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Leadbeater's Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri)

Leadbeater's possum is a small, nocturnal, arboreal marsupial found mainly in Victoria's Central Highlands, with a recently confirmed population in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales. On development sites, the main concerns are loss of hollow-bearing trees, removal of dense connected vegetation, fire, and disturbance of small, territorial colonies.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Critically endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Critically endangered.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Critically endangered.

Breeding season

Timing varies between the Central Highlands and the isolated lowland population. Highland breeding is concentrated in winter and spring, while lowland breeding may occur throughout the year.

Survey and clearing decisions should account for breeding and dependent young throughout the year, particularly in lowland habitat where breeding may be year-round.

  • Breeding: Highland animals may breed twice a year, with winter and spring breeding reported. Lowland animals may breed year-round.
  • Young: Young remain in the pouch for 80 to 93 days, emerge from the nest at about 111 days and remain in the natal territory for 7 to 14 months for females and 11 to 26 months for males.
  • Dispersal: Female young generally disperse earlier, at about 10 months, while males disperse at about 15 months. Dispersal is not restricted to a defined season.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing can damage den trees and colony habitat at any time because colonies are sedentary and use multiple hollows. Risk is highest during the winter to spring breeding period and when pouch young or dependent young are present.

Identification

Leadbeater's possum is a small, fast-moving possum with a dark stripe along the middle of the back. It is most reliably detected by watching hollow-bearing trees at dusk or using remote cameras along canopy and mid-storey pathways.

The upperparts are grey to greyish brown and the underparts are paler. A prominent dark mid-dorsal stripe runs from the nose towards the base of the tail. The ears are large, thin and rounded. The tail is club-shaped, being broader towards the tip than at the base.

Adults have a head and body length of 15 to 17 cm and a tail length of 14.5 to 18 cm. Body weight is commonly within 100 to 170 g, with seasonal averages of about 122 g in spring and 133 g in autumn.

Identification: Distinguishing features

The most important field distinction is from the Sugar Glider. Leadbeater's possum lacks a gliding membrane and has a club-shaped tail, whereas a Sugar Glider has a gliding membrane and a different tail shape.

Both species can use tree hollows, so any Sugar Glider detected during a survey should be identified carefully. A dark midline, pale underside, lack of a gliding membrane and club-shaped tail support identification as Leadbeater's possum.

Identification: Field detection and signs

During the day, search for large hollow-bearing trees that may contain den sites, as well as scratches on tree trunks and scats beneath trees. These signs are not described in the supplied documents as diagnostic on their own, so confirm records with direct observation, camera images or other suitable methods.

Stag-watching is a primary detection method. Watch a suitable hollow-bearing tree for 30 minutes before dusk and continue until 60 minutes after sunset. Remote cameras can be left in place for 3 to 4 weeks, preferably on known or likely travel pathways in the canopy or dense mid-storey. Canopy cameras may need to be installed by trained tree-climbing personnel.

  • Do not treat an absence of animals from a single hollow or a short observation period as evidence that the site is unused.
  • Record the tree location, tree condition, hollow characteristics, surrounding vegetation and any animal emergence or camera detection.

Distribution: National range

The species is concentrated in south-eastern Australia. Its established Victorian range is patchy, and recent camera records have confirmed that the species also persists in New South Wales.

In Victoria, the core range is in the Central Highlands, across an area of about 70 by 80 km and generally between 400 and 1,200 m above sea level. The species is patchily distributed through montane ash forest and subalpine woodland.

A genetically distinct lowland population occurs at Cockatoo Swamp near Yellingbo, in lowland floodplain forest at about 110 m above sea level. Suitable habitat there occupies less than 20 ha within approximately 181 ha of forest.

In New South Wales, remote camera images reviewed in 2025 confirmed the species at two sites in Kosciuszko National Park, about 28 km apart. Targeted surveys were planned to clarify the distribution of this newly confirmed population.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Historically recognised Victorian strongholds include the Lake Mountain, Mount Bullfight and Mount Baw Baw areas. The Baw Baw Plateau and Lake Mountain have also been identified as areas with a high probability of occurrence.

The species contains two genetically distinct Victorian subpopulations that have occupied different habitat types: the main Central Highlands population and the isolated lowland population near Yellingbo. The New South Wales population is now an additional confirmed occurrence outside the formerly accepted Victorian range.

