Environment East Gippsland
Environment East Gippsland is currently conducting a proceeding against VicForests alleging that VicForests have been logging habitat that they were required by law to set aside for Greater Gliders and Yellow bellied Gliders known to exist in the immediate vicinity.
“Recently, VicForests announced that it was about to commence logging in an area of healthy forest just north of Lakes Entrance, where a high density of Yellow-bellied gliders had been detected”, said Jill Redwood from EEG. “We were left with no option but to seek an urgent injunction to protect this important unburnt refuge.”
EEG applied to the court for an injunction to prevent the logging until the main proceeding was heard and decided. It argued that although VicForests maintained it had set aside 100 ha of habitat, the forest set aside was in fact unsuitable for Yellow-bellied Gliders. EEG told the Court VicForests was required to set aside 100 ha of ‘suitable habitat’, and that suitable habitat was precisely the forest planned to be logged.
“VicForests argued that EEG’s case was so weak that no injunction should be granted”, said Ms Redwood “but the Supreme Court didn’t agree.”
The court held that EEG was raising a serious question for trial, and logging in the affected forest should not proceed until the case was decided, or until the court ordered otherwise.
“VicForests is claiming this forest is necessary to log in order to train DELWP and emergency services workers how to cut down trees” said Ms Redwood. “But there are large areas of regrowth forests nearby with far less environmental importance than this very special area which supports not only Yellow-bellied Gliders but also the threatened Greater Glider and Masked Owl”.
