South East Forest Rescue’s (SEFR) landmark case to protect endangered gliders
begins today in the NSW Land and Environment Court.
SEFR is seeking to restrain the Forestry Corporation of NSW from logging on the
north and south coasts unless lawful surveys for Greater Gliders, Yellow-bellied
Gliders and Squirrel Gliders are completed, and appropriate protections around their
den trees are implemented.
The case alleges that the Forestry Corporation’s narrow definition of a “Glider den
tree” is unlawful and that this has enabled the Corporation to avoid finding and
protecting critical habitat. The group also alleges that Forestry Corporation is only
surveying around 5% of logging areas, in breach of the logging rules.
“Narrowing what counts as a den tree allows Forestry Corporation to conveniently
fail to find Glider dens and protect the gliders,” said Mr Daines, spokesperson
for SEFR. “The result is ongoing destruction of critical habitat.”.
“The Corporation is hiding behind an unduly technical reading of the rules to justify
its failures. These laws exist to protect threatened species, not to be interpreted in
ways that undermine their purpose,” Mr Daines said.
The proceedings follow a High Court ruling earlier this year confirming SEFR’s right
to bring legal action to enforce compliance with NSW logging laws and protect
threatened wildlife.
“If Forestry Corporation can ignore basic protections with no consequence, our
environmental laws aren’t worth the paper they’re written on,” Mr Daines said.
SEFR says the case is a test of whether environmental law in NSW has real force, or
whether the Corporation can continue to log endangered species’ habitat with
impunity.
The case is expected to run for two days.
