A community group of nature lovers has welcomed a Victorian Supreme Court interim injunction on timber harvesting in the Wombat State Forest.
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Wombat Forestcare's Gayle Osborne called the decision "a major victory for endangered species like the Mountain Skink and forest owls" living in the woodland, which is located between Woodend and Daylesford.
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The site is one of Victoria's most significant state forests with the injunction preventing VicForests' timber harvesting operations until October 31.
Wombat Forestcare allege inadequate surveys
While initially a salvage operation following a 2021 storm, the VicForests operations are now classed as a commercial firewood.
Lawyers representing Wombat Forestcare successfully sought the injunction after they alleged VicForests refused to confirm it had done adequate surveys for threatened species.
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Ms Osborne said expert evidence from Associate Professor Grant Wardell-Johnson had found owl surveys were "inadequate" and showed the potential impact of a logging operation on endangered reptiles in the forest.
Community group will continue fight against logging
Ms Osborne said the Wombat Forestcare group will continue to fight against logging operations "to ensure that these biodiverse natural environments are protected for future generations".
"VicForests must now abandon these environmentally destructive logging operations that are wildly out of step with community expectations," she said.
"With native forest logging set to end next year, it makes no sense to push ahead with plans like these that wreak havoc on unique flora and fauna."
The matter is set to return to court on October 31.
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