Court orders logging halt in Vic forest

Sydney Morning Herald, August 25, 2011

AAP

An environment group has won a temporary injunction to stop logging in a Victorian forest that is said to contain endangered possums.

MyEnvironment applied to the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday for an urgent injunction to stop VicForests logging trees in the Sylvia Creek Forest near Toolangi north-east of Melbourne.

A barrister for the group, Kristen Walker, told the court the area provided a habitat for the endangered Leadbeater's Possum.

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She said logging activity in the area had increased in the past few days and unless an injunction were granted soon, irreversible damage would be caused to the forest.

There are believed to be fewer than 1000 possums remaining but that number may have diminished even further since the February 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, the court heard.

Justice Robert Osborn granted a temporary injunction stopping logging until 4.15pm (AEST) on Thursday.

Lawyers for VicForests are expected to make further submissions when the matter returns to court at 2.15pm (AEST) on Thursday.

2011 AAP