Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00270:body:0:p60
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00270
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 165202–168275

future). It should also include areas of current and projected old-growth forests; and such expansion should increase the connectivity of the reserve system, as well as protecting a range of other values.

Action 2.6 – Priority: Urgent
Assess the feasibility, risks and cost-effectiveness of fire management options that seek to deliver long-term, strategic and landscape scale enhancement of the extent, and quality of current and future suitable habitat. Develop and implement fire management that effectively secures and promotes long-term, strategic and effective protection of known colonies and suitable habitat.
This action relates to populations across the entire range, including the sub-alpine (snow gum) woodlands and lowland swamp gum forest habitats. It addresses the primary pervasive threat to the possum and its habitat. This action will build on the East Central Bushfire Risk Landscape management plan (Department of Environment and Primary Industries 2014d), which encompasses all of the Leadbeater's possum range. This plan assessed the bushfire risk to known Leadbeater's possum colonies and high-quality habitat, and modelled the extent to which fuel management in adjacent areas reduced this risk.
In implementing this action, management needs to evaluate options relating to short- and long-term planning, local and landscape scales, cost-effectiveness, and risks. It needs to consider pre-emptive fire management actions, responses to bushfires, and post-fire remediation, within the context of the objectives of the Code of Practice for Bushfire Management on Public Land (Department of Sustainability and Environment 2012).

Action 2.7 – Priority: Essential
Develop a suite of priority responsive actions designed to maintain or recover populations as rapidly as possible after extensive bushfire. These actions may include rapid survey to locate and assess the viability of any colonies surviving in small unburnt patches, targeted provision of nest boxes or food supplementation, as appropriate.
This action recognises that extensive bushfires will likely occur during the life of this Plan, or in coming decades, and that such fires will pose a significant risk to the viability of the species. Such fires will also likely be hazardous to people. Rapid and strategic responses following bushfire are required to maximise the retention of Leadbeater's possums surviving within the burnt landscape, and to recover populations as quickly as possible in formerly occupied, but now burnt, habitat. These post-fire recovery guidelines will be substantially informed by research Action 5.3. It is also recognised that a rapid response may not be possible in situations that present risks to people, property and infrastructure. Predation by cats and foxes could become a more significant issue following major fires, given these predators may target recently burned sites.

Action 2.8 – Priority: Essential
Where research on habitat augmentation (Action 5.4) (including the provision of nest boxes, artificially excavated hollows, and manipulation of