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MELBOURNE - Logging due to begin in East Gippsland next month has been put on hold with environmentalists claiming it could threaten endangered species in the area.
Thirty-two hectares of forest at Brown Mountain, in the state's far east, will not be harvested until the Victorian Government verifies an environment group's claims that threatened crayfish, owls and gliders were found there over the Australia Day weekend.
Species including the Orbost spiny crayfish, endangered sooty and powerful owls and a large population of greater and yellow-bellied gliders were discovered, green group Environment East Gippsland said.
"The place is literally teeming with endangered species," the group's spokeswoman Jill Redwood said.
Protesters have put a stop to logging in two areas at Brown Mountain over the past two weeks. Harvesting was not due to start in another two areas where the species were found until next month, VicForests spokesman Cameron MacDonald said. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) will conduct surveys of the area to verify the claims, he said.
"That will take place over the next 10 days.
We'll suspend operations until the results of those surveys have been provided to the DSE."
The action comes after Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown called for a halt to logging after the claims emerged on Wednesday.
Senator Brown said the protesters at Brown Mountain had his support and should consider their legal options.
"I hope ... they look at every legal remedy available to challenge this outlaw action.
It's an outrage against the natural laws of this state and this country, and indeed the planet, that the destruction of these life-filled forests is proceeding."
He said if the threatened species claims proved were verified, modifications would be made to harvesting operations in the area.
MacDonald said about 75 per cent of timber harvested in the area was sent to Melbourne and 25 per cent was pulped and exported to Japan.
- AAP
