By JESSE GRAHAM
THE LEADBEATER’S possum could face extinction if logging is not scaled back, according to a leading expert, who has also called for a new national park to protect the species.
And the Victorian Association of Forests and Industry (VAFI) has said said that the possum is also an important issue and the subject of an advisory group.
Australian National University Professor David Lindenmayer told a meeting at Healesville’s Memorial Hall that forests around Toolangi and central highlands, which had beed damaged in the Black Saturday fires, needed to be preserved.
Prof Lindenmayer, who has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers on mountain ash forests, spoke of the studies he has undertaken over the last 30 years.
“I think it’s really important to understand that forests are long-term things and it takes a lot of data gathered over many years to gain an understanding of what’s happening in these systems,” he said.
Using graphs and examples from studies, Mr Lindenmayer marked the drop in populations of Leadbeater’s possums due to logging and fires through the area.
He said that old-growth trees, which are used as habitat for the possums and other creatures, aren’t occurring due to the cycle of logging, which cuts down trees before they can reach the prime age.
Mr Lindenmayer said that old-growth forests are needed because of their fire resistance, their ability to store carbon and provide drinking water.
Mr Lindenmayer put forward the idea for a new national park that would encompass the area around the central highlands and mountain ash forests and would be free from logging.
The propsed park would stretch from Kinglake through to the Baw Baws, north-east to Eildon and could be the host of numerous activities to bring tourists to the area.
Most importantly, Mr Lindenmayer said a protected forest would give the opportunity for the trees and animal populations to recover from the losses caused by fires and logging.
In response to the 12 August meeting, VAFI CEO Lisa Marty said the group was also concerned for the population of Leadbeater’s possum.
“VAFI and its members are committed to responsible forest management, including conservation of biodiversity and threatened species, alongside timber production,” she said.
VAFI is co-convening an advisory group alongside Zoos Victoria to develop recommendations for future recovery of the Leadbeater’s possum population.
“VAFI is involved because, besides their significant environmental values, our forests have social and economic values that also need to be taken into account,” Ms Marty said.
“The latest science from Leadbeater’s possum experts, including the work of David Lindenmayer, will be considered by the advisory group.”
