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Lemuroid Ring-tailed Possum (Hemibelideus lemuroides)

The Lemuroid ringtail possum is a nocturnal, tree-dwelling marsupial found only in upland rainforest in north-east Queensland. It is endangered and depends on mature, connected rainforest with large trees, canopy food plants and tree hollows, so clearing, access tracks, road corridors and canopy removal can affect individuals and family groups on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

Breeding season

The species remains in its Queensland rainforest range throughout the year. It has no known seasonal migration, but breeding and dependent young extend across much of the wet season.

Month values are January to December: 0 means not typical, 1 means occurs, and 2 means the period of greatest management concern.

  • Breeding: Breeding and rearing typically occur from August to April, over the summer wet season. The available sources do not identify peak mating months.
  • Young: One young is typically produced. The young is reported in the pouch from about August to November and remains associated with the parents and dependent for several more months, generally to about April.
  • Movement: The species is resident and has no known seasonal or large-scale movements. It moves locally between tree hollows and feeding trees within an approximate 1 hectare home range.
  • Night activity: Adults and young are nocturnal and forage in the canopy after leaving daytime hollows. The first hour after emergence is often spent grooming and moving towards feeding trees.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and disturbance are most likely to harm the species from August to April because breeding, pouch young and dependent juveniles may be present, and occupied tree hollows may be in use during the day.

Identification

Identification is most reliable at night, when the species is detected in the canopy by its bright yellow eyeshine, distinctive body shape and noisy leaps between trees.

The Lemuroid ringtail possum is a medium-sized possum with chocolate-brown to brownish-grey fur, darker on the back, and a light brown to creamy underbelly. It has a short snout, small ears, large forward-facing eyes, a slightly bushy prehensile tail and bright golden eyeshine.

A less common creamy-white colour phase occurs, with an unusually high proportion of white animals reported from the Mount Carbine subpopulation.

Head and body: 313 to 400 mm

Tail: 230 to 384 mm, prehensile and slightly bushy

Mass: 810 to 1170 g

Identification: Distinguishing features

Bright yellow eyeshine is the most useful night-time field feature. Young animals may show silvery eyeshine, but size and eye spacing are difficult to assess when animals are high in the canopy.

The species can be confused with dark individuals of the Daintree River ringtail possum in the Mount Carbine area. The Lemuroid ringtail has more forward-facing eyes, a shorter snout, smaller ears, a more prehensile tail and bright yellow rather than unspecified eyeshine.

  • Look for a compact possum with a short face, small ears and a long, grasping tail.
  • Use the combination of bright yellow eyeshine and high-canopy location rather than fur colour alone.
  • Treat a noisy, heavy landing or crashing leap between trees as a useful supporting sign, not as a standalone identification.

Identification: Sexes and field signs

Females are generally slightly heavier than males. Family groups usually comprise a mating pair and one juvenile, although several groups may forage in the same area.

The supplied sources do not provide diagnostic descriptions of tracks or scats. Daytime evidence is more likely to be a tree hollow used as a den, while night surveys may detect yellow eyeshine, movement through the canopy and heavy landing sounds.

Adults are usually quiet in the available accounts. Young can give a keening squeak when separated from the mother, and some accounts describe adults responding with a haunting call.

  • Record the tree, height, direction of travel and eyeshine colour for each sighting.
  • Do not identify the species from a den or hollow alone, because other hollow-using arboreal mammals may use the same feature.
  • Have a qualified fauna spotter catcher assess uncertain animals, especially in the Mount Carbine area where confusion with Daintree River ringtail possums is possible.

Distribution: National range

The species is endemic to the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland and has no known distribution in any other Australian state or territory.

Lemuroid ringtail possums are restricted to upland rainforest in north-east Queensland. Most of the distribution is within the Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The known range is divided into two main disjunct subpopulations: a larger subpopulation between Ingham and Cairns, centred on the Atherton Tablelands, and a smaller isolated subpopulation on the Mount Carbine uplands.

