Media Release January 22, 2025
No protection for our endangered gliders if they happen to live on the coast
“The parlous state of NSW’s logging laws is exposed regularly. Last night being the latest example. Two endangered Greater Gliders and two Yellow-bellied Gliders, also endangered, were seen in Gladstone State Forest, south of Bellingen on the mid north coast,” said North Coast Environment Council spokesperson, Susie Russell.
“Both of these animals are well and truly on the path to extinction and depend on older forests with a connected canopy. They also don’t tolerate heat and need the shade of multi-layered forest with tall trees and mid-storey.
“They were found by a citizen science effort last night in the Gladstone-Viewmont forests, currently being intensively logged despite being a critical corridor integral to the movement of Koalas throughout what will soon be The Great Koala National Park.
“It is yet another failure of the Minns’ Government that not only have the Great Koala National Park boundaries not been announced yet, but logging continues to strip out habitat that will make parts of the park less viable to support species like Greater and Yellow-bellied Gliders in the future.
“What is particularly galling is that the Gladstone-Viewmont State Forests are part of an area deemed by Forestry Corporation to have low densities of Greater Gliders and hence don’t trigger a pre-logging nocturnal search,” Ms Russell said.
“You would think that where these endangered animals are more rare, on the coast, that they should be included in the requirement to look for them at night,” said Lyn Orrego of the Nambucca Valley Conservation Association.
“Our more than rare gliders along the north coast are not being found nor protected. It takes Citizen Science efforts to bring this to the attention of the public.
“We want our coastal gliders to be afforded night time surveys like the other gliders in NSW.
“Yes there are fewer gliders left in coastal forests... but this makes them more precious... where they remain they should be protected so that as the forest grows older they can recolonise. As nocturnal animals it’s a no brainer that they must be looked for at night,” she said.
“NVCA is writing to the EPA who have the power to include the coastal gliders in the special rules made last year for the other gliders in NSW” she said.
“Failing that there is an existing rule requiring searches for gliders generally that Forestry Corporation insists they will not do at night. EPA could enforce this rule.”
Images of endangered Greater Gliders seen last night through a thermal scope on next page. Gliders show as almost white. In third image only the long tell-tale tail is visible.
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