Environment East Gippsland, Media Release, 4 November 2022
VicForests logged illegally, must protect Greater Glider and Yellow-bellied Glider, Supreme Court rules in landmark case
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court today found state-owned logger VicForests has logged illegally, and ruled for the first time that VicForests must protect threatened Gliders. It is the third court loss in just two weeks for the government’s logging agency, and the second ruling that it breached environment laws.
Environment East Gippsland and Kinglake Friends of the Forest brought the case in 2021, to protect endangered Gliders in East Gippsland and the Central Highlands.
“This is an incredible ruling that will have far reaching consequences for the government’s logging agency by actually protecting these endangered animals where they are living in forests targeted for logging” said Jill Redwood, Coordinator of EEG.
“The judgement confirms what we already knew, VicForests’ logging is pushing the already threatened Greater Glider towards extinction. Our forests need to be protected and restored immediately, so all wildlife, including gliders can flourish once more.”
This is the first time the Supreme Court has ordered the State logging agency to both detect and then protect endangered wildlife threatened by logging. It was made clear that neither was being done effectively in the past.
It follows a similar decision last week, ordering VicForests to protect ancient, endangered plants found to be destroyed by its logging. The orders will have dramatic consequences for the protection of endangered animals in forests targeted for logging.
Justice Richards found VicForests to have logged important Greater Glider habitat without properly surveying or protecting gliders where found.
The judgment made clear that logging is a serious threat and cause of irreversible harm to the endangered gliders who depend on healthy forests and large trees for nesting hollows. Justice Richards’ stated that the “ecological evidence was that Greater Gliders would probably die” as a result of the logging.
Greater gliders are under serious threat of extinction, with their populations in some areas having dropped 80% in the last 20 years, and further exacerbated by the 2019-20 bushfires
The groups are calling for the state Labor Government to end logging now, not in 8 years’ time.
Statements
“EEG had no choice but to begin this case when VicForests began the destructive logging of the forest wonderland which survived the bushfires and is home to Greater Gliders in East Gippsland.
“Yet again, small environment groups are forced to speak out and take risky, expensive and time-consuming legal action to do what this government should have done – enforce its own laws.
“Right now, Victoria’s native forests are being destroyed by large destructive logging operations. What else are we losing daily by the bulldozers and chainsaws of this government’s logging arm?
“Time and again, government regulators and oversight has been shown to be lacking. Before it’s too late, the Victorian Labor Government must end destructive logging of native forests now, not in 8 years’ time.”
“Last week Warburton Environment won its case against VicForests, claiming that VicForests has been illegally destroying the threatened Tree Geebung. Recently Vicforests paid $1.6 million to Friends of Leadbeater’s possum after losing 30 of the 31 claims in that Federal Court case.”
Related stories: Citizen scientists find 60 endangered gliders in forest slated for logging: Kinglake Friends of the Forest; Gliders back in court: Kinglake Friends of the Forest