State range: Queensland only

Bioregion: Wet Tropics bioregion

Modelled total occupied area: 2023 km²

Estimated current core occupied area: 365 km²

Distribution: Strongholds and trend

The Atherton Tablelands subpopulation is the main population area. The Mount Carbine subpopulation is smaller and isolated above approximately 1100 m elevation, with a relatively high proportion of white-form animals.

There may be very low numbers in parts of the Tablelands between 700 and 800 m elevation, but few individuals are considered likely to persist below 800 m. Some areas of the Lamb Range and Carbine Uplands have had intensive survey effort without records and may be unsuitable.

Estimated population change: Mean net population loss of 68% since 2011

Historical potential range lost: Approximately 23% due to land clearing

Known abundance estimate: No population count is provided in the supplied documents

  • Treat upland rainforest remnants between Ingham and Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands and the Mount Carbine uplands as potential habitat where suitable mature forest remains.
  • Do not assume that an absence of recent records means the species is absent from a connected rainforest block.

Habitat: Forest type and structure

Lemuroid ringtail possums require mature, primary upland tropical rainforest with connected canopy, suitable food trees and large trees that provide hollows.

The species is strictly arboreal and is associated with mature or primary rainforest rather than secondary or regrowth forest. It uses the high canopy and is most often recorded feeding between 11 and 20 m above the ground.

Large trees are important because tree size is linked to the availability of den hollows. Canopy connectivity supports movement between feeding and denning trees.

Typical feeding height: 11 to 20 m, with an average reported foraging height of approximately 16 m

Minimum patch information: The species has not been found in rainforest patches smaller than 80 hectares in the cited fragmentation study

  • Retain mature canopy trees and connected canopy wherever possible.
  • Avoid isolating retained trees within cleared areas or narrow linear corridors.
  • Map large hollow-bearing trees before clearing and include surrounding canopy and access constraints in the site plan.

Habitat: Elevation and climate limits

On the Atherton Tablelands, records are reported above approximately 480 m. On the Mount Carbine Tablelands, the species is reported above approximately 900 m, with the isolated subpopulation concentrated above 1100 m.

The lower elevation limit is associated with thermal conditions and the poorer environment for folivores at lower elevations. Extreme heat is a major current threat.

Reported Atherton elevation: Above approximately 480 m

Reported Mount Carbine elevation: Above approximately 900 m, with the isolated subpopulation above 1100 m

Heat sensitivity information: Related upland ringtail possums become biologically limited when temperatures exceed 30°C for more than 5 hours

  • Give particular attention to cool, high-elevation rainforest and sites with intact canopy when screening potential habitat.
  • Consider heat exposure and loss of cool microhabitat when assessing canopy gaps, edge creation and removal of tall trees.

Foraging habitat: Diet and food plants

The species is a selective folivore that feeds mainly in the upper canopy of mature rainforest and usually moves between several preferred food trees during the night.

The diet is almost entirely rainforest foliage. Fruit and flowers are eaten less often. Food selection is not proportional to plant availability, and the species regularly uses 16 or fewer of the 71 plant species recorded in its broader diet.

Young leaves are preferred where available. If young leaves are unavailable on preferred trees, the species may take mature leaves from those trees rather than switch to young leaves from another species.

Recorded diet breadth: 71 plant species from 21 families, with 16 or fewer species used most regularly

Main food layer: Overstorey and canopy

  • Key reported food plants include Queensland maple, Flindersia brayleyana; brown quandong, Elaeocarpus ruminatus; bollywood, Litsea leefeana; Sloanea langii; Castanospora alphandii; Endiandra sideroxylon; Ceratopetalum succirubrum; Beilschmiedia obtusifolia; Helicia lamingtoniana; Beilschmiedia bancroftii; Syzygium cormiflorum; Cryptocarya angulata; Alphitonia petriei; Alphitonia whitei; and Acmena resa.
  • Flowers, flower buds and fleshy fruit coverings are occasional food items, including flower buds of Litsea leefeana and the fleshy covering of Beilschmiedia bancroftii.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour

The species does not usually begin feeding immediately after becoming active. During the first hour of the evening it commonly sits, grooms and moves towards feeding trees, particularly during the wet season.

