A staunch defender of the critically endangered Leadbeater’s Possum whose group won a landmark court case this year and the founder of a powerful Melbourne climate action group are the joint recipients of this year’s Rawlinson Award for conservation.
Steve Meacher’s group, the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum, won a David v Goliath case against state government logging agency VicForests in the Federal Court in May 2020, challenging the logging industry’s exemption from national environment laws.
Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum successfully argued VicForests’ logging operations in 66 places of habitat critical to the possum and the greater glider breached federal law.
Mr Meacher, a retired teacher, lives in the mountains at Toolangi and has worked for 16 years to educate Victorians about Leadbeater’s Possum – the state’s faunal emblem – and convince politicians to protect its shrinking habitat from state-sponsored logging.
“Leadbeater’s Possums live in the forests within view of where I live in Toolangi. They are seventh in the list of Australian mammals most at risk of extinction, and in the world’s top ten,” he said.
“They are our unique faunal emblem so I feel I must do all that is in my power to prevent their extinction.
“The environmental laws have been ineffective largely because of a lack of enforcement and government policy that always favours the logging industry. That’s why we took our fight to a new level by launching our Federal Court case. We want the government to take its moral responsibility for the environment seriously and know there are consequences when it doesn’t.”
“Steve Meacher’s determination to teach Victorians about the precious little Leadbeater’s Possum and to protect its habitat from logging is an inspiration,” said Australian Conservation Foundation’s CEO, Kelly O’Shanassy.
“The Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum’s court win over the Victorian state logging agency was a real David and Goliath struggle that will have ramifications across the country.
“The Federal Court judgment overturned the theory that the logging industry doesn’t have to comply with our federal environment laws.”
Established in 1992, the Rawlinson Award is presented annually in memory of ACF Councillor Peter Rawlinson – a zoologist, lecturer in biological science and environmental campaigner.
The award, which celebrates outstanding voluntary contributions to protect the environment, was conferred at the Australian Conservation Foundation’s AGM on Friday 20 November.