Distribution: Population size and trend

A single current national population estimate is not provided in the supplied documents. Long-term monitoring in Victoria recorded a decline of more than 50 percent in possum occurrence across monitored sites between 2000 and 2018, with the proportion of sites occupied falling from about 20 percent to about 10 percent.

The Yellingbo population was estimated at 80 to 100 individuals between 1995 and 2004, fell to about 60 individuals by 2012 and to about 40 individuals in 2014. The Victorian population is projected to undergo a reduction of 80 percent or more over three generations, equivalent to 18 years, based largely on the loss of hollow-bearing trees.

Victorian monitoring period: 2000 to 2018

Decline in monitored occurrence: More than 50 percent

Yellingbo population in 2014: About 40 individuals

Three generations: 18 years

Habitat: Habitat types

Leadbeater's possum needs a combination of hollow-bearing trees, dense connected vegetation and reliable food resources. A site with only one of these features is unlikely to provide a complete territory.

The main habitat is montane ash forest dominated by Mountain Ash, Alpine Ash or Shining Gum. The species also occurs in subalpine Snow Gum woodland, including vegetation along drainage lines, and in lowland swamp forest dominated by Mountain Swamp Gum with a dense mid-storey of Melaleuca or Leptospermum.

The Central Highlands population generally occurs between 400 and 1,200 m above sea level. The isolated Yellingbo population occurs at about 110 m. The species has also been recorded across a broader elevational range, including sites up to 1,541 m in a body-weight study.

Habitat: Vegetation structure

Suitable habitat has a dense, interlocking canopy or secondary tree layer with continuous branches for movement. Dense Acacia understorey is an important foraging feature, and smooth-barked or gum-barked eucalypts provide food resources, loose bark and shelter for insect prey.

The lowland population uses young, dense stands of swamp forest as well as habitat containing hollow-bearing trees and a connected canopy or mid-storey. Young stands of about 20 to 40 years can have high stem density, but hollow-bearing trees remain necessary for denning.

  • Retain large living and dead hollow-bearing trees.
  • Retain dense mid-storey, canopy connections and Acacia-rich understorey.
  • Avoid reducing a site to a narrow strip of vegetation. Linear habitat strips as narrow as 80 m may not meet the species' social and dietary needs.

Habitat: Fire and stand age

The species is generally absent from burned sites, including sites affected by low or moderate severity fire, until suitable vegetation structure and den resources return. It is also not expected in clear-felled and regenerated montane ash forest where hollow-bearing trees are absent.

Large hollows suitable for occupation generally require trees at least about 120 to 150 years old, and trees with the larger internal hollows used by the species are commonly more than 150 years old.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Leadbeater's possum feeds above ground within a relatively exclusive territory. It travels between den trees and feeding areas through dense, connected vegetation rather than crossing open ground.

The diet includes carbohydrate-rich plant and insect secretions, including Acacia gum, sap from paperbarks and tea-trees, eucalypt nectar, manna and honeydew. It also eats arthropods, including tree crickets and other invertebrates.

In montane ash forest, animals may incise Acacia stems and feed on the gum released from the wound. In lowland swamp forest, paperbarks and tea-trees may be incised.

Foraging habitat: Foraging structure and area

Foraging areas need dense, continuous vegetation with interconnecting lateral branches or high stem density. The species rarely descends to the ground and moves by running and jumping between trees because it has no gliding membrane.

Colonies usually defend territories of 1 to 3 ha. Animals travel between den trees and feeding areas, and the distance between nest sites used by one colony may exceed 100 m. A narrow habitat strip can therefore remove access to enough food or separate feeding areas from den trees.

Typical territory: 1 to 3 ha

Possible distance between nest sites: More than 100 m

Movement mode: Running and jumping through connected vegetation

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs within established colonies that have access to several secure hollows and enough nearby food. The breeding pair and dependent young remain associated with the colony territory.

Colonies usually contain one breeding pair, although colonies with two breeding females have been recorded. The species is generally monogamous, and breeding is limited by the number of mature females.

Highland animals may breed twice a year, with breeding reported in winter and spring. The lowland Yellingbo population may breed year-round. Young remain in the pouch for 80 to 93 days, emerge from the nest at about 111 days and remain in the natal territory for many months.

Breeding season: Usually winter and spring in the highlands; year-round breeding has been reported in the lowlands.

