In devastating, but unsurprising news, the iconic Southern Greater Glider was listed as endangered under federal environment laws last week. Native forest logging, climate change, and bushfires were all named as serious threats to the glider which led to the listing.

The Greater Glider was first listed only 6 years ago as vulnerable. In the Guardian coverage Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said; States would need to evaluate the new expert advice “to determine if changes to their forest management systems are required”. The listing will have little impact on logging regimes unless the Victorian state government acts to properly protect the species by removing logging coupes scheduled in the glider's key habitat.

Under the Andrews government the Greater Glider has gone from vulnerable, to endangered in just 6 years. Protecting all Greater Glider habitat from logging is essential to saving this iconic species before it's driven further to extinction.

Greater Glider captured by Matt Tomkins at GECO's Easter citizen science camp

With the added attraction of senior botanist and East Gippsland specialist David Cameron, we had the biggest citizen science camp ever! Over 50 people attended for guided walks, talks & citizen science efforts and surveying. A new layer of people have been recharged and are ready to fight for the forests of East Gippsland!

Thanks so much to everyone who came and got involved. We hold citizen science and skillshare camps 3-4 a times a year - subscribe to our email list to get updates about the next camp!

Volunteers inside the giant 'Cathedral Tree' in the Errinundra. Photo credit: Trudy Photography

The Andrews government has imminent plans to log forests which were supposed to be protected for the threatened Greater Glider. Back in 2018 we found a significant number of gliders in the Cottonwood area - we were told by the Environment Department that they were putting a protection area to save the gliders.

But we were alarmed when we saw the area was scheduled for logging in December, and was even resurveyed by the Environment Department earlier this year, even after they said they would protecting the forests!

Read the exclusive ABC story here. Take action and email decision makers to end logging now.

Greater Glider found in Steps Track by GECO citizen scientists

Last week the Victorian Government quietly sneaked through changes to the law which governs logging, gutting environment protections which were already poorly enforced. The changes weaken already outdated East Gippsland protections for the threatened Greater Glider - set to be listed as endangered after the devastating fires.

This could result in areas that would've been protected for the Glider being logged. At a time when stronger laws are desperately needed to curb the extinction crisis faced by so many animals threatened by logging - the Andrews government is making widespread, systemic illegal logging legal. Read the ABC coverage here.

Credit: Justin Cally - Southern Greater Glider

In just over 5 years Greater Gliders are going from vulnerable to endangered under federal legislation, and are also set to be listed as endangered in Victoria. A new study shows threatened species laws are failing to stop the decline of wildlife like the Greater Glider, an article published in the Conversation says "The greater glider is edging towards extinction, but there is still no recovery plan for this iconic marsupial."

In Victoria, so-called protections for the Greater Glider announced by the Dan Andrews government in 2019 allows logging where gliders are found and weakens existing protections in East Gippsland, which were already failing to stop decline of the species.

For years we've been hosting citizen science camp to survey for gliders in forests scheduled for logging. Sign up to our email list to get updates on our next survey camp to be part of the campaign to save these precious critters.

Greater Glider found in forests scheduled for logging in Errinundra

GECO along with our friends at Wildlife of the Central Highlands (WOTCH) have put together an email action for the the threatened Greater Glider. According to a leaked government report 25% of the remaining population of Greater Gliders is estimated to have perished in the terrible bushfires in East Gippsland, and that figure could grow. Meanwhile key Greater Glider habitat is being logged in the Central Highlands Victoria right now, with many more areas planned to be logged in the coming months.

Send an email below to Ministers D’Ambrosio and Symes calling for immediate protection of the Greater Glider

An important hot spot for the threatened Greater Glider is being logged. Logging by VicForests in the 'Shazam' coupe in the Cottonwood range on the Errinundra plateau near the town of Bendoc in East Gippsland begun over two weeks ago. The forest supports many large old trees with hollows that form important habitat for a population of Greater Gliders. The forest was featured in our recently released research report 'Gliding towards extinction' report as a example of documented Greater Glider habitat that is threatened by logging. 

Our latest report has been published documenting logging of more than 600 hectares of Greater Glider habitat since the species was listed as vulnerable under Victorian legislation in June 2017. 

Gliding towards extinction - an investigation into Greater Glider habitat logged since the species was listed as threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act highlights how government inaction and failing environmental laws are having dire consequences for forest dependent threatened species in Victoria.

More than 600 hectares of known Greater Glider habitat has been logged since the animal was listed as vulnerable to extinction under Victorian law and thousands of hectares are planned to be logged, research by environment groups has found.

Rare and threatened Greater Gliders have been found by community surveys at Granite Mountain on the Errinundra plateau this week. The old growth forest has been at the centre of controversy since logging begun in late January.

Over 4000 people have emailed Premier Daniel Andrews calling on him to act to stop the logging and protect East Gippsland's forests. Direct action group Forest conservation Victoria established a blockade of the forest on Monday that has stopped logging for the past 5 days.