Across NSW, citizen scientists are heading into forests at night to look for greater gliders and the large hollow-bearing trees they depend on.
Armed with a spotlight, rain jacket and a GPS, volunteers scan the forest canopy, recording gliders, den trees and sometimes Koalas, Quolls or endangered frogs.
Something extraordinary is being revealed: forests scheduled for logging are home to far more greater gliders than official surveys have identified. By documenting the glider den trees citizen scientists are helping ensure that these trees receive the protections they are legally required.
The difference between citizen science and official surveys cannot be overstated – across surveyed forests, citizen scientists have identified 1,338 greater glider den trees, compared to just 50 recorded by Forestry Corporation in the same areas.
How it works
Under NSW logging rules, every confirmed greater glider den tree requires a 50-metre exclusion zone where logging cannot occur. By recording den trees, citizen scientists are revealing where these protections must apply.
At the densities now recorded in many of these forests, these exclusion zones overlap to the extent significant areas cannot be lawfully logged. Recent outcomes:
- In both Tallaganda and Badja State Forests, citizen scientists identified hundreds of greater gliders and their den trees, creating a mosaic of exclusion zones that ultimately led to the protection of over 30,000 hectares of forest.
- Forestry Corporation was also fined for illegal logging before ultimately announcing they would not return to either forest.
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Over the past three months, citizen scientists in Glenbog State Forest recorded:
- 120 greater glider den trees (compared to Forest Corp’s 4)
- Hundreds of old, hollow-bearing trees that will likely become active den trees
- More than 900 wombat burrows
- Multiple threatened species including Gang-gang Cockatoos, Flame Robins and Yellow-bellied Gliders
- See some amazing photos and maps hereb
- At the densities now recorded in Glenbog, these exclusion zones may overlap to the extent that logging cannot lawfully proceed if the rules are properly applied.
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In a small part of of Enfield State Forest (west of Port Macquarie)
- 280 dens, have been identified, compared to 2 found by the Forestry Corporation.
But much more needs to be done
Thousands of hectares of high density greater glider forests are still scheduled for logging. Forestry Corporation consistently fails to identify their habitat.
We know where the forests are:
- Tallaganda (now excluded), Tuggalo, Bulga, Enfield, Giro, Barrington Tops, Brother, Styx River, Glen Elgin, Gibraltar Range, Moogem, Badja, Cherry Tree, section of Dampier, Dingo, Flat Rock, Glenbog and Riamukka.
- This represents just 14 forests out of more than 500 State Forests across NSW (2–3% of the logging estate)
We are asking people across NSW to write to their MPs and call for the immediate protection of these Glider Sanctuary forests while the government determines the future of the native forest logging industry.
State Forests are publicly owned forests. They should be used for the benefit of the public, not the companies that profit from their degradation. These forests and the wildlife they shelter are a legacy for future generations. They need to be protected,. Native forest logging must end! But while the government considers the future of the logging industry, critical habitat should not be destroyed.
How you can help
Write to your MP asking them to immediately pause logging in known greater glider stronghold forests while the government determines the future of native forest logging in NSW.