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Read moreLogging of Glenbog State Forest puts wildlife at risk
Logging of Glenbog State Forest puts wildlife at risk
28 April 2026
By Neree Pateman, IFAW Oceania Program Officer
In southern New South Wales lies Glenbog State Forest. At first glance, it may look like many other forests. But Glenbog is special.
It is one of the last remaining high‑altitude “cloud” forests in southern New South Wales. Because of its elevation and location, Glenbog stays cooler and wetter than surrounding areas. Low cloud and mist help hold moisture in the forest, even when nearby land dries out.
A greater glider in Glenbog State Forest on the NSW South Coast. Photo: © Wilderness Australia
As the climate warms, places like Glenbog are becoming increasingly important. Heatwaves, drought, and bushfires are becoming more frequent and more intense. When other habitats become too hot or dry, forests like Glenbog can provide a safe place for wildlife to survive.
Yet parts of Glenbog State Forest are now slated for logging, including areas known to support threatened species.
A vital home for endangered gliders, wombats, and threatened birds
Glenbog is an important stronghold for two native marsupials: the endangered greater glider and the vulnerable yellow‑bellied glider. These small, tree‑dwelling animals depend on mature forests with old trees and natural hollows for shelter, nesting, and raising young.
Young regrowth forests cannot replace what is lost. Tree hollows can take more than 100 years to form. Once old trees are cut down, gliders lose homes that may not return for generations.
Over the past year, community volunteers surveyed areas planned for logging and recorded:
- 112 greater glider den trees
- A yellow‑bellied glider den tree and several feeding trees
- Widespread signs of glider activity
Every den tree is a home. Each one can mean safety, shelter, and a future for wildlife. When so many homes are inside one logging zone, it raises serious concerns about whether logging should proceed at all.
Glenbog is also a hotspot for bare-nosed wombats. About 800 wombat burrows have been identified in areas scheduled for logging. These burrows are complex underground tunnel systems, often used and expanded over many wombat generations.
A wombat in Glenbog State Forest on the NSW South Coast. Photo: © Wilderness Australia
Heavy logging machinery can collapse burrows. In previous logging operations elsewhere, wombats have reportedly been injured or buried alive. With hundreds of burrows present, the risk to animals is significant.
The forest supports important birdlife as well. Surveys have recorded flame robins, sightings and calls of the endangered gang‑gang cockatoo, and the presence of powerful owls and sooty owls. These birds are already under immense pressure from widespread habitat loss and climate change.
Why Glenbog matters now
The concentration of gliders, wombats, and birds found in Glenbog shows this forest is far from ordinary. It is a living refuge, rich in biodiversity, and increasingly valuable in a changing climate.
Native forest logging is occurring in Glenbog State Forest on the New South Wales South Coast. It is home to countless threatened wildlife species such as endangered greater gliders and gang-gang cockatoos. But logging operations are destroying the trees these animals call home and collapsing the burrows where wombats live. Leaving wombats to be buried alive. Photo: © Wilderness Australia
Once forests like this are logged, they cannot simply be replaced. Mature trees, nesting hollows, and the cool, stable conditions wildlife relies on can take centuries to recover. Losing them now means we may not see them again in our lifetime.
That is why Glenbog matters and why it deserves protection.
IFAW has joined other organisations across Australia calling for planned logging in Glenbog to stop. You can add your voice to help protect wildlife, defend vital habitat, and prevent animals from losing their homes.
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