Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00270:body:0:p47
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00270
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 128669–131693

30 March 2020, the Australian and Victorian Governments modernised and extended all Victorian RFAs until 30 June 2030. All five RFAs provide mechanisms to enhance protection of threatened species, including commitments to:
    * maintain a Forest Management System that provides for the protection and management of Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) that will take into account relevant Commonwealth principles, policies and statutory plans.
    * continue to improve, where necessary, the research, monitoring, management, reporting, evaluation and communication mechanisms as part of its adaptive Forest Management System.
The modernised RFAs also have new commitments to work together with Traditional Owners to protect Country.

5.4                 Victorian state policy and planning
Victoria has approximately 8.2 million ha of forests, including native forest and plantations on public and private land. Of this, 6.2 million ha is in the five Victorian RFA regions, with 5.6 million ha of native forest, 0.41 million ha of commercial plantation and 0.13 million ha of other forest. Approximately 81% of Victoria's forested land is Crown land – including around 3 million ha in forested parks and conservation reserves and around 3 million ha in State forests. In addition, private landholders manage 1.45 million ha of forest of which around 422,000 ha are plantations.
The Leadbeater's possum is protected under Victoria's state policy and planning framework. Although protection applies to both public and private land, the possum is found almost exclusively on public land, with around 3% of modelled habitat occurring on private land.
Within the formal reserve system (national parks and conservation reserves), current land planning documents prepared by Parks Victoria under the National Parks Act 1975 (Vic) include the Yellingbo Liwik Barring Landscape Conservation Area 10 year plan 2021, the Baw Baw National Park Management Plan 2005 and the Yarra Ranges National Park Management Plan 2002.
The Leadbeater's possum's range (about 93%) is almost entirely within the Central Highlands RFA area, with the remainder in the Gippsland RFA and the North East RFA. The current forest management plan prepared under the Forests Act 1958 (Vic) for the Central Highlands is over 20 years old (Department of Natural Resources and Environment 1998). As agreed under the modernised RFAs, a new forest management plan for the area is currently under preparation. For more detail on Victoria's forest management system, including forest zones, see Overview of Victoria's Forest Management System on DEECA's website.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action undertakes risk assessments for species and communities that have been listed as threatened under Victoria's FFG Act or the Commonwealth EPBC Act and are potentially impacted by forestry operations across Victoria's five RFA regions. This became a new requirement in the modernised RFAs. Leadbeater's possum was assessed in March