Hope for the “furry flying rectangle” as Wilderness Society court case species finally see draft recovery plans

After a resounding federal court victory by the Wilderness Society and almost a decade of delay, the Albanese government last week released a draft recovery plan for an iconic species that was the subject of a court case: greater gliders. The greater glider has never had a federal recovery plan, despite former Environment Minister Greg Hunt formally deciding they needed one in May 2016. 

The draft plans were published on the consultation portal of the Department for Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). On 19 September 2025 the federal court endorsed orders that the Environment Minister had failed to make a recovery plan for the greater glider line with the legislated deadline for the species.

The recovery plan was legally required to be in force within three years of former Minister Hunt’s decision in May 2016, but this was not done.   

Sam Szoke-Burke, Biodiversity Policy and Campaign Manager for the Wilderness Society said: “Australia is the worst in the world for mammal extinctions and second worst for biodiversity loss. Yet government after government has neglected to comply with mandated functions and duties to protect and foster recovery of Australian wildlife and plants, despite decades of outcry, and thousands of native Aussie plants and animals joining the extinction queue. 

“In the face of inaction, we resorted to the courts to compel the Federal government to do its job, and the court’s order confirms that the Minister is legally required to make recovery plans for the greater glider and other unique and important animals. 

“While it is frustrating to have to resort to the courts, we are encouraged to see the release of the gliders’ draft recovery plan the week after the resoundingly positive resolution of our court case. 

“The greater glider’s habitat has been smashed by native forest logging and agriculture-driven deforestation, putting this unique furry flying rectangle at risk. 

“We welcome renewed law reform efforts to strengthen existing environmental protections, and expect those to include the removal of destructive deforestation loopholes that have so gravely affected the greater glider. At the same time, the court order makes clear that the Albanese government must use the tools it already has to give Australia’s iconic and unique species a fighting chance at survival before it is too late. The law says recovery plans must be in force, and complying with environmental laws should not be a high bar for Australia’s Environment Minister.” 

Under Australia’s environment law, the Environment Minister is tasked with making recovery plans for threatened species. These plans are like a rescue roadmap. They lay out the steps needed to help species thrive in the wild again.

But successive Environment Ministers have failed to make recovery plans for hundreds of threatened species that are in desperate need of protection.

The Wilderness Society, represented by Environmental Justice Australia, was successful in a landmark legal case that will deliver stronger protections for threatened wildlife on the brink of extinction. The legal proceedings brought by the Wilderness Society against the Federal Environment Minister in March 2025 alleged that successive Environment Ministers failed to create legally-required recovery plans for at least eleven threatened species. ​​In the Federal Court proceedings, the Environment Minister conceded he failed to make mandatory recovery plans for key species and agreed to court orders to fix the breach. 

As a result of this outcome, for the first time, greater gliders, ghost bats, sandhill dunnarts and Australian lungfish will each have recovery plans—legally binding roadmaps to help them survive and recover—by July 2026. This outcome sets an important national precedent: recovery plans are not optional. They are a binding duty under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act), and governments must deliver them. 

More information about the greater glider (southern and central)

• Status: Endangered
  Recovery plan: Still no recovery plan, but a draft was released for consultation the week of 22 September 2025.
• Greater gliders are Australia's largest gliding mammal. Their First Nations names include Poong-goong, Warnda or pan’ka, bank'kii or mulyrir.
• They need hollow-bearing eucalyptus trees for food and shelter. Conservation of tall forests in Victoria, NSW and QLD is vital for their survival.
• The species underwent a severe reduction in numbers of at least 50% between 2000 and 2022 (Conservation advice, 2022, page 46).
• Their thick, dense fur ranges in colour from white to brown to black. They can glide up to 100 metres using their furry gliding membranes and tails to steer.
• Some gliders have several tree hollow nests—even up to 20 nests.