There’s “damning evidence” of logging occurring near endangered larger glider populations, conservationists say as they name on the Queensland authorities to urgently act on a promise to create a park to guard the species.
Volunteers used drones in July to movie logging in St Mary state forest close to Maryborough, about three kilometres from the place gliders had been seen.
It got here after the Miles authorities in June promising to show 50,000–60,000 hectares of “high-value ecosystems” within the area right into a Better Glider Forest park.
The dedication was detailed within the phrases of reference for a brand new timber business framework, however it didn’t embody maps of the realm that might be protected.
Nicky Moffat, a campaigner with the Queensland Conservation Council, mentioned the federal government ought to act urgently to cease logging within the space.
“These areas actually have to come off the logging schedules. You can’t log them and then put them in a conservation park,” she mentioned.
Moffat mentioned the larger gliders have been “captivating” and regarded a “keystone species” – that means when gliders have been thriving, it was thought of an indicator of a wholesome ecosystem.
“It’s the biggest gliding possum in the world. It’s up to a metre long … It’s got this massive floppy tail. It’s got big floppy ears. It looks like a cross between a koala and a possum,” she mentioned.
Moffat mentioned St Mary state forest was a precedence space for the park, notably given volunteers noticed seven larger gliders inside the forest on a single night time.
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The council is looking for cover of all glider habitat on state-owned land and a dedication to fund new nationwide parks and guarded areas devoted to the species’ restoration.
Whereas not responding on to the claims, a Queensland authorities spokesperson mentioned the dedication to ascertain a larger glider park was primarily based on a conservation council proposal and consultants have been figuring out the best precedence habitat for cover.
“This is a huge contribution to helping to save greater gliders and so many other species in these areas,” they mentioned. “That’s in addition to the 20,000 hectares of state forest in [southeast Queensland] that is in the process of being dedicated as national and conservation park.”
Asserting the larger glider forest park in June, the premier, Steven Miles, mentioned Queensland’s timber business was “the backbone of the housing and building sectors and that he was “doing what matters to support timber workers and the industry to continue building our state, while also increasing our protected area estate”.
The nationwide larger glider inhabitants is estimated to have halved in little greater than 20 years, and it was listed below nationwide environmental legal guidelines as endangered in 2022. It was notably affected by the catastrophic black summer time bushfires of 2019-20. The species is the biggest gliding possum in jap Australia.
Matt Cecil, a venture supervisor with the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, mentioned larger gliders “don’t cope well with habitat disturbances like human-caused logging”.
“They are not inclined to travel far across open ground to move between trees. They require connected, mature eucalypt forest with a high proportion of large tree hollows, and feed almost exclusively on eucalypt leaves.”
