By JESSE GRAHAM
UPDATE: Thursday, 23 April
THE FEDERAL Environment Minister has said upgrading the status of the Leadbeater’s Possum to critically endangered may push toward the creation of a new national park.
Federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, who yesterday announced that the possum’s status had been updated to critically endangered, told the Mail he would be working with his state counterpart on a draft Recovery Plan to protect the possum.
“I wrote yesterday to (Victorian Environment Minister) Lisa Neville, to invite her to be part of it,” Mr Hunt said.
Mr Hunt said measures to protect the Leadbeater’s Possum, which has separate populations estimated at between 3000-11,000 in the Central Highlands and 40 in Yellingbo, could include breeding programs or eradication of feral cats.
“It’s often feral cats and we really want to focus on feral cat eradication – particularly in the Leadbeater’s Possum high breeding areas,” he said.
When asked about the push by environmental groups to establish a national park in the Central Highlands area, Mr Hunt said that it was a possibility for the state government.
“It may well be something that the state chooses to do,” he said.
“As part of the Recovery Plan, that’s a question I’ll have to answer.
“We’re absolutely not opposed to it, and… it may put more pressure on the state to do something like that.”
The Central Highlands possum population has been a figure of contention in recent years, after 45 per cent of the possums’ habitat was destroyed in the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires.
Environmental groups have been lobbying the government to establish a national park – which they have dubbed The Great Forest National Park (GFNP) – in the Toolangi State Forest region, citing logging as a threat to the possums.
Mr Hunt told the mail that timber harvesting “is a threat” to the possum, and that the recovery plan would map out ways to deal with all issues concerning the possums.
“At the end of the day, the science and the Threatened Species Scientific Committee were absolutely unequivocal that Victoria’s faunal emblem is under threat,” he said.
“Now that we’ve done this, Victoria has to manage a way through it.”
The Yellingbo population is currently the subject of Zoos Victoria’s 2014-2019 Wildlife Conservation Master Plan, with programs outlined to protect the lowland species.
VicForests’ timber operations in the Toolangi State Forest have been altered as part of an $11 million plan to protect the possum, brought in by the previous state government.
Changes include widened buffer zones around identified Leadbeater’s colonies, a move from clearfell to retention harvesting in certain areas and research projects to find ways of creating habitat for the possums, which live in old tree hollows.
Minister Lisa Neville’s office, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) and VicForests have been contacted for comment.
For the full story, see next week’s Mail.
Wednesday, 22 April
THE Federal Government has officially upgraded the status of the Leadbeater’s Possum to critically endangered, and has vowed to work with the Victorian Government to stop the species from becoming extinct.
Environment Minister Greg Hunt announced at about 3.20pm on Wednesday 22 April that the status of the possum had been upgraded at the advice of the independent Threatened Species Scientific Committee.
“The Threatened Species Scientific Committee’s recommendation was clear and unequivocal regarding the need to transfer the species from endangered to critically endangered,” Mr Hunt said.
As a result of the announcement, Mr Hunt said he had asked the Environment Department to work with the Victorian Government on a review and update of the Leadbeater’s possum draft Recovery Plan.
“This plan must be finalised and acted upon,” Mr Hunt said.
He said that the possum will receive “the highest level of protection under national environment law”, but no further measures were announced regarding protection of remaining possums or strategies to boost populations.
The possum has two populations – the lowland Leadbeater’s Possum, which are found in Yellingbo and have a population of about 40, and the central highlands Leadbeater’s Possum, which is estimated to have a population of about 1000.
The announcement follows months of anticipation for environment groups, who initially anticipated an announcement in December on the status of the possum.
State Environment Minister, Lisa Neville, has been contacted for comment.
More to come.
