Is Australia's environmental legislation protecting threatened species? A case study of the national listing of the greater glider

Abstract

Effective environmental legislation that mitigates threats and strengthens protection are critical in arresting the decline of global biodiversity. We used the national listing of an Australian marsupial, the greater glider (Petauroides spp.), vulnerable to extinction under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC), as a case study to evaluate the effectiveness of legislation for protecting threatened species habitat. We quantified the extent of greater glider habitat destroyed (or extensively modified) due to deforestation and logging in Queensland and New South Wales (NSW), and logging in Victoria, 2 years before (2014-2016) and after (2016-2018) EPBC listing. We quantified the extent of greater glider habitat that burned in the 2019-2020 wildfires. Destruction of habitat increased in NSW and Queensland after the species was listed as vulnerable (NSW: 7602 ha/annum c.f. 7945 ha/annum; Qld: 1501 ha/annum c.f. 5919 ha/annum). In Victoria, the amount of habitat logged remained relatively consistent pre- and post-listing (4916.5 ha logged pre-listing c.f. 4758.5 ha logged post-listing). Australia-wide, we estimate that 29% of greater glider habitat burned in the 2019-2020 wildfires. Fire severity was severe or extreme in 37% of greater glider habitat that burnt, suggesting that few gliders would persist in these areas. We demonstrate that since EPBC listing, greater glider habitat destruction and population decline has continued as a result of human activities, both directly (i.e. deforestation and logging) and indirectly (i.e. severe wildfire facilitated by human-induced climate change). We recommend that state and federal protections should be strengthened urgently to better conserve threatened species and the environment. Show more