Litters per year: Up to two.

Litter size: Usually about 1.5 young on average, with a maximum of two young.

Pouch period: 80 to 93 days.

Emergence from nest: About 111 days.

Age at first breeding: Typically 2 years.

Adult longevity: About 10 years.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding colonies need multiple hollow-bearing trees within a defended territory, not just a single nest tree. Hollows in large dead trees are used most often, but living hollow-bearing trees are also important.

The den trees must be close to dense foraging vegetation with Acacia and other food plants. Retain hollow-bearing trees together with the surrounding canopy, mid-storey and understorey that connect the den sites to feeding areas.

  • Treat all suitable hollow-bearing trees within and near a colony territory as potential breeding resources.
  • Avoid removing dense vegetation around retained trees, because isolated hollow trees may not provide usable breeding habitat.

Sheltering habitat: Hollow-bearing trees

Tree hollows are the principal daytime refuge and nesting resource. Colonies use several den sites and may move between them within their territory.

Leadbeater's possum shelters in hollows during the day and is strongly associated with large hollow-bearing trees. Most occupied trees are dead hollow-bearing trees, but living hollow-bearing trees are also used.

Suitable trees generally have large internal hollow dimensions, in the order of 30 cm in diameter. Trees providing these hollows are usually more than 150 years old, and hollow availability is a limiting factor for population size.

Typical hollow dimension: About 30 cm internal diameter

Typical age of trees with suitable hollows: Usually more than 150 years

Den sites per colony: Multiple sites within a territory

  • Retain dead stags and living trees with hollows, including trees that may become future hollow-bearing trees.
  • Inspect retained trees for hollows before clearing, including hollows that are partly concealed within the trunk or canopy.
  • Protect the surrounding vegetation and avoid sudden exposure of retained trees to wind and drying.

Sheltering habitat: Colony refuge requirements

Colonies occupy territories of 1 to 3 ha and maintain multiple den sites. Nest trees are often close to the centre of the home range, so clearing near a hollow-bearing tree can affect the colony even if the tree itself is retained.

The species rarely descends to the ground. Open ground, isolated trees and broken canopy connections can therefore prevent movement between refuges and feeding areas.

Threats: Clearing, logging and fragmentation

The greatest risks are the loss of hollow-bearing trees and the removal or burning of connected foraging vegetation. Because hollows take many decades to form, damage to mature trees can affect colonies long after a project is complete.

Clearing removes hollow-bearing trees, den sites, food plants and the connected vegetation used for movement. Clear-felling followed by burning can kill animals and leave retained trees with little immediate habitat value.

Logging and clearing can also expose retained and adjacent trees to wind and drying, increasing their mortality and collapse rate. A retained hollow tree without surrounding foraging habitat may not support a colony.

  • Map all large living and dead hollow-bearing trees before works begin.
  • Avoid clearing within the connected vegetation used between den trees and feeding areas.
  • Do not assume that a narrow retained strip or an isolated habitat tree will maintain a colony.

Threats: Fire

High-severity wildfire can directly kill possums and remove suitable habitat. Monitoring after the 2009 fires found few, if any, animals surviving in burned montane ash forest sites, regardless of fire severity.

Repeated fires can remove large hollow-bearing trees before replacement trees have had time to develop hollows. Fire frequency and intensity are expected to increase under climate change.

  • Prevent unnecessary ignition, hot works impacts and fire escape near suitable habitat.
  • Do not burn cleared vegetation or logging residue near retained hollow-bearing trees without assessing the effects on the trees and any colony using them.

Threats: Predators and competition

Feral Cats are known to prey on Leadbeater's possums, although the total population effect is difficult to estimate.

Sugar Gliders use the same type of tree hollows and are increasing in some Mountain Ash forest. Competition may exclude Leadbeater's possums from a reduced supply of nesting hollows.

Threats: Hydrology and other site changes

At Yellingbo, eucalypt dieback, reduced regeneration and a more open forest structure have been associated with declining habitat quality. Hydrological changes are considered a possible cause, and altered habitat has contributed to territory abandonment and fragmentation.

The supplied documents do not identify a species-specific disease threat or quantify road mortality. Roads and construction access should nevertheless be managed to avoid clearing hollow-bearing trees, severing canopy connections, increasing vehicle access for predators or causing uncontrolled fire.

