Ashman Kita R, Ward Michelle, Dickman Chris R, Harley Dan, Valentine Leonie, Woinarski John, Marsh Jess R, Jolly Chris J, Driscoll Don A, Bowd Elle, Watchorn Darcy J, Clemann Nick, Lindenmayer David B
Regenerative Country, WWF-Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Fenner School of Environment & Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
PLoS One. 2025 Mar 12;20(3):e0319531. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319531. eCollection 2025.
In January 2024, the Australian state of Victoria committed to ending native forest logging six years ahead of schedule, a decision that has been advocated for by scientists and conservationists for decades. However, the direct benefits for threatened species from this policy change has not been quantified. This study assesses the spatial overlap between areas approved for logging and the habitats of nationally listed threatened species, to estimate the potential impacts of continued logging and the likely benefits of its cessation. We found that 99% of the areas approved for logging overlapped with the habitats of nationally threatened species. On average, each logging cutblock contained habitat for eight listed species. Areas approved for logging had considerable overlap with the habitat of several threatened species, particularly the Baw Baw frog (Philoria frosti, Critically Endangered, 6.2% of habitat approved for logging), Leadbeater's possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri, Critically Endangered, 6.1%), barred galaxias (Galaxias fuscus, Endangered, 5.6%), Tall astelia (Astelia australiana, Vulnerable, 5.4%), and Colquhoun grevillea (Grevillea celata, Vulnerable, 5%). Notably, these five species are found only in Victoria, thus these values represent the proportion of their entire mapped habitat slated for logging over a short time period. Our findings underscore the need for urgent, nationwide forest protection policies, alongside restoration efforts, to support species recovery and meet global climate and biodiversity commitments.
2024年1月，澳大利亚维多利亚州承诺提前六年停止原生林砍伐，这一决定数十年来一直得到科学家和环保人士的倡导。然而，这一政策变化对濒危物种的直接益处尚未得到量化。本研究评估了获批砍伐区域与国家列出的濒危物种栖息地之间的空间重叠情况，以估计持续砍伐的潜在影响及其停止砍伐可能带来的益处。我们发现，99%的获批砍伐区域与国家濒危物种的栖息地重叠。平均而言，每个砍伐区块包含八种列入名录物种的栖息地。获批砍伐区域与几种濒危物种的栖息地有相当大的重叠，特别是巴沃巴沃蛙（Philoria frosti，极度濒危，其栖息地的6.2%获批砍伐）、铅锤袋貂（Gymnobelideus leadbeateri，极度濒危，6.1%）、 barred galaxias（Galaxias fuscus，濒危，5.6%）、高大紫星凤梨（Astelia australiana，易危，5.4%）和科尔昆氏银桦（Grevillea celata，易危，5%）。值得注意的是，这五个物种仅在维多利亚州被发现，因此这些数值代表了它们在短时间内整个已绘制栖息地中被规划用于砍伐的比例。我们的研究结果强调，迫切需要在全国范围内制定森林保护政策，并辅以恢复努力，以支持物种恢复并履行全球气候和生物多样性承诺。
