![The endangered Southern Greater Glider on the South Coast of NSW. Picture NCC The endangered Southern Greater Glider on the South Coast of NSW. Picture NCC](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/34LhtAQascFe7b8mpJkRfDb/c3d31a57-80d9-4dfb-aec7-ec65f82e6600.png/r0_0_1600_1067_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Conservationists call for suspension of Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) operations in areas of high Greater Glider records to protect endangered species.
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On Tuesday, October 17 the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC) released analysis that claimed FCNSW is logging forests with the highest known numbers of the endangered Southern Greater Glider.
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Due to the Southern Greater Gliders' endangered status, a 50-metre exclusion zone is legally required around all glider dens.
NCC CEO, Jacqui Mumford, said investigations found FCNSW's pre-logging surveys had identified no or few Greater Glider dens in areas the environmental advocacy organisation expected to have some of the largest populations in the state.
"Forestry Corporation admitted that they don't do surveys for the nocturnal greater Gliders at night," she said.
"We have alerted the EPA (Environment Protection Authority) to a raft of potential breaches by Forestry Corporation, as well as to operations still in the 'planning' phase."
This isn't the first complaint received by the EPA on potential breaches in relation to Greater Gliders by FCNSW on the South Coast.
Following a community complaint to the EPA about FCNSW's operations in Tallaganda State Forest, an investigation located a deceased Southern Greater Glider around 50 metres from forestry harvest operations.
This led the EPA to issue an immediate Stop Work Order to FCNSW, to cease harvesting in parts of the the forest.
EPA Acting Executive Director Operations, Steve Orr, said the discovery of a deceased glider was extremely concerning given their increased reliance on unburnt areas of the forest and its proximity to active harvest operations.
"While community reports suggest around 400 Southern Greater Gliders may be living in the Tallaganda State Forest, FCNSW has identified only one den tree," he said.
"We are not confident that habitat surveys have been adequately conducted to ensure all den trees are identified."
The Stop Work Order was originally for 40 days (issued August 30), but has since been extended to November 13, 2023, after FCNSW failed to safeguard habitat trees for the endangered southern greater glider.
However, the NCC are now calling for an immediate suspension of approved and active FCNSW operations in areas of high Greater Glider records - including Currowan State Forest.
"We are also calling on the NSW Government to at a bare minimum mandate that any survey of a nocturnal animal is undertaken at night," said Ms Mumford.
![A map of Southern Greater Glider locations on the South Coast. Dark blue are areas with the highest proportion of gliders in NSW, and red is forest being logged. Picture supplied A map of Southern Greater Glider locations on the South Coast. Dark blue are areas with the highest proportion of gliders in NSW, and red is forest being logged. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/34LhtAQascFe7b8mpJkRfDb/89822678-a865-4dd2-925b-c5b11a03b145.png/r0_0_467_523_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"This is just one species being pushed towards extinction ... there is a whole host of other threatened species that they would be routinely missing.
"The only way to ensure that the assessment process is genuine, is to require independent ecological pre-logging surveys (Broad Area Habitat Searches)."
In response to these findings a FCNSW spokesperson said the "Forestry Corporation was committed to protecting the habitat for Greater Gliders and is working with the EPA to address the issues raised".
"In planning the operations for Tallaganda State Forest more than 5000 hollow bearing trees were identified for protection as habitat for a range of species, including the Greater Glider.
"Following the Stop Work Order Forestry Corporation conducted thermal drone night-time surveys to specifically identify den trees and continues to work with the EPA to identify the best methodologies for this.
"We know from the distribution of records and our monitoring program, which includes spotlight surveys, that Greater Gliders continue to use both harvested and unharvested areas across the whole of Tallaganda State Forest."
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