  • Maintain existing drainage and water conditions in lowland swamp habitat unless approved ecological investigations show that change is safe.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers and ecologists to inspect hollows and connected habitat before clearing or construction.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat and signs search

Leadbeater’s Possum is a nocturnal, arboreal possum that is difficult to detect unless surveys target hollow-bearing trees, den sites and movement pathways. Survey effort must cover both the highland ash forest population and, where relevant, lowland swamp forest habitat at Yellingbo or newly identified sites in New South Wales.

Before selecting detection methods, inspect the site during the day for large hollow-bearing trees, dead stags, connected midstorey or canopy, dense Acacia, smooth-barked eucalypts and feeding signs such as incisions or sap flows.

Search for scratches, scats, den entrances and other signs around hollow-bearing trees and along likely movement routes.

Use a stratified design where the site contains different vegetation communities or disturbance histories. The survey guideline recommends surveys for study areas of 5 hectares or less, with replication within habitat types for larger areas.

Key habitat features: Large hollow-bearing trees, usually more than 150 years old, dense connected vegetation, Acacia understorey, smooth or gum-barked eucalypts and loose bark.

Typical territory: Approximately 1 to 3 hectares, with multiple den sites.

Survey methodology: 2. Stag-watching

Watch old living or dead hollow-bearing trees for animals emerging from dens.

Begin 30 minutes before sunset and continue until 60 minutes after sunset.

Where possible, have experienced observers watch all hollow-bearing trees on a site on the same night, because the species is patchily distributed and may leave several den trees in sequence.

Give stag-watching priority over trapping where hollow-bearing trees are present. It has detected Leadbeater’s Possum more effectively than spotlighting or trapping in comparative work.

Recommended observation period: 30 minutes before dusk to 60 minutes after sunset.

  • Record the tree location, tree type, hollow characteristics, observation time, number of animals, direction of travel and any identifying features.
  • Avoid shining lights directly into occupied hollows for prolonged periods and keep observers quiet and separated enough to avoid double counting.

Survey methodology: 3. Spotlighting and thermal searches

Conduct spotlighting in fine weather during spring, summer or autumn, when conditions are considered most suitable for monitoring.

Search connected canopy and midstorey, hollow-bearing trees, den trees and known movement pathways rather than relying only on ground-based views.

Use thermal cameras with other methods, such as call playback, where available. The species is fast moving and mostly arboreal, so searches must allow for animals travelling above the ground.

Treat a failure to detect the species by spotlighting alone as inconclusive where suitable hollow-bearing trees or dense connected vegetation are present.

  • Record the date, start and finish times, weather, observers, route or transect, area searched and all detections or non-detections.
  • Use the same route, timing and observer approach on repeat surveys where results are intended to be compared.

Survey methodology: 4. Remote cameras and nest boxes

Deploy remote cameras for 3 to 4 weeks where direct observation is not practicable or where the site contains likely travel routes.

Place cameras along pathways used within home ranges and between den trees and feeding areas. High-mounted cameras may be needed in montane ash forest, with canopy specialists able to install cameras up to 36 metres above ground.

Inspect existing nest boxes only where this can be done safely and under an approved species management procedure. Nest boxes can also support longer-term monitoring, but they do not replace protection of natural hollow-bearing trees.

Use camera images to confirm identification, particularly where Sugar Gliders are present.

Minimum camera deployment identified in the guidance: 3 to 4 weeks.

Potential high-canopy camera height: Up to 36 metres, using canopy specialists.

  • Record camera height, location, orientation, deployment and retrieval dates, habitat features in the field of view, trigger settings and all detections.
  • Do not place cameras or nest boxes in a way that blocks den entrances or disrupts normal movement.

Survey methodology: 5. Trapping, hair sampling and call playback

Use arboreal Elliott B or cage traps only under an approved method and with experienced personnel. Leadbeater’s Possums are extremely difficult to capture and do not readily enter traps.

If trapping is justified, the survey guidance identifies five consecutive days as the minimum trapping period for the species group.

Arboreal hair sampling can assist identification where a suitable sample is available. Place devices at appropriate canopy or midstorey height and have samples identified by a qualified specialist.

Use call playback as an additional method, not as the sole basis for declaring presence or absence.

Identified trapping effort: Five consecutive days.