Individuals leap between trees and use the prehensile tail for grip and steering. Several family groups may forage in the same area, but the family unit remains the main social unit.

Approximate home range: 1 hectare

Known large-scale movement: No known seasonal or large-scale movements

  • Avoid night lighting, noisy works and canopy obstruction near known feeding trees.
  • Maintain canopy links between den trees and likely feeding trees wherever practicable.
  • Record the height, tree species and direction of movement for each observation, because feeding observations can identify important retained canopy trees.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs within mature rainforest where a pair can access connected canopy, preferred food trees and a suitable hollow for denning.

Lemuroid ringtail possums usually form a mating pair and raise one young. The young remains dependent on the parents for an extended period, and both adults may share care and a den.

The supplied documents do not provide a confirmed gestation period. Breeding is associated with the summer wet season, broadly from August to April.

Breeding season: Usually August to April, over the summer wet season

Litter size: Typically one young

Gestation: Not reported in the supplied documents

Age at first reproduction: Likely approximately 2 years

Longevity: Estimated at 4 to 6 years in the wild

Generation length: Approximately 3 years

Parental dependency: The young may remain associated with and learn from both parents for about 9 months

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Family groups usually comprise two adults and one juvenile and may share a tree hollow during the day. Several dens may be used by one family.

Breeding habitat therefore includes more than the hollow itself. Connected canopy, mature food trees and nearby large trees with alternative hollows are needed for regular movement and shelter.

  • Retain known and potential hollow-bearing trees together with nearby canopy connections.
  • Avoid clearing during the August to April breeding and dependent-young period where practicable.
  • Inspect canopy trees and hollows before works, and use a fauna spotter catcher during staged clearing where breeding habitat cannot be retained.

Sheltering habitat: Tree hollows and dens

The main daytime refuge is a tree hollow in mature rainforest. Hollow-bearing trees and connected canopy are therefore important sheltering features.

The species requires tree hollows for denning and returns to a hollow after each night of foraging. A family may share one hollow and may use several different dens.

The supplied documents do not provide a minimum hollow entrance size, internal chamber size or preferred tree diameter. Den availability is linked to the presence of large trees.

Primary daytime refuge: Tree hollow

Den use: A family of two or three may share a den, and one family may use several dens

Known hollow dimensions: Not reported in the supplied documents

  • Search for individuals in hollows before felling or limb removal, especially during daylight when possums are resting.
  • Retain hollow-bearing trees wherever possible, including trees that appear dead or partly decayed.
  • Treat connected canopy around a hollow as part of the den resource because the possum moves between the den and feeding trees through the canopy.

Sheltering habitat: Operational considerations

The species is nocturnal, so daytime clearing can directly affect animals sheltering in hollows. Night works can interrupt emergence, movement and access to feeding trees.

The species does not build a nest. Reports of foliage-filled logs as daytime dens are not specific to the Queensland Lemuroid ringtail possum in the main assessment document, so hollow-bearing trees should remain the primary survey focus.

  • Schedule pre-clearance inspections during daylight and immediately before works where hollows are present.
  • Use staged clearing that retains escape routes through connected canopy or adjacent trees.
  • Stop work and obtain fauna spotter catcher advice if a possum, dependent young or occupied hollow is found.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project risks are removal of primary rainforest, loss of large hollow-bearing trees, canopy fragmentation and heat exposure. The species has a small, fragmented range and has undergone a substantial recent decline.

Historical clearing removed an estimated 23% of the species' total potential range and fragmented rainforest across the central Atherton Tablelands. The species is highly sensitive to fragmentation and has not been found in rainforest patches smaller than 80 hectares in the cited study.

Roads, powerline corridors and other linear clearings continue to fragment habitat and can alter daily movements. Loss of canopy links can separate den trees from feeding trees and increase exposure to heat and predators.

