87 results for tag: Victorian Wildlife

Environmentalists say federal laws fail to protect threatened species like Leadbeater’s possum

By Rachel Carbonell. Updated Tue 20 Aug 2013, 2:36pm AEST. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-20/federal-laws-fail-to-protect-threatened-species/4899322 Environmentalists say the plight of Victoria's Leadbeater's possum epitomises a national failure to protect endangered species. The elusive endangered possum, which is the state's official animal emblem, is restricted to pockets of ash forests in the Central Highlands of north-east Victoria. Australian National University ecologist David Lindenmayer has studied these ash forests for 30 years. He says a combination of logging and fire has left them in dire need of protection and rehabilitation. "...

Possum ‘needs more room’ to survive

Tom Arup. August 16, 2013. Environment editor, The Age http://www.theage.com.au/environment/animals/possum-needs-more-room-to-survive-20130815-2rzka.html Victoria's endangered faunal emblem, the Leadbeater's possum, has insufficient habitat to ensure the species' long-term survival, a leaked report commissioned by the state government has found. The findings have potential implications for Victoria's timber industry, with the cabinet-in-confidence report suggesting tens of thousands more hectares of forest habitat is needed to give Leadbeater's the best chance of avoiding extinction. The research - from the state government's Arthur Rylah Institute ...

Push for reserve to go under park’s wing

Tom Arup. August 8, 2013. Environment editor, The Age http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/push-for-reserve-to-go-under-parks-wing-20130807-2rgq2.html A 3000-hectare State Emblems Conservation Area would be created on Melbourne's eastern fringe as part of efforts to help stave off extinction for two Victorian species under the recommendations of a major review. An 18-month, government-commissioned study has called for the conservation area to be established, bringing together 13 existing reserves and 364 hectares of other land and inscribing it under the National Parks Act. The largely unknown and tiny Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve - which ...

New national park proposal to save the Leadbeater’s possum – radio broadcast

Updated Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:27pm AEST http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-13/new-national-park-proposal-to-save-the-leadbeaters/4884744?section=vic The leading expert on Victoria's faunal emblem, the Leadbeater's possum, says the creature faces certain extinction if governments don't take urgent action. Professor David Lindenmayer of the ANU says one thing that's absolutely essential is the creation of a new national park, protected from logging, in the mountain forests east of Melbourne. Mark Colvin

Loggers to help save possum

Tom Arup. June 14, 2013. Environment editor, The Age http://www.theage.com.au/environment/conservation/loggers-to-help-save-possum-20130613-2o75y.html Under increasing pressure to ensure the survival of Victoria's endangered faunal emblem, Leadbeater's possum, the Napthine government will create a taskforce headed by the timber industry and Zoos Victoria to consider how to save the species. The move was immediately rejected by green groups, which refused to take part and criticised the creation of another committee when there was already a scientific recovery team dedicated to saving it. Scientists say the possum lost more than 40 per cent of its ...

No Excuse for Habitat Destruction

www.sciencemag.org on May 15, 2013 IN THE PAST, MOST LOSSES OF SPECIES HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF ignorance or an unfortunate catastrophic event (1, 2). We now see a government in a developed nation taking calculated actions to drive an endangered species to  extinction. To counter biodiversity loss, the most widely used strategy is to establish reserves. Hence, a system of protected areas was established in 2008 for Leadbeater’s possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri)— the faunal emblem of the Australian state of Victoria. This reserve system is based on a population viability analysis that uncovered the best strategy for costeffectively securing the ...

The gathering tragedy in our forests

May 29, 2013 David Lindenmayerhttp://www.theage.com.au/victoria/the-gathering-tragedy-in-our-forests-20130529-2naih.html   Victoria's forests are beset by problems - and time is running out to provide solutions. Mention forest issues in Australia and almost everyone thinks of seemingly endless battles in Tasmania. Yet few people realise that large parts of the Victorian forest estate are in far worse shape than Tasmania's. This is because of the tiny fraction of remaining old growth, the rapid rate of overcutting of dwindling sawlog resources and the widespread use of antiquated and highly damaging clearfelling methods. Furthermore, the ...

Experts warn Victorian logging laws may drive Leadbeater’s possum to extinction

By Simon Lauder. ABC Online Updated Mon May 27, 2013 7:16pm AEST http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-27/extinction-alarm-raised-for-possum/4715780 The Victorian Government has been accused of deliberately driving the state's prized animal emblem to extinction, by allowing logging in its habitat. There are only an estimated 1,500 Leadbeater's possums left in the wild and the Federal Government wants the species to be put on the critically endangered list. In a letter published in the journal Science, two conservation scientists have accused the Victorian Government of taking calculated actions to substantially reduce the viability of the endangered ...

Leadbeater’s possum – in pictures

theguardian.com, Monday 27 May 2013 05.49 AEST The Leadbeater's possum, the state of Victoria's faunal emblem, is an IUCN-listed endangered species http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2013/may/26/leadbeaters-possum-endangered-in-pictures#/?picture=409429441&index=0

Loggers Will Own Victoria’s Forests

By Nicholas Croggon. 7 May 2013. Published on newmatilda.com (http://newmatilda.com) The Victorian Government is on the verge of handing over control of the state's forests to an unprofitable, poorly-regulated logging corporation - potentially for decades, writes Nicholas Croggon In recent weeks, we have heard a lot about Tasmania?s new Forest Agreement [6], and the struggles to adequately protect Tasmania?s native forests from logging. However, what you might not realise is that in Victoria, things are also about to change. The State Government has put forward a new bill, to be debated in Parliament today, to provide "security" for Victoria?s ...