Rare clusters of Australia’s largest gliding marsupial have been found in forests earmarked for clearing, and in three times the numbers detected during mandated surveys conducted by the loggers. Conservationists are now calling for the strongholds to be immediately protected.
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00:00A mother carrying the next generation, a sorely needed addition to a declining species.
00:08Greater gliders are one of the most common species and then after the bushfires a third
00:12of their habitat was burnt.
00:14These forests will soon be logged.
00:17We know that native forest logging is having an extreme impact on this species.
00:21In New South Wales the government owned Logging Corporation is only required to conduct greater
00:26glider surveys on 10% of an area prior to logging.
00:30The government is not serious about protecting this endangered species.
00:36Conservationists took matters into their own hands and did surveys using drones.
00:40In the Tallaganda State Forest near Canberra the Forestry Corporation found just seven
00:45glider dens.
00:47Conservationists found 111.
00:49In Bolga State Forest just 14 gliders were found by the Forestry Corporation.
00:54The community survey found 94.
00:57In total across the state forest the community surveys found more than three times as many
01:02gliders as Forestry Corp and more than 10 times as many glider den trees.
01:08Forestry Corporation has a vested interest in not finding greater gliders because they
01:12do trigger a minimal protection.
01:15Forestry Corporation says the high numbers are a credit to the industry.
01:18Lobbyist James Euster agrees.
01:21Forestry Corporation and our state forests are doing an incredible job to manage this
01:24iconic species.
01:26The den trees identified will now be protected but the gliders themselves are only granted
01:31protection if they are sighted by Forestry Corporation.