Historical potential range lost: Approximately 23%

Fragment size finding: The species was not found in rainforest patches smaller than 80 hectares in the cited study

  • Avoid clearing primary rainforest and avoid creating narrow canopy gaps through otherwise connected forest.
  • Retain large trees, hollow-bearing trees, preferred food plants and canopy connections between them.
  • Assess indirect effects from roads, construction compounds, lighting and powerline corridors, not only the footprint of permanent clearing.

Threats: Climate, heat and severe weather

Climate change is identified as the most significant ongoing threat. Extreme temperatures and increasing mean temperatures are associated with population decline and shifting suitable habitat to higher elevations.

Cyclones may reduce habitat quality by damaging large trees and reducing den availability. The effects of cyclones on abundance have been proposed but are not formally tested in the supplied assessment.

Recent population decline: Estimated mean net population loss of 68% since 2011

Thermal limitation reported for related upland ringtails: Temperatures above 30°C for more than 5 hours can become biologically limiting

  • Minimise new canopy edges and retain tall forest that provides shade and cooler microhabitat.
  • Avoid placing temporary facilities, stockpiles or access routes within intact upland rainforest where they would increase heat and edge exposure.
  • Inspect storm-damaged trees for occupied hollows before removal.

Threats: Predation and other pressures

Carpet pythons and rufous owls are known predators and can hunt in the forest canopy. Fragmentation and canopy gaps may alter movement and exposure to these predators.

Selective logging has reduced access to large trees and hollows historically. Almost all of the current distribution is within protected area, so logging is not considered a major current or future threat across most of the present range.

The supplied documents do not identify a disease threat or a specific hydrology change threat for this species. Fire is also not listed as a specific threat in the supplied assessment, although any event that removes mature rainforest, canopy connections or hollow-bearing trees can reduce habitat.

Known predators: Carpet pythons and rufous owls

Disease evidence in supplied documents: No species-specific disease threat is identified

Hydrology evidence in supplied documents: No species-specific hydrology change threat is identified

  • Do not leave isolated hollow-bearing trees surrounded by cleared ground where canopy access is lost.
  • Keep construction lighting and night disturbance away from known den and feeding trees.
  • Record and report injured or heat-stressed animals, and follow the project fauna management plan for veterinary assessment and relocation decisions.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat and canopy assessment

Survey this nocturnal, strictly arboreal folivore in mature upland rainforest, with particular attention to hollow-bearing trees and continuous canopy. The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific survey guideline or standard survey effort, so the project ecologist must set and justify effort for the site, disturbance footprint and likely habitat.

Map mature and primary rainforest within and adjoining the disturbance footprint before selecting fauna survey points.

Record canopy continuity, large trees, tree hollows, den trees, likely canopy food trees and connections between retained forest patches.

Give particular attention to rainforest above about 480 metres elevation on the Atherton Tablelands and above about 900 metres on the Mount Carbine Tablelands, while recognising that the species' current distribution is restricted and uneven.

Typical home range: Approximately 1 hectare

Common foraging height: 11 to 20 metres, with an average of about 16 metres reported

Key den feature: Tree hollows in primary forest

  • Inspect the full clearing area and a suitable adjoining area for habitat that could support arboreal movement, denning and foraging.
  • Record the location, species and condition of likely food trees, including Flindersia brayleyana, Elaeocarpus ruminatus, Litsea leefeana and Beilschmiedia bancroftii.
  • Identify breaks in canopy, roads, powerline corridors and isolated forest patches because the species is sensitive to fragmentation and relies on canopy connectivity.

Survey methodology: 2. Nocturnal spotlighting

Conduct targeted spotlighting after dark because the species is completely nocturnal and remains active through the night.

Search the upper canopy and connected tree crowns from the ground, elevated access points or other safe observation locations that provide a clear view without entering unsafe work areas.

Use the bright yellow eyeshine as the principal detection cue, and listen for noisy jumps between trees or the sound of an animal landing in the canopy.

