The Central Highlands ( Melbourne's Water Catchments ) - March 2006

Regional News - Forests and Water

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Victoria's Faunal Emblem -Leadbeater's Possum

28/03/06 One left as possum dies in captivity, AAP, The Age - Online Central Highlands - March 06 Links (news; possum; schools)

One left as possum dies in captivity

March 28, 2006 The Age - Online

Only one member of the endangered possum species that is Victoria's state faunal emblem remains in captivity after its mate died in a Melbourne sanctuary.

Leadbeater's possum, which lives in the mountain ash forests of the state's central highlands, was considered extinct until it was rediscovered in 1961 and a successful captive breeding program started.

But the death of the second-last Leadbeater's possum at the Healesville Sanctuary has ended that program, author Peter Preuss said yesterday.

Mr Preuss, the biographer of the late amateur naturalist Des Hackett, said Mr Hackett had remarkable results breeding the possums in captivity. By the 1980s he was able to hand over breeding colonies to zoos throughout Australia, with the hope the offspring could one day be released in the wild.

"Unfortunately, the Leadbeater's possum is a very politically sensitive animal," he said. "Because their natural range is almost exclusively within Victoria's timber harvesting areas, Leadbeater's possums were never released. Instead, colonies were exported to zoos throughout the world."

"Today, there are just 1000 left in the wild and only one lonely individual remains in captivity (in Victoria)," he said.

AAP

T4F News Links

16/04/06 Death puts spotlight on Leadbeater plight - John Elder - The Age - Central Highlands - April 06

18/02/06 - A possum stares extinction in the face - By Tracee Hutchison - The Age - Opinion - February 18, 2006 - Central Highlands - Feb06

10/02/06 - Royston blockade restarts with treesit and community walk-in - Media Release - Friends of the Earth - Feb 10, 2006 Central Highlands - Feb06

06/02/06 - Stop destruction of old growth trees & endangered wildlife on Melbourne’s fringe - Media release ACF - 6-Feb-2006 - Central Highlands - Feb06

06/02/06 - Anti-loggers stage protest - Herald / Sun - Central Highlands - Feb06 - Links

Birds in hand worth more in the bush - The Age - Central Highlands - Feb06

Links to Leadbeater's Possum

ww.australianfauna.com

Leadbeaters Possum - Unique Ausralian Animals website

ABC Earthbeat - 27/05/95: LEADBEATERS POSSUM

Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies at ANU - Leadbeater's Possum home page

Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies at ANU - Friends of Leadbeater's Possum Inc.

David Lindenmayer's Research on Leadbeater's Possum

A Smith' s research on the Diet of Leadbeaters Possum, Gymnobelideus Leadbeateri (Marsupialia). ( CSIRO publishing )

The Central Highlands Alliance TCHA - Campaign to Save the Central Highlands (including Leadbeater's Possum )

To book trips to view habitat destruction - contact Sarah Rees, Sarah Rees <sarah@tcha.org.au>

Other Threatened species of The Central Highlands - Also TCHA website

Join Dr David Lindenmayer for stag-watching evenings in Melbourne's water catchments in December, January and March. - Contact: Sera Blair Ph: (03) 5962 4043 Email: blair@nex.net.au Hosted by WWF Australia

NAFI |Article - Media article by Warren Lang - Deputy Executive Director of NAFI National Association of Forest Industries

Special Links for Schools

- using Leadbeaters Possum for :-

VCE Environmental Science 2005–2008 - Unit 3: Ecological issues: energy and biodiversity

This unit focuses on two major ecological issues which provide challenges for the present and the future. The consequences on the atmosphere of natural and enhanced greenhouse effects, and issues of biodiversity and its significance in sustaining ecological integrity, will be examined.

Outcome 2

Describe the characteristics of biodiversity, and evaluate strategies to reduce the effects of threatening processes on one selected endangered animal.

This outcome will contribute 30 marks out of 100 marks allocated to School-assessed Coursework for Unit 3. It will be assessed by one or more tasks, which will contribute a total of 30 marks.
Task/s
Description

A report on one selected endangered animal presented in any one or combination of the following:

a written report
an oral report
a multimedia presentation.

Designing the assessment task - from VCAA website

Melbourne Grammar School - Senior School Bulletin (Feb 2006) - botttom page 5 - students on an excursion to understand issues about Leadbeater's Possum for VCE Environmental Studies

Complete

DSE - Toolangi Fieldwork Programs for schools ; Toolangi Forest Education Service ; Main Road Toolangi 3777 Victoria ; Telephone: (03) 5962 9318 Facsimile: (03) 5962 9022 ; Email: foresteducation.toolangi@dse.vic.gov.au

DSE - Primary Forest Activities

DSE - Secondary Fieldwork Activities

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Friday 17th March 2006

Draft Code of Forest Practice proposes to stop logging in East Gippsland near rainforest sites

- Victorian Rainforest Network - Press Release

Today the Victorian Rainforest Network has welcomed changes to the draft Code of Forest Practices that propose to protect core areas within rainforest sites of National Significance in East Gippsland. In total there are about 100 Rainforest Sites of Significance (RSOS) in East Gippsland which area rated as being of National, State or Regional significance. Only a third of these sites are within dedicated reserves such as National Parks, the rest are located within State Forest.

At stake is a 480 ha area of very contentious forest within the East Gippsland State Forest area (some of this area has already been logged) located with 10 National RSOS. The proposal means the national sites will have the buffers to protect against logging increased to a sub-catchment level to protect core rainforest stands.

Rainforest covers only 9,600 ha or less than 1% of all the public land in East Gippsland.

"The Victorian Rainforest Network (VRN) has been working for the past three years with government processes to amend the Code of Forest Practice. If these proposed changes stick, this will be a small win for the environment. There are currently at least five areas (coupes) currently scheduled to be logged within the 480ha buffer area that will not go ahead if these changes occur" said spokesperson Simon Birrell for the Victorian Rainforest Network.

"VRN has argued that the existing Code already required a logging ban in these areas but a level of ambiguity within the current Code has meant Forestry Victoria could ignore the existing Code prescriptions and log these areas. Now the new draft Code acknowledges there is ambiguity in the current Code and proposes to protect these areas once and for all."

"Unfortunately about 15% of this 480 ha area in East Gippsland has already been clearfell logged over the past ten years. This includes places where very bitter confrontations between conservationists and the native forest logging industry have occurred. They include protests at Dingo creek in 2001 and Goolengook in 2002."

"VRN tried unsuccessfully though correspondence to get Forest Victoria to postpone logging at Dingo creek. VRN argued that logging would pre-empt planning decisions as there was a good chance the Code review would increase buffers. This was ignored and a 40 ha area within the National RSOS in the Dingo Creek area was logged as recently as last year."

"The whole management of all 180 RSOS across Victoria has never been made publicly transparent by the government. These are ecologically very important places that need an independent umpire to decide how they should be managed."

Links

Victorian Rainforests Network - website home ; Mismanagement ; Photos of Victorian Rainforest ; Overview of Victoria's Rainforests