Great Forest National Park a done deal to protect Leadbeater possums

The Victorian Government adopted a plan to create the Great Forest National Park back in May, making a “mockery” of the consultation period.

The Allan Government signed off on a recovery plan for the Leadbeater's possum in May, which locks it into creating the Great Forest National Park.

The Allan Government has already laid the groundwork to create the Great Forest National Park, lodging a plan with the federal government in May that requires it to lock up 300,000ha of Victoria’s Central Highlands to protect Leadbeater’s possums.

Action 2.5 of the plan, which is marked “urgent”, requires the Allan Government to implement “a substantial expansion of the current reserve system to encompass all areas of high likelihood of occurrence of the species (currently and in the future)”, estimated at 300,000ha.

The plan’s adoption, under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, means failing to expand the reserves within a new Great Forest National Park risks the Victorian Government facing legal action from environmental groups.

“Given the current state and prognosis of Leadbeater’s possum, all sites at which the species has recently been recorded are important and merit protection; as do all areas at which there is a reasonable likelihood of its occurrence as indicated by occupancy and population viability analysis (PVA) modelling,” the plan states.

Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said locking in the plan “makes a mockery” of the Victorian Government’s public consultation on whether to lock up the Central Highlands in a new national park.

“Locking up more land in national parks will guarantee more serious bushfires and less opportunity for people to enjoy our natural environment,” Mr Chester said.

Victorian Opposition Environment spokesman James Newbury said the plan “added a big legal padlock to more of our public land”.

“It’s further proof of a con – that the government has a secret plan to lock Victoria away.”

But Victorian Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos’ office said “the Leadbeater’s Possum Recovery Plan is a commonwealth initiative that sets a national framework to coordinate recovery efforts across states, it does not require Victoria to create national parks.”

The federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water’s website states “the recovery plan for Leadbeater’s possum has been made jointly with the Victorian Government under the EPBC Act”.

One Labor Party source said it was clear the Victorian Government had led the charge on adoption of the latest plan, despite ending native timber harvesting on January 1 this year, which environmentalists had long argued was a threat to the possum.

Both the Allan and Albanese governments now argue the possum is at risk from “fire, climate change as well as other challenges which will occur for many decades to come”.

While the possum is listed as critically endangered, a search of Victoria’s Biodiversity Atlas shows Leadbeater’s colonies have been recorded and verified at 3264 sites, with anywhere from 3 to 10 animals per colony – representing a total population ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 animals.

Some of the Leadbeater's possum colony sightings in Victoria's central highlands

In contrast the population of the critically endangered species helmeted honeyeater is about 200, barred bandicoots 1500 and orange-bellied parrots less than 100.