Activity period: Nocturnal

Social group commonly observed: A family unit of two adults and one young

Useful identification feature: Bright yellow eyeshine

  • Survey during suitable night conditions selected by the ecologist, avoiding conditions that prevent safe observation or make canopy detection unreliable.
  • Record the date, start and finish time, weather, observers, route or observation points, distance searched and canopy visibility for every survey night.
  • Record each detection as precisely as possible, including coordinates, height, behaviour, direction of movement, group size and whether the animal appears to use a hollow or food tree.
  • Treat a single observation as material evidence because the species has undergone an estimated 68 per cent mean net population loss since 2011.

Survey methodology: 3. Canopy, hollow and movement checks

Combine nocturnal searches with daytime inspection of mature trees and canopy connections because the species rests in tree hollows during the day and may return to the same den after each night of foraging.

Use binoculars or other non-invasive methods to inspect hollows, canopy junctions and likely den trees from a safe distance.

Do not rely on ground searches alone, because the species is arboreal and usually forages 11 to 20 metres above the ground.

Day shelter: Tree hollows, with a family sometimes sharing one den

Movement pattern: No known seasonal or large-scale movements

Habitat requirement: Primary forest and continuous canopy

  • Inspect each tree proposed for removal for hollows, large limbs, trunk cavities and canopy links to retained forest before clearing approval is given.
  • Map den trees and canopy links that can be retained, and identify whether construction access or machinery will sever a movement route.
  • Do not use a den inspection result as proof that a tree is unoccupied unless the method and timing are adequate for this nocturnal species.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Prepare a site-specific survey design that states the number of nights, survey hours, observation points or transect length, area covered, conditions and detection limitations, because the supplied documents do not specify a standard effort for this species.
  • Increase effort where mature upland rainforest, hollow-bearing trees, canopy gaps or recent records occur within or beside the project area.
  • Have a suitably experienced ecologist assess any uncertain identification, especially where dark-form animals could be confused with Daintree River ringtail possums near Mount Carbine.
  • Submit verified records, including negative survey results where required by the approval, to the relevant Queensland wildlife records database and the Australian national biodiversity records system used by the project.
  • Include maps, raw detection data, photographs where available, survey conditions, observer details, habitat descriptions and the basis for concluding whether the species may be present.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Avoid clearing mature upland rainforest wherever practicable. The main pre-clearing priorities are to retain primary forest, tree hollows and connected canopy, and to confirm Commonwealth and Queensland requirements before work starts.

Redesign the footprint to retain mature and primary rainforest, large hollow-bearing trees, den trees and continuous canopy.

Avoid clearing rainforest patches smaller than 80 hectares where this would further isolate habitat, because the species has not been found in patches below that size and is highly sensitive to fragmentation.

Retain canopy connections across roads, service corridors and work areas wherever practicable.

Fragmentation sensitivity: The species is highly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and logging

Minimum patch observation: Not found in rainforest patches smaller than 80 hectares

Historical potential range loss: An estimated 23 per cent

  • Keep clearing out of mapped upland rainforest and the highest quality mature forest available within the project area.
  • Protect retained trees and their root zones from earthworks, stockpiles, vehicle parking, trenching and accidental canopy damage.
  • Retain food trees used by this selective folivore, including Flindersia brayleyana, Elaeocarpus ruminatus, Litsea leefeana and Beilschmiedia bancroftii.
  • Use staged clearing so that retained forest remains connected while each work area is assessed and made safe.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project controls

Check whether the proposed action may have a significant impact on this EPBC Act listed species and obtain advice on referral requirements before finalising the construction method.

Confirm Queensland threatened species requirements, permits, survey obligations and fauna handling authorisations before clearing.

Set out the approved footprint, habitat exclusions, survey findings, fauna procedures, stop-work triggers and reporting requirements in the project environmental or fauna management plan.

National status: Endangered under the EPBC Act

Queensland status: Endangered

Main protected range: Most of the distribution is within the Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area

  • Do not assume that tenure inside the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area removes the need for project approvals or species-specific controls.
  • Obtain written approval for any relocation, capture, handling or release work and use only suitably authorised fauna personnel.
  • Give the spotter catcher authority to pause clearing when a possum, occupied hollow or unexpected high-quality habitat feature is found.
  • Include emergency contacts for the project ecologist, fauna spotter catcher, Queensland wildlife authority, veterinarian and wildlife carer.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete the targeted survey and habitat inspection before machinery enters the clearing area.

