There are three species of greater gliders,but the southern one lives in NSW and Victoria’s eastern forests. It is the largest of the family with a head and body length of 35 to 46 centimetres,a tail length of 45 to 60 centimetres and weighing up to 1.7 kilograms.

Australian National University ecologist David Lindenmayer said scientists have known this was the most likely outcome for the mammal for the past ten years,but inadequate plans to end native forestry and poor environmental laws have led to its demise.

“We have known for the past 10 years some drivers of the greater gliders’ decline,” he said. “When I was young it was the most common animal we would see when we were spotlighting,you’d see 30 to 40 animals in NSW and Victoria.”

He added that if Australia was going to slow the rate of greater gliders’ decline,stronger environmental laws were needed as well as an immediate end to native forest logging. Doing so would also help the country achieve its 2030 emission reduction goals.

Lindenmayer said Australia had the worst mammal extinction record in the world,with the country pushing three species to extinction in the past decade. Since colonisation,about 100 of Australia’s unique flora and fauna species have been wiped off the planet. The rate of loss,which is as comprehensive as anywhere else on Earth,has not slowed over the past 200 years.

Australia has around 2000 flora and fauna species on the threatened list,which means they are at elevated risk of extinction. There are now more foreign plant species than natives growing wild and in the past five years,17 mammal species were either added to the endangered list or upgraded to the critically endangered list,as well as 17 birds and 19 frogs.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said this year that the country’s approach to conservation was not working and made the ambitious promise that no more extinctions would come under her watch.

NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said state forests made up less than 10 per cent of forested land in NSW,with about half of that area set aside for conservation.

“Importantly,in every tree harvesting operation,strict conditions are applied that were developed by expert scientific panels to protect the habitat of species such as the Greater Glider.”

Saunders did not comment on whether an end to native forest logging would be considered for NSW. Victoria and Western Australia havealready set end dates.

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