The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has today issued a stop work order to NSW Forestry Corporation after it again failed to conduct adequate pre-logging surveys in Flat Rock State Forest on the NSW South Coast. Despite recorded sightings of threatened Greater Gliders, the Forestry Corporation did not record any habitat trees for the species in breach of their approval. It has logged large areas of forest that likely contained unrecorded Greater Glider habitat in the last week.
This marks the second time in recent months that Forestry Corporation has been ordered to stop work for failing to record and protect Greater Glider habitat trees prior to logging, with logging halted at Tallaganda State Forest since August 30.
Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said "It is clear that Forestry Corporation are either wilfully disregarding their legal obligations to operate consistently with their approvals or they are too incompetent to adequately conduct operations in a lawful way.
"The Government must act to stop this destruction until we can be confident that any forestry operation is compliant with the law. Without immediate action, it is inevitable that more threatened species habitat will be destroyed.
"There is evidence of Greater Gliders being in other forests on the Central and Mid North Coasts, but the Forestry Corporation has failed to identify that habitat as well. Greater Gliders are on the road to extinction and the indiscriminate logging by the Forestry Corporation of vital habitat is making it worse,
"The Victorian Government forced their communities to be out in the forests, monitoring for illegal logging, because they were afraid to shut down the native logging. A slew of legal challenges and logging halted in forests across the state led to the announcement of a sudden end of the industry as it was no longer viable. We are close to that scenario right now in NSW with Myrtle, Braemar and Newry State Forests also subject to court proceedings. The end of native forest logging is close and inevitable.
"The NSW Government must announce their program to end native forest logging in NSW before it's too late for the Greater Glider and the many other forest dependent threatened species. They need a plan for workers and communities to ensure the transition can start now and the precious native forests of NSW can be protected for the climate, animals and future generations," Ms Higginson said.
