Victoria's forestry fight: how the election is raising the environmental stakes

Major parties want 'sustainable logging' in native forests, but experts warn of 'endgame' for endangered species and drinking water

To understand the campaign to save Victoria's old growth forests, ecologist David Lindenmayer says, you just need to turn on a tap in Melbourne.

Forget about the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum, a species in which Lindenmayer is a global expert, or the vulnerable greater glider. Forget, too, about the carbon value of the mountain ash forests of the Victorian central highlands, which are among the most carbon-dense forests in the world.