Mark retained trees, hollow-bearing trees, den trees, food trees, canopy links and exclusion areas on plans and in the field.

Install exclusion fencing or other clearly visible controls where they can keep machinery, workers and materials away from retained habitat.

  • Brief all operators and supervisors on the species' appearance, bright yellow eyeshine, nocturnal behaviour, arboreal location and stop-work procedure.
  • Schedule high-risk tree work for a period that allows a qualified fauna professional to inspect the trees and manage any animal found before work proceeds.
  • Check trees and canopy routes immediately before clearing, because a family may share a hollow and use several different dens.
  • Ensure the work area can be made safe without forcing an animal to descend to the ground or cross a cleared gap.

During habitat disturbance: Daily clearing controls

Clear in small, controlled stages under the direction of the fauna spotter catcher. The spotter catcher must work ahead of machinery, maintain safe exclusion distances and stop work whenever an animal or occupied habitat feature is detected.

Inspect the approved clearing boundary, exclusion zones, retained trees and access routes each day before work begins.

Use the fauna spotter catcher to monitor the clearing face, canopy and trees being removed while machinery is operating.

Clear progressively towards retained habitat where this is safe and consistent with the approved method, while preventing animals from being driven into active machinery areas.

  • Keep machinery within the approved footprint and maintain marked exclusion zones around retained rainforest, hollow-bearing trees and canopy links.
  • Use a slow, staged approach to tree removal so the spotter catcher can inspect each tree and respond to fauna movement.
  • Do not leave felled trees, branches or debris where they block the only safe route to retained habitat.
  • Suspend work during conditions that prevent the spotter catcher from safely observing the canopy or communicating with operators.

During habitat disturbance: Hollows, logs and other habitat features

Treat every hollow-bearing tree as potentially occupied until checked by an appropriately authorised fauna professional.

Retain hollow-bearing trees and connected canopy wherever practicable because the species requires tree hollows for denning and returns to its den after foraging.

Use a documented procedure for any approved removal of a hollow-bearing tree, including inspection, staged lowering where safe, fauna observation and post-felling checks.

Known den feature: Tree hollows

Den use: A family of two or three may share a den, and a family may use several dens

Primary habitat: Primary upland rainforest

  • Do not move or destroy a den tree, hollow log or large cavity without the spotter catcher's direction and the required approval.
  • Inspect felled hollow-bearing material for animals before cutting, mulching, burning or removing it from the site.
  • Place any retained hollow log in nearby suitable forest only when directed by the ecologist, and record its original and final location.
  • Do not assume that rocks, burrows or wetlands are primary habitat for this species, but manage them under the broader project fauna procedure where other fauna may be present.

During habitat disturbance: Animal encounter and stop-work response

Stop work immediately if a lemuroid ringtail possum is seen, enters the clearing zone, is located in a tree being removed or is found injured.

Keep workers, vehicles and machinery away from the animal and maintain visual contact without chasing it through the canopy.

Allow a healthy animal to move naturally into nearby retained forest where the ecologist considers the route safe and connected.

  • Do not handle, capture or relocate the possum unless the person is authorised and the action is approved under the project fauna procedure.
  • Do not place the animal on the ground, in a cage or in an artificial den unless directed by an authorised wildlife professional.
  • If capture is necessary, use the least stressful lawful method and release the animal into nearby suitable retained habitat assessed by the ecologist.
  • Take an injured or compromised animal to a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer through the project emergency contact process.
  • Record the location, time, condition, behaviour, photographs where safe, handling details, release location and names of all personnel involved.
  • Do not recommence work until the spotter catcher and project ecologist confirm that the animal has moved or that an approved management response is complete.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

The project team must confirm that clearing did not leave animals, occupied hollows or unsafe canopy breaks in the work area. Retain controls and monitor the remaining forest because the species has a small home range, low annual reproduction and strong dependence on mature forest.

