Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00270:body:0:p27
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00270
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 73766–76746

notably retaining its suitable habitat and Leadbeater's possum populations (Harley 2016).

Implications for conservation management
    * Management to reduce the likelihood of extensive and severe bushfire will be critical for the long-term persistence of Leadbeater's possum in sub-alpine woodlands.

3.4.6             Lowland swamp forest
At Yellingbo the isolated Leadbeater's possum subpopulation occurs in lowland (110 m elevation) habitat that contrasts markedly with the habitat in its main range, although there have been recent detections of the possum in similar habitat at Buxton, Murrindindi and Marysville in the Central Highlands (Zoos Victoria, unpublished data). At Yellingbo, it occurs in riparian and seasonally inundated floodplain environments with forest dominated by mountain swamp gum (with canopy height of 15–25 m) with dense thickets of Melaleuca (M. ericifolia and M. squarrosa) and Leptospermum (L. lanigerum, L. scoparium and L. continentale) species (Smales 1994; Harley 2002; Harley 2005; Harley et al. 2005; Smith and Harley 2008). The major block of lowland swamp forest at Yellingbo covers an area of approximately 181 ha. However due to habitat degradation less than 20 ha of this currently provides suitable habitat for Leadbeater's possum (Greet et al. 2020). In most parts of this small area, suitable and occupied habitat now occurs only in very narrow (less than 120 m) corridors (Harley et al. 2005). Suitable tree hollows may be limiting in this habitat (Harley 2005; Harley et al. 2005) but have been compensated for through targeted provisioning of nest boxes (Harley 2004b).
It is likely that the earliest historical records of Leadbeater's possum from the Bass River and Koo Wee Rup swamp were also from broadly similar and formerly widespread lowland swamp gum woodlands (dominated by E. ovata) and dense thickets of Melaleuca and Leptospermum (Harley et al. 2005; Greet et al. 2020).

3.4.7             Decline in habitat extent, suitability and connectivity: lowland swamp forest
Most of the swamp gum forests and swampland thickets in the south-western Gippsland to Healesville region have been cleared, with only very small isolates remaining (McMahon and Franklin 1993; Harley et al. 2005; Yugovic and Mitchell 2006; Greet et al. 2020). Based on remnant vegetation, Greet et al. (2020) suggest these habitats once covered extensive areas in southern Victoria.
At Yellingbo, suitable habitat is highly restricted and about half of the Leadbeater's possum territories are considered to have declining habitat quality and have recently been abandoned by the possums (Harley 2015a). This decline in habitat suitability is due to eucalypt dieback arising from altered hydrology, habitat succession towards an older age-class that is more open in structure, and a lack of eucalypt regeneration (Harley 2015a).
A revegetation project to attempt to halt and reverse this decline in habitat quality and extent has been underway for over