In New South Wales, crossbenchers are threatening to withdraw support for government legislation unless the Minns administration takes decisive action to halt native forest logging.
This push comes in light of concerns for the greater glider population, a species under increasing threat.
Legalise Cannabis MP Jeremy Buckingham and Greens environment spokesperson Sue Higginson emphasize the urgency of the situation, urging Premier Chris Minns to prioritize the protection of these habitats.
Higginson revealed that many within the Labor Party are advocating for a transition to sustainable logging practices, specifically advocating for the use of plantation forests instead of native woodlands.
Plantations, characterized by single-species trees, are less likely to harbor greater gliders than diverse native forests. Higginson highlighted that high-value timber products are more often sourced from plantations than from public native forests, which are currently being exploited.
Community protests intensify as surveys reveal significant discrepancies in greater glider population data between activists and the Forestry Corporation.Community unrest has intensified following recent protests in areas such as Bulga State Forest, where logging threatens the habitat of the endangered greater glider.
New surveys reveal a significant discrepancy between community-detected glider populations and those recorded by the state-owned Forestry Corporation, with community reports identifying 825 gliders compared to just 229 from official sources.
Environmental advocates, including the Forest Alliance of NSW, are calling for an immediate moratorium on logging in areas identified as greater glider habitats, citing that existing regulations are inadequate to protect these vulnerable populations.
Recent thermal drone surveys have raised alarm over insufficient protections for these gliders, which suffered drastic population declines following the devastating bushfires of the previous summer.
In response, the Forestry Corporation insists it is taking necessary measures to protect glider habitats, stating that claims of widespread fatalities among the glider population are unfounded.
The agency cites ongoing monitoring and protective measures as part of its commitment to balancing timber production with environmental stewardship.
As community activists continue to advocate for glider protection, the Minns government faces mounting pressure to reconcile its logging practices with environmental conservation efforts.