Geco citizen scientists have discovered the rare Satanwood (Nematolepis squamea subsp. Squamea) plant within a rainforest site of significance about to be logged by Vicforests in East Gippsland

As we write, Less than 2000 individual Satinwood plants are known to exist in Victoria. With this population the only known occurrence outside of reserves, much of which is about to be logged by Vicforests.

Geco have written a report on the discovery and told the government that this rare plant must be saved.

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. 

Protected rainforest and rainforest buffers have been illegally logged by VicForests near Tonghi Creek in far East Gippsland. Logging by VicForests in coupe 868-506-0009 "Granton Road" has impacted on rainforest in numerous locations a several hectares of forest that should have been protected in a rainforest buffer has been logged.  

We have reported the breach to the regulator Department of Environment Land Water and Planning and written to the Office of Conservation Regulation. 

First published in The Guardian by Lisa Cox

Victoria’s environment department has been so ineffective at regulating logging in state forests that the government-owned forestry enterprise VicForests has effectively been left to self-regulate, according to an independent review.

The report, quietly released on the day of the school climate strikes and the Christchurch terror attack, finds the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning is “neither an effective nor respected regulator” and the state’s logging regime is “dated, complex, convoluted – indeed labyrinthine – and difficult to use”.

The Victorian Government’s daft “fuzzy map” excuse for VicForests logging outside its allocated forest area could mean that all VicForests’ logging in the past five years may be unlawful.

The Andrews Labor Government told the ABC, which broke the story of the illegal logging,[i] that it’s not possible to tell whether its own logging agency, VicForests, is compliant with the law due to a fuzzy map.

Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) and Friends of the Earth are today calling on the next Victorian government to abolish state owned logging agency VicForests and formally protect Victoria’s forests from logging after a special investigation by ABC news has revealed hundreds of areas of native forest have been logged in areas that VicForests is not permitted to operate.

Tonight on 7:30 the ABC will detail widespread and systematic unlawful logging occurring across eastern Victoria under successive governments. 

Logging in one of the areas not allocated to VicForests

Charges against state owned logging company VicForests relating to logging of protected rainforest in East Gippsland have been thrown out by the Melbourne Magistrates court today.

VicForests contested the charges arguing the charge sheet prepared by the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) did not specify the precise nature of the charges.   

Charges were laid by DELWP after a Sunday age investigation revealed the department’s systemic failure to enforce rainforest protection legislation. 

The logged rainforest near Cann River that led to criminal charges

Government owned logging agency VicForests appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court today defending charges for logging protected rainforest areas near Cann River in East Gippsland. Charges were laid by the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) after community reporting of a serious breach of rainforest protections in March 2016.

On Thursday this week VicForests will appear in the Orbost Magistrates court facing charges for logging protected rainforest in East Gippsland.

The environmental regulator of the logging industry (Department of Environment Land Water and Planning or DELWP) laid the charges after community groups GECO and Fauna and Flora Research Collective reported a logging operation that had unlawfully impacted on warm temperate rainforest near Cann river in April 2016.

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.