Two Queensland government departments are at odds over whether a state forest that is home to a variety of native wildlife — including some threatened species — should be protected or continue to be selectively logged.
The Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) has recognised the conservation value of the Yabba State Forest, located inland from the Sunshine Coast, by listing it as a priority for protection.
But the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) has plans to keep selectively logging the forest until 2024.
Narelle McCarthy from the Sunshine Coast Environment Council said the park is home to a number of threatened species.
"There's koalas, there's greater gliders, there's black-breasted buttonquails, a whole range of other species as well," she said.
"The state government has already recognised that these areas of state forests have high conservation values.
"They need to stop the logging from occurring, and identify the areas that are going to be going into protected area [estates] sooner rather than later."
Dave Copeman from the Queensland Conservation Council said the habitat could provide homes for species like gliders and koalas.
"While the Department of Environment, and science, is saying, 'yes, we should be conserving this area', we've got forestry continuing to allow logging permits to go on ahead here," he said.
State government not currently meeting forest protection targets
The state government has vowed to protect 17 per cent of Queensland forests, but currently, it is only protecting about half that.
Conservationists want the government to stop logging native forests and start protecting more forests as national parks so it can meet its own target.
In a statement, Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the state government had committed to stop native timber logging in state forests in the SEQ Regional Plan, which included parts of Yabba State Forest, by the end of 2024.
"On top of this, DAF has agreed not to harvest a number of areas of particularly high conservation value elsewhere in Yabba State Forest that have been identified by DES and the conservation sector," Ms Scanlon said.
"As part of our government’s commitment, areas of high conservation value will then be transitioned to protected area."
Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said his department worked closely with DES "to ensure high conservation value areas are protected, including certain areas of Yabba State Forest".
"There is no clear-fell logging in Yabba State Forest. Only selective harvesting, where individual trees, selected for their commercial properties, are removed," Mr Furner said.
"The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has stringent measures in place to ensure wildlife and biodiversity values are protected during selective harvesting of timber."
This month, truckloads of hardwood logs were taken out of the forest leaving behind piles of bark and tracks where the bulldozers had driven through.
"To further degrade and take out more habitat, you know, is just unfathomable, it just shouldn't be happening," Ms McCarthy said.
"It's all the cumulative impact of losing habitat, which is pushing species like the koala closer and closer to extinction."
Ongoing logging could impact future use of forests
Simone Maynard from the National Parks Association of Queensland said there were multiple uses for the forest that would support biodiversity protection.
"Things such as bird watching, hiking, cycling along the trails here — beautiful opportunities," Dr Maynard said.
"There's lots of different opportunities in this park, but ones that are particularly conducive to nature conservation."
Mr Copeman said while logging continued, native wildlife would remain at risk.
"There's no future in logging native forest. But there is a future for our threatened species that Queenslanders love to visit and see," Mr Copeman said.
"The Queensland government's own science tells them that this is an area that is good enough to be national park and it should be protected right now."
