Forest home to endangered sliders slated to be logged

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A group of endangered Gliders has been found living in an area pegged for logging three hours north of Brisbane. While it appears loggers are following sustainability standards set out by the governments, locals and the conservation council says the animal need more protection.

Transcript

00:00Spotlights scan the tops of gums in the St Mary State Forest, south of Maribra.

00:07I've got one.

00:08Two beaming eyes reflect the light.

00:10These gliders are endangered, but markings on the trees show this area will soon be logged.

00:15My heart sank, and I just thought, I do not want to see this happen in this area.

00:20I don't know how I will bear to watch it happen.

00:22Gliders live in hollows.

00:24A lot of the species take up to about 150 years to start developing those hollows that are required,

00:28of large enough size that greater gliders need.

00:31In 1999, it was agreed that logging in this area, known as the Eastern Hardwoods, would stop at the end of 2024.

00:38But in 2019, that was extended by at least two years.

00:41Dr Tyrone Venn says that was done with good reason.

00:44We're producing as much timber as we were in the 1990s in Queensland.

00:50We've had no increase in timber production, but our population has grown a whopping 64%.

00:57But conservationists say the practice needs to end.

01:00I hope that this government will take a mature position and side with innovation and tourism

01:07over exploitation of these forests for timber.

01:10Selection harvesting systems in native forests in Queensland are highly regulated.

01:15Loggers must leave at least six habitat trees and two future habitat trees per hectare.

01:20East of St Mary, Boppel State Forest was logged last year.

01:23What we see here is a forest that's been managed for timber production in Queensland.

01:28And all around us here you can see straight, skinny trees.

01:31And while some have been left for habitat, there's a real lack of the gnarled old trees

01:35that have the hollows that can provide homes for gliders.

01:38They're so susceptible.

01:39So in any of those areas that they're getting degraded, we'll likely see localised extinctions of populations.

01:45Particularly if they really take out all those old trees.

01:48The state government says a new timber action plan will be announced this year.

01:53So in the year, we've voted to go under the contract.

01:55And if they're in some kind of a grant, they would think they're in our thành we actually

01:56as in a way.

01:57To go Кузara and at least 7o1-2ano, but the joint of the city is at the end.

01:59So they're looking for, they certainly have an impact that it's in the state.

02:00And so on the next day, you're moving to the district of the population.

02:02So we're looking for a part of this, OK.

02:03I'll have to look for it, they're looking for space.

02:04That's really a lot of a way, that's coming soon.

02:05I will have to look for this.

02:06We have to look for this.

02:07We can use for half a bit of a стол, that's coming to be an area.

02:08We need to take some kind of what we've got here.

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