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The Possums Case and the possums still need your support, but they've glided off to a new page: https://chuffed.org/project/give-possums-a-chance



It’s time to rein in the senseless logging, before there’s nothing left to lose.

Friends of Leadbeater's Possum is fighting to save the critically endangered Leadbeater's Possum. And the Greater Glider. And a host of other threatened plants and animals that are being destroyed by logging in our beautiful native forests.

It feels like we’ve tried everything, but the logging still continues, destroying forest and animals alike, leaving devastation in its path. Every week, more forest gets the chop and every week the long-term survival of Leadbeater's Possum and Greater Glider is put at greater and greater risk.

We don’t take a decision to go to Court lightly – but some of these logging operations that seriously impact our iconic wildlife aren’t complying with the law. If governments won't do their job to protect our shared natural heritage, we will stand up.

Possums in Court to challenge logging’s legal exemption

Environmental Justice Australia, on our behalf, has launched a case in Melbourne’s Federal Court. We are asking for a court order to stop the logging in 34 forests in Victoria’s Central Highlands that are home to Greater Gliders and Leadbeaters Possum. We are also asking the court to protect additional forests to mitigate for 32 sites we say were unlawfully logged in the past.

For the last 20 years, there has been a ‘Regional Forest Agreement’ (RFA) for the Central Highlands, which is an outdated arrangement between the Victorian and federal government that tries to exempt native forest logging from federal environment protection law. Instead of federal environment law protecting threatened species, this special exemption has had the effect of protecting the logging industry.

But the RFA requires both governments to complete a performance review every five years. They haven’t. We allege that logging, which impacts threatened species, has been unlawful since the first review was due but not undertaken. We say the special exemption has not applied since then and does not apply now.

Our case applies to a specific place and set of circumstances, but RFAs exist around the county. It is a nationally significant Court challenge that shines a light on how threatened species in our forests should be dealt with under federal law.

How we will use your donation

To take this case to court we need to pay for barristers, solicitors, expert witnesses, and other court costs.

We're just a small community group, but we've already secured $20,000 of the funds we need to run this important case. Right now we are asking for donations of another $30,000 to cover the next critical phase in preparing the case for trial.

Your donation will help make sure the costs needed to run the case are covered. Your donation will give our threatened species their day in court and, if we win, it could transform the future for the forests and wildlife of the Central Highlands.

As well as supporting us, you can also support the case by making a tax-deductible donation directly to Environmental Justice Australia, by clicking here.