Hair identification: Possible for Leadbeater’s Possum where a reasonable sample is available.

  • Avoid trapping during unsuitable weather and follow animal welfare, checking and release requirements in the relevant state or territory approval.
  • Confirm any suspected detection with photographs, expert review or another reliable method because Sugar Gliders may use the same hollows.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • For a site up to 5 hectares, combine daytime habitat searches with stag-watching, and add spotlighting or remote cameras where hollow-bearing trees, dense connected vegetation or other suitable habitat are present.
  • For sites larger than 5 hectares, replicate surveys across each relevant vegetation community, fire history and disturbance category.
  • Use cameras for 3 to 4 weeks or trapping for five consecutive days where those methods are selected.
  • Submit confirmed records, including negative survey information where relevant, to the relevant state wildlife database and provide records to the project regulator or approval authority.
  • Report survey dates, effort, weather, methods, observer qualifications, locations, habitat features, photographs, identification evidence and any limitations that could affect detection.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat any site with suitable hollow-bearing trees and connected dense vegetation as potential Leadbeater’s Possum habitat until targeted survey demonstrates otherwise. The species is listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act, and recent records also confirm its presence in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales.

Avoid clearing large living or dead hollow-bearing trees, especially trees with large internal hollows of about 30 centimetres diameter or more.

Retain surrounding Acacia understorey, dense interconnecting canopy or midstorey, loose bark and smooth or gum-barked eucalypts, because retaining an isolated hollow tree without foraging and movement habitat provides little immediate value.

Keep den trees, feeding areas and movement routes connected through retained vegetation. Linear strips may be insufficient where they do not provide the species’ social and dietary requirements.

Use the 200 metre radius protection zone applied around new detections in Victorian harvestable areas as a reference for planning, then confirm the legally required buffer or exclusion area with the relevant regulator and approval documents.

  • Locate the work footprint, access tracks, laydown areas and machinery routes outside occupied or high-quality habitat wherever practicable.
  • Do not assume that a recently burned, logged or regenerated site is suitable, but inspect adjoining retained forest because animals may use nearby unburned habitat and den trees.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Check whether the proposed action requires referral or approval under the EPBC Act because Leadbeater’s Possum is nationally listed as Critically Endangered.

Check state threatened species legislation, wildlife permits, animal ethics requirements and any local conditions before survey, trapping, tree inspection, capture or relocation.

Prepare a species-specific fauna management plan that identifies retained habitat, exclusion areas, survey methods, qualified personnel, stop-work triggers, rescue arrangements and reporting requirements.

Stage works so that high-risk tree removal and other disturbance occur only after pre-clearance surveys and habitat marking are complete.

Avoid scheduling disturbance during periods of severe fire risk and plan works around fine-weather survey conditions in spring, summer or autumn.

  • Include the species in the project’s threatened species constraints map and induction material.
  • Nominate the fauna spotter catcher, project ecologist, site supervisor, wildlife carer and veterinary contact before works begin.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete targeted pre-clearance surveys in all suitable habitat, including the area around proposed clearing and any access or staging areas.

Mark every hollow-bearing tree, dead stag, den tree, nest box, connected canopy route and other retained habitat feature that could be affected by machinery or wind exposure.

Inspect hollow-bearing trees from the ground and use an approved specialist inspection method where occupation cannot be determined safely from the ground.

Install exclusion fencing around retained habitat where it can prevent machinery access without severing movement routes or trapping animals.

Brief all machinery operators and supervisors on the species’ appearance, nocturnal activity, habitat features, stop-work triggers and emergency contacts.

  • Set out no-go areas in a form that machinery operators can see from the cab.
  • Check that fencing, signage, lighting and temporary access routes do not block den entrances or narrow the retained canopy and midstorey.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Leadbeater’s Possum may remain in a hollow, nest box or dense canopy during works. A fauna spotter catcher must work ahead of machinery, maintain clear communication with the operator and stop work whenever an animal or occupied habitat feature is encountered.

Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the clearing sequence, marked exclusion areas, habitat features, weather, lighting, communication signals and the location of the wildlife care kit.

The fauna spotter catcher must inspect the immediate work area before each clearing shift and remain in a position where the operator can see or contact them.

Clear from the outside of the retained habitat towards the approved work area, leaving escape routes towards retained vegetation and avoiding driving machinery beneath retained hollow-bearing trees.

Use low-speed, staged clearing around hollow-bearing trees and dense canopy, with the spotter catcher able to stop the operator before contact with a tree, branch, nest box or animal.

Keep night lighting away from retained den trees and avoid unnecessary noise or activity around occupied hollows.

  • Stop machinery immediately when the spotter catcher gives the agreed stop signal.
  • Do not restart until the spotter catcher and site supervisor have confirmed that the animal, habitat feature or hazard has been managed and the restart is authorised.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling

Do not fell or disturb a hollow-bearing tree that may be occupied until the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist have assessed it under the approved management plan.

Retain dead stags and large hollow-bearing trees wherever practicable. If an approved removal is unavoidable, use staged dismantling and inspect each section for fauna before it is moved.

Keep logs, hollow limbs, loose bark and other retained shelter features on site where safe, and do not burn or bury them without approval.

Protect dense midstorey, Acacia food plants, wetland vegetation and connected canopy around retained trees, particularly in lowland swamp forest.

Do not use salvage logging or post-fire clearing as a default response in potential habitat. Fire-damaged trees may continue to provide hollows and refuge.

  • Treat any nest box as occupied until it has been checked under the approved procedure.
  • Keep felled hollow limbs stable and shaded if they are being retained as temporary refuge or habitat material.
  • Record the location and fate of each removed or retained hollow-bearing tree and any fauna found within it.

During habitat disturbance: Animal encounter, rescue and stop-work response

Stop work and establish a quiet exclusion area if a Leadbeater’s Possum is seen, heard, trapped, injured or found in a hollow, nest box, log or tree section.

Do not chase, handle or relocate the animal unless the person is authorised under the relevant approval and trained in handling arboreal mammals.

Allow an uninjured animal to move towards nearby retained habitat where safe. If capture is necessary, use the least stressful approved method and release it into suitable nearby retained habitat identified in the fauna management plan.

Place an injured animal in a secure, dark, ventilated container and arrange prompt assessment by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer.

Stop work if an occupied hollow-bearing tree is identified, if exclusion fencing is damaged, if the approved buffer cannot be maintained, or if the animal cannot move safely to retained habitat.

  • Do not feed, give water to, or release an injured animal without veterinary or wildlife carer direction.
  • Record the species identification, location, time, condition, action taken, handler, release location and photographs where this can be done without further disturbance.
  • Notify the project ecologist and relevant regulator when a listed animal is injured, killed, relocated, or found outside the approved impact area.

During habitat disturbance: Records and incident reporting

  • Maintain daily records of cleared areas, survey effort, habitat features inspected, trees removed, animals encountered, rescues, relocations, injuries, mortalities, weather and stop-work events.
  • Map all confirmed detections and occupied or potentially occupied den trees, and update the project constraints map before further clearing.
  • Report unexpected detections, mortality, injury, unauthorised habitat damage or failure of an exclusion control in accordance with the approval and fauna management plan.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the original photographs, coordinates and field notes.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection and controls

Post-clearance work must confirm that no animal or occupied habitat feature was missed and that retained habitat remains connected, protected and usable. Monitoring should focus on hollow availability, vegetation structure and occupancy rather than relying on a single observation.

Complete a final inspection of the cleared footprint, felled tree sections, retained trees, nest boxes, logs and exclusion fencing before the area is handed back to the construction team.

Inspect areas around removed hollow-bearing trees and dense vegetation for animals that may have remained hidden during clearing.

Repair or maintain exclusion fencing, tree protection, signage and access controls for the duration specified in the approval or fauna management plan.

Remove temporary materials, spoil and machinery from retained habitat and ensure that access tracks do not sever canopy or midstorey connections.

  • Recheck retained hollow-bearing trees after high winds, fire or other events that may cause collapse.
  • Do not remove retained habitat features simply because clearing is complete.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat and any restoration area using repeatable methods suited to the site, such as stag-watching, remote cameras, spotlighting and habitat assessments.

Use remote cameras for 3 to 4 weeks where cameras are part of the monitoring design, and repeat observations at the same locations and times where trend data are required.

Track hollow-bearing tree survival, hollow availability, canopy and midstorey connectivity, Acacia density, fire effects and any new detections or evidence of use.

Report monitoring results, incidents, corrective actions and compliance with approval conditions to the regulator and land manager.

  • Use the same coordinates, effort, season and detection method for repeat monitoring wherever practicable.
  • Submit confirmed post-work records to the relevant state wildlife database.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and corrective action

Apply any offset, restoration or compensatory habitat requirement specified by the EPBC Act approval, state approval or project conditions.

Where clearing has damaged retained habitat, implement corrective action promptly, such as removing machinery from the exclusion area, stabilising retained trees, restoring connectivity or replacing damaged nest boxes.

Do not treat planting alone as an immediate replacement for a large hollow-bearing tree. Suitable hollows generally depend on trees more than 150 years old, and hollow recruitment is slow.

  • Document the area, condition and management actions for any offset or compensatory habitat.
  • Escalate continuing decline in hollow-bearing trees, repeated animal absence, fire damage or new predator impacts to the project ecologist and land manager.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild species-specific vegetation structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild the habitat structure used for denning, movement and feeding, while protecting existing hollow-bearing trees because replacement hollows will not develop quickly. The design should reflect whether the site supports montane ash, subalpine woodland or lowland swamp forest habitat.

Protect and retain existing large living and dead hollow-bearing trees throughout rehabilitation and future maintenance.

Plant or encourage locally appropriate Mountain Ash, Alpine Ash and Shining Gum in montane ash forest, Snow Gum in subalpine woodland, and Mountain Swamp Gum with Melaleuca or Leptospermum in lowland swamp forest.

Establish a dense, continuous midstorey or secondary tree layer that allows animals to move between den trees and feeding areas without regularly descending to the ground.

Maintain an Acacia-rich understorey in montane ash habitat and retain smooth-barked or gum-barked eucalypts that provide food, shelter and nesting material.

Use local provenance and site-appropriate species, and control competing weeds until planted and regenerating vegetation is established.

  • Do not create narrow isolated planting strips where they cannot support a colony’s denning, feeding and movement requirements.
  • Protect regeneration from browsing, grazing, machinery and repeated disturbance.

Rehabilitation actions: Replace lost shelter and retain habitat material

Retain suitable fallen hollow limbs, logs and loose bark on site where they do not create a fire or safety hazard.

Install nest boxes only as an interim or supplementary measure under a monitored design. Nest boxes do not replace natural hollow-bearing trees.

Place nest boxes near connected canopy and foraging habitat, inspect them under an approved procedure and record occupancy, condition and maintenance.

Do not remove fire-killed hollow trees solely because they are dead. They may continue to provide habitat while standing.

Natural hollow resource: Large hollow-bearing trees commonly have internal hollow dimensions of about 30 centimetres or more and are usually more than 150 years old.

  • Use a qualified ecologist to specify nest box design, height, orientation, access and monitoring arrangements for the local population.
  • Replace or repair damaged nest boxes and remove unsafe boxes before they become hazards.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, predators and wetland habitat

Manage fire risk around retained and restored habitat in accordance with the relevant fire authority and ecological fire plan, avoiding repeated high-severity fire before replacement hollows and dense vegetation have developed.

Prevent feral cat access or reduce feral cat impacts where approved predator control is practicable, because feral cats prey on Leadbeater’s Possums.

In lowland swamp habitat, maintain suitable hydrology, wetland vegetation and a connected middle storey of Mountain Swamp Gum, Melaleuca and Leptospermum.

Avoid drainage, altered water levels and works that further open the forest structure at lowland sites.

  • Inspect restored habitat after fire, flood, drought and major storm events.
  • Coordinate fire and weed management so that control works do not remove den trees, dense midstorey or Acacia food resources.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Monitor survival and condition of retained hollow-bearing trees, nest box occupancy, vegetation cover, canopy or midstorey connectivity, Acacia and other food plants, feral cat activity and fire impacts.
  • Use stag-watching and remote cameras to test whether Leadbeater’s Possums use restored or retained habitat, with cameras deployed for 3 to 4 weeks where that method is selected.
  • Set success measures for each site in the rehabilitation plan, including survival of planted trees, establishment of connected vegetation, retention of hollow-bearing trees and evidence of fauna use.
  • Continue monitoring for long enough to detect structural change, because natural hollow recruitment and development of mature habitat take many decades.
  • Report monitoring results to the land manager, regulator and relevant state wildlife database, and revise weed, predator, fire or nest box management when results do not meet the approved targets.

Sources