It’s hard to believe the Victorian government would prosecute people for exposing rainforest logging, but that’s precisely what they’ve done.

GECO campaigners Ed Hill and Joe Henderson appeared in the Orbost Magistrates Court today. They’ve been charged with entering a logging area. It is alleged they did so to document and expose logging of protected rainforest.

GECO and Fauna and Flora Research Collective has exposed another two unlawful rainforest logging breaces this week. These breaches are the fourth and fifth cases of VicForests' unlawful logging in rainforest areas in just three months. The area is situated in the Serpentine Rainforest Site of Significance, a well known stronghold for warm temperate rainforest and rare species.

A report has been submitted to the state government concerning inadequate vegetative buffers on stands of rainforest coinciding with a linear reserve. The rainforest in this area requires a 100m buffer under the law. Logging here is active and needs to be stopped so the law can be followed.

VicForests has been caught out logging protected rainforest again. Logging commenced last week in high conservation value wet forest on the border of the Kuark and Murrungower forest blocks. This area is a stronghold for warm temperate rainforest, which is protected by law. An inspection of this coupe has revealed unlawful logging of rainforest buffer zones. We've collected evidence of the rainforest logging breaches and reported it to the Department of Environment, who are supposed to make sure rainforest is protected from VicForests logging operations. Once again the Victorian government has failed to protect rainforest from VicForests and allowed unlawful logging to occur.

Environment East Gippsland (EEG) is suing VicForests in the Supreme Court again!

Central to the legal case are inadequate protections and pre logging surveys for protected species such as the critically endangered East Gippsland Galaxias fish, the endangered Long footed potoroo, Yellow bellied gliders and rare and protected plants in an area of the Kuark Forest. VicForests refused to stop logging in the area subject the the Court action, so EEG took out an emergency injunction to halt logging of the protected species habitat. GECO has collected survey data on the protected species in this area that may be used as evidence in the case. The Age newspaper ran a story last week about the case. Click read more to view the story.

Last week we submitted reports to the Department of Environment detailing the presence of protected rainforest, a rare and protected plant and a large population of protected Yellow Belly Gliders in areas scheduled for logging in Kuark forest.

The Department confirmed they will investigate our reports, but they have allowed logging to commence before they investigate!

We reported this before logging started. Instead of issuing a direction to VicForests to not log until the investigation had taken place, the Department has allowed logging to start before they investigate.

Logging has recommenced in the highly contentious old growth forest of Hensleigh creek rd, near Errinundra National Park. Logging was halted in April after we exposed illegal rainforest logging. The Victorian government conducted two investigations and an independent review which found 'inconclusive' evidence because the rainforest had already been destroyed. Environment Minister Lisa Neville committed her Department to improve logging rules in light of this controversial operation, but in a massive backwards step she has allowed VicForests back into the area. We took direct action to stop the logging yesterday. Police broke up the blockade last night and logging is expected to start again today. Logging is occurring without a legally required pre logging survey for protected wildlife. We've documented Greater Gliders in high densities in the area, however the government are refusing to protect their habitat and force VicForests to conduct a legally required survey. Click read more to take action and read our media release.

Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) has submitted a report to the State government detailing illegal logging of rainforest in East Gippsland. Logging of rainforest buffer zones has occurred unlawfully in a controversial coupe that VicForests stopped working in after protests from GECO and legal action from Environment East Gippsland last week.

The Department of Environment has told GECO an investigation has begun. It is the fourth investigation into VicForests’ illegal rainforest logging this year.

Fantastic news! After just one day of direct action by GECO and a letter from lawyers representing Environment East Gippsland, VicForests agreed to stop their illegal logging operation and the logging machinery has left the forest! It was an amazing result and successfully prevented the destruction of high conservation value forest home to threatened species. Most of the forest remains intact and safe from VicForests lawless logging regime.

Unfortunately 8 brave people who took direct action to stop the logging were fined $500 each. We've started a fundraising campaign to support them to pay their fines quickly so they can get on with doing more great work defending our environment. Go here to support them.

The forest was illegally logged because VicForests had failed to conduct surveys for threatened species prior to logging. VicForests are legally obligated to survey for threatened species to ensure measures can be put in place to habitat. VicForests choose not to survey for threatened species in some areas, because they know that if they find them, the area they can log will be reduced in size due to protective measures that the law requires to be implemented to protect habitat.

GECO took direct action on Tuesday morning to halt the logging and the logging operation had ended by Tuesday night. The machines were rolling out of the coupe today!

 Image: Bulldozer getting trucked out of VicForets illegal logging coupe

Conservationists from Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) have halted logging operations in high conservation value forest on the St Patrick’s River in East Gippsland today due to multiple breaches of the law.

A person is positioned in a tree platform 30m off the ground. The platform is tied off to logging machinery which is preventing logging operations from continuing.

GECO believes the logging is illegal.  VicForests has failed to carry out necessary pre logging surveys for threatened wildlife, which it is legally obligated to do. Logging has also illegally impacted upon a large stand of protected rainforest.

Thom Mitchell

The Victorian government has fined a conservationist who exposed what the Environment Minister described as “very disturbing” and “extremely poor practice” logging, despite reports he helped prepare becoming a catalyst for substantial reform of industry guidelines.

Originally published by New Matilda: https://newmatilda.com/2015/08/10/victorian-government-thanks-conservationists-exposing-disturbing-logging-practices-fining/