrah Tomazin, 25 February, 2018

The Andrews government has spent years investigating claims of unlawful logging against its state-owned timber company without enforcing any penalties.

Documents reveal Victoria's environment department is currently probing 27 alleged forest breaches against VicForests, reported by the community between January 2016 and December 2017 - including multiple claims involving rainforests, where timber harvesting is prohibited.

Police have broken up a peaceful blockade of an old growth forest logging operation at Granite Mountain near Buldah in far East Gippsland. A man who climbed a tripod structure blocking access to the old growth logging coupe was arrested at 6pm yesterday evening. The man was charged and bailed and will appear in Orbost magistrates court in April. Logging in the untouched forest will resume today after the protest halted operations for ten days.

Government officials from the Department of Economic Development Jobs Transport (DEDJTR) and Resources are expected to break up a forest blockade this morning in far East Gippsland. Four cars carrying 6 authorised officers from the department and one local police officer are on the site this morning.

Conservationists from the Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) are continuing to blockade an old growth forest logging operation at Granite Mountain in remote East Gippsland today. The blockade was established on Monday January 22^nd, and has halted logging in the contentious area for seven consecutive days. Fifteen people are maintaining a presence on the site today, one person is positioned in a hammock suspended from a tripod structure blocking the logging road.

Old growth logging operations in far East Gippsland have been stopped again for the fourth day this week, as conservationists continue to blockade the access road to the VicForests logging coupe at Granite Mountain, near the Errinundra National Park.

A person is suspended in a hammock hanging from a tripod structure that is blocking the road and preventing access to the logging site. Logging in the old growth forest has been stopped since the blockade was established on Monday morning.

Conservationists from the Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) continue to maintain the peaceful blockade of old growth forest at Granite Mountain in far East Gippsland that was established on Monday morning. As the blockade enters its second day a person remains suspended from a tripod structure that is attached to forestry road gate, preventing access to the old growth logging site.

Forest conservationists from Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) have established an old growth forest blockade this morning at Granite Mountain, near the Errinundra National Park in far East Gippsland. A person is suspended 10 metres above the ground, hanging from a tripod structure that is blocking access to the logging operation.

For twenty years the native forest logging industry has been exempt from complying with Federal environment laws. The exemption is granted through the Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs).