2023 saw us put in a big citizen science effort in forests around the region looking for Gliders by night and Koalas by day.

These efforts were further spurred on, when a dead Greater Glider was found near active logging in Tallaganda State Forest on the NSW South Coast and the EPA issued a Stop Work Order.

This lead to a big spotlight beam of light being shone on the failure of Forestry Corporation (FC) to find Glider den trees, where they shelter during the day. According to the rules, a den tree, by definition, is one where a Glider has been seen coming or going… and that only happens at night.

Guess when FC look? Yep, during the day! So they never find Glider den trees and thus never have to trigger the 50m protected area around them.

It’s absurd that they have been able to get away with this abuse of the process for 5 years.

A further Stop Work Order was issued for Flat Rock SF when Glider den trees were identified by citizen scientists, where FC had failed to find any.

But Gliders on the north coast haven’t been so lucky. Den tree locations in Moonpar, Styx River, Cloud’s Creek, Barrington, Newry and Riamukka forests have been reported to EPA and nothing has happened.

It seems EPA and FC now have their heads together cooking up a new rule. You can bet it won’t protect Gliders.

The system is corrupt and failing our unique and precious wildlife.

Yellow-bellied Gliders, Squirrel Gliders and Greater Gliders depend on intact habitat with plenty of old trees with hollows. They can use many hollows each, depending on season and in order to not have a regular pattern a predator can identify. As these trees disappear through logging, age and fire, the Gliders also disappear from the landscape.

Don’t believe government spin they are protecting our wildlife from extinction, they are actively subsidising destruction. I don’t know how they sleep at night.

Since this was written, the new rule has been enacted and it comes with plenty of spin about better glider protections, but it’s all a lie. In many forests it will result in no extra trees being protected. And the requirement that FC identify den trees has been removed.

STOP PRESS: the new rule change has been delayed a week and may get changed again. Watch this space.

Photo: Bandit and friend, Barrington Tops (Credit: Bones)