Forest Supporters gathered out the front of Bulga State Forest logging operations, 8th October, 2024. Photo Credit: B Sommers
Thirty defenders of the endangered Greater Glider and Koala, gathered at Bulga State Forest before dawn to support 2 forest defenders who had taken action to slow the destruction of the forest and the homes of the endangered animals.
“Today, Pete and Ned both slowed down the chopping for several hours. Pete was perched atop a tower constructed over the access gate to the logging area.
He said “Endangered animals, such as the Greater Glider and the Glossy Black Cockatoo are in rapid decline due to their nesting hollow and feed trees being destroyed. I can’t stand idly by without at least trying to get this issue in front of decision makers. At the moment the Forestry Minister Tara Moriarty is hearing nothing, Environment Minister Penny Sharpe is saying nothing, and Premier Chris Minns is seeing nothing. They remind me of the three monkeys.”
Ned was suspended from a tree with ropes attached to the giant logging machinery. “I’m a climate scientist. I’ve spent the last four years advising governments and corporations around the world about the risk from increasingly extreme and erratic weather events.
“Climate change is resulting in massive impacts to biodiversity. We need to preserve as much of every remaining ecosystem as possible. We need to stop native forest logging now.
“Leaving the mature trees standing and these intact ecosystems is fundamental to having a chance of a liveable environment. I can’t believe, with all the information we have available to us, that Australian governments are not only still cutting away at our future, but actually subsidising it. It meets the definition of insanity,”
Spokesperson for Save Bulga Forest, Susie Russell, said, “We know there are dozens of Greater Gliders and as many as 10 Koalas in this patch of forest that have no protection whatsoever from logging.
“The trees are cut by a giant machine whose operator sits in an air-conditioned cab. There is no searching of the trees for Koalas before they are cut. Nor are the hundreds of trees that many of the Greater Gliders use as part of their flight path or to feed or shelter in, given any protection.
“We want the world to know that Tanya Plibersek the federal Environment Minister and Penny Sharpe the NSW Environment Minister have refused to take action to save these animals’ homes. They tell us after the election they’ll do something, but they said that last time. They keep telling us action is coming, there are committees, reports, reviews coming, and one day there will be new laws that offer protection. Trouble is, that for many of these endangered animals, that will come too late, if it comes at all, many of them will die and this patch of forest will never again support healthy populations.
“This is Nature Negative in action. Anything these ministers have to say about their Nature Positive action is more hot air contributing to the coming climate chaos,” Ms Russell said.