Selective timber harvesting in Queensland: Impacts on the endangered Greater Glider and implications of government policy

This paper reviews the state of knowledge regarding the impacts of selective logging, as practised in Queensland, on the Greater Glider (Petauroides volans sensu lato) and assesses the protection measures proposed by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. A range of studies and assessments shows that selective logging is significantly impacting the habitat of greater gliders in southern Queensland. The proposed protection measures represent very little improvement over current practice. Continued selective logging will have a significant impact on the endangered Greater Glider and will contribute to its continued decline. A contributing factor is the Queensland government policy of balancing timber industry jobs against biodiversity. We conclude that there is no level of native forest timber harvesting in greater glider habitat that provides a commercially viable timber volume while providing the necessary level of protection for the Greater Glider.