New Greater Glider Forest Park in Queensland to try bring species back from the brink
Conservationists are celebrating the announcement today of a new park to protect iconic greater gliders who have been spotted in hollows of irreplaceable forest trees in the Eastern Hardwoods region near Maryborough.
The Queensland government plans to establish a new Greater Glider Forest Park as part of a plan to reform the state's timber industry and protect nature.
Queensland Conservation Council congratulates the Minister for Environment on taking forward this idea proposed by QCC, signifying the Government’s commitment to ending native forest logging and saving iconic species, alongside having a sustainable timber industry.
QCC Director Dave Copeman said:
We strongly welcome this new 54,317 hectare refuge for greater gliders! Glider habitat continues to be logged and cleared on both private and public lands across their range, so every hectare we can save is critical.
It is a much needed breather for one of our cutest and irreplaceable Queenslanders, the greater glider.
Sadly we know from overwhelming evidence that logging is incompatible with protecting this species. When greater gliders’ feed trees or nest trees are taken, they die.
It’s urgent we do all we can to save this incredible Queensland species from extinction, and shift the timber sector into planted forests which already supply 90% of our timber needs.
Logging native forests is outdated and we owe it to Queensland to create a more sustainable path and timber supply.
Forests are worth more to Queenslanders when trees are left standing, for jobs in nature, tourism, clean water, healthy soil and other things we take as a given.
QCC Protected Areas Campaigner Nicky Moffat said:
Just last month we uncovered a logging incident only a couple of kilometres away from where seven greater gliders were spotted, in State Forest south of Maryborough. We could see on government maps this forest was under no form of protection.
Forests are the lungs of the world, cleaning the air we breathe. They also help mitigate the effects of climate change, and provide refuge to vulnerable plants and animals.
Glider park is a really positive step in the right direction and combined with the increased consultation and focus on evidence based policy announced by the Miles Government last month, makes us confident of its leadership towards saving the glider.
We would love to know what David Crisafulli and the State LNP’s plan is to protect this iconic species.
Today’s announcement is a positive step to protect beautiful Queensland, Australia’s most biodiverse state, through the expansion of protected areas that our kids and grandkids can enjoy.
Jennifer Waithman, Coordinator at Wide Bay Burnett Environment Council, said:
It is such great news for our region to hear that these remarkable creatures who live just next door to us will be protected from logging.
We’ve just been out to St. Mary’s State Forest, a core habitat area for greater gliders. We spotted large hollows, which could well be glider homes, in the trunks of trees so giant it’s hard to comprehend.
If you cut down those trees, you can’t regrow them for many decades - lifetimes even. That’s valuable time lost that vulnerable species like greater gliders can’t afford for us to waste.
Glider image copyright Dr Nick Hamilton 2023, reproduced with permission