Other projects not required to produce an EIS include the proposed extensions of the Meandu thermal coalmine until 2039, the Caval Ridge mine until 2056 and the Middlemount coalmine until 2044. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundupĪnother to come in just under the 2m tonne threshold is Magnetic South’s Gemini mine, which would produce 1.9m tonnes of coal a year for 25 years. The adjoining Vulcan Complex, also owned by Vitrinite, would dig up 1.95m tonnes of coking coal every year as well. The nearby Vulcan South project is set to produce 1.95m tonnes of coking coal every year and would clear 1,000 hectares of koala and at least 75 hectares of greater glider habitat to do so. But others squeaked in just under the 2m tonne threshold that would require the miner to prepare an EIS. That project, Bowen Coking Coal’s Isaac River mine, would produce 0.5m tonnes of coal a year for five years. In assessing a new coalmine that was given an “environmental authority” earlier this year by the department, the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development found “substantial shortcomings in the proponent’s analysis … that currently prevent reliable assessment of the project’s environmental impacts”. Their recent uplisting to endangered means we need to take action now to save and protect this iconic species.Ĭurious what threatened animals could be living in your backyard?Įxplore WWF-Australia’s ‘My Backyard’ tool to learn what wildlife makes their home near you and how well they're being cared for.The state’s environment department said it conducts “thorough and robust assessments against stringent environmental standards on all projects”.īut the finding of a panel of independent experts established by the federal government has raised questions about the department’s process. Greater gliders were once common throughout the forests of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, but landclearing, logging, and climate change-induced events threatened their survival. With bushfires and land-clearing threatening their tiny homes, this little property investor needs our help and attention more than ever.Ħ. However, even though they have so many homes to choose from, this doesn’t mean their habitat isn’t at risk. These little marsupials can maintain up to 20 treetrunk dens at any given time, gliding between each hollow. They wrap them around their bodies so they’re snug as a bug in a rug. Whoosh.Īpart from using their patagia or gliding membranes to glide through the air, they also use them as a blanket to keep warm on cold nights. The only sound they’ll make is a whoosh sound if they glide past you on a quiet night – which we think would sound pretty cool. Greater gliders are completely silent and have no distinctive calls and never chat with one another. An adult greater glider can be anywhere between 30 cm from 45 cm long, with their tail extending another 45 cm to 60 cm. Some greater glider’s tails can be twice the length of their body. They steer by using their long tails and altering the curvature of their gliding membranes. Greater gliders can glide up to 100 metres in a single glide and can change direction at 90-degree angles mid-flight. Then, after that, they ride on their mum’s back for up to three more months, eventually gaining independence at nine months old for another year and a half before having babies of their own. There’s a lot to love about the greater glider, but here are 6 things you might not know about them.įor the first three to four months of their lives, the baby greater glider stays in their mother’s pouch. Did you know there could be greater gliders or other threatened wildlife living near you?ĭiscover what animals need protection in your local area using WWF-Australia’s ‘My Backyard’ tool, and find out how well they’re being cared for.Įver wanted to glide through the air? The wind in your hair, the moonlight guiding your way? Sounds like you want to be a greater glider, and we don’t blame you!įound in the eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia and strictly nocturnal (unless startled or disturbed during the day), the greater glider is the largest gliding marsupial in the world and can range in colour from dark chocolate brown to almost entirely white.
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