Complete a final inspection of the cleared area, felled trees, hollow material and adjoining retained forest before demobilising the spotter catcher.

Check for animals sheltering in felled trunks, branches, machinery areas or isolated retained trees.

Confirm that all approved habitat exclusions, canopy links and den trees remain intact and that no unapproved clearing has occurred.

  • Undertake additional nocturnal checks where a possum was detected, a den tree was removed or clearing created a new canopy break.
  • Record and investigate any unexpected animal record, injured animal, mortality, hollow loss or damage to retained forest.
  • Update the project map with final clearing limits, retained habitat, relocated material and any areas requiring rehabilitation.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained mature rainforest and canopy connections using repeat targeted searches where required by the approval or fauna management plan.

Use the same observation points, routes and recording standards where possible so changes in detections can be interpreted.

Report all confirmed records, mortalities, relocations, habitat damage and compliance incidents to the approval holder and relevant government authorities within the required timeframe.

Population trend reported in the nomination: Estimated mean net population loss of 68 per cent since 2011

Generation length: Approximately 3 years

Typical reproductive output: Usually one young per year

  • Submit verified species records to the relevant Queensland wildlife database and the national biodiversity records system used by the project.
  • Provide the regulator with survey effort, dates, weather, observer details, detection data, maps, photographs and the outcome of each fauna encounter.
  • Keep daily spotter catcher logs, machinery exclusion records, tree inspection forms and post-clearance checklists with the project environmental records.
  • Review monitoring results and add controls if retained habitat becomes isolated, canopy connections fail or possums continue to use areas affected by the works.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

Assess residual impacts after avoidance, minimisation and rehabilitation measures have been applied.

Where an approval requires offsets, ensure they protect and manage suitable mature upland rainforest, hollow-bearing trees and canopy connectivity rather than replacing these features only with young regrowth.

Document why any residual loss cannot be avoided and link the offset proposal to the species' known habitat requirements and threats.

  • Do not count a generic revegetation area as equivalent to established primary rainforest containing large den trees.
  • Include long-term management actions for fragmentation, canopy connectivity, invasive weeds, severe weather impacts and fire where relevant to the approved offset.
  • Record the location, tenure, management commitments, timing and success measures for any offset or conservation action.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore rainforest structure and food plants

Rehabilitation should rebuild mature, connected upland rainforest around retained habitat. It will not quickly replace the large trees, selective food resources and hollows used by this species, so protect existing forest first and measure recovery over the long term.

Revegetate cleared edges and corridors with locally appropriate Wet Tropics rainforest species that support a continuous canopy and the species' known folivorous diet.

Prioritise locally sourced plant material from the relevant upland rainforest community and include known food plants where suitable, including Flindersia brayleyana, Sloanea langii, Elaeocarpus ruminatus, Castanospora alphandii, Endiandra sideroxylon, Litsea leefeana and Beilschmiedia bancroftii.

Design planting to reconnect retained canopy and reduce the width and persistence of gaps created by roads, powerlines or construction.

Foraging layer: Mostly overstorey and canopy trees, commonly 11 to 20 metres above ground

Diet: Almost entirely foliage, with fruit and flowers eaten less frequently

Known food plants: The nomination records 71 plant species from 21 families, with 16 or fewer used most regularly

  • Protect planted areas from browsing, trampling, vehicles, soil disturbance and weed competition until a closed, connected canopy is developing.
  • Retain natural regeneration wherever it is healthy and compatible with the approved rehabilitation objective.
  • Do not describe young plantings as replacement den habitat until they develop suitable large-tree hollows.

Rehabilitation actions: Replace lost shelter features

Retain sound hollow-bearing trees and large fallen timber wherever safe and practicable.

Where an approved action removes a den tree, assess whether a suitable artificial hollow or nest box can provide interim shelter in nearby retained forest, recognising that this is not a substitute for natural mature trees.

Place retained logs and other woody debris to support forest structure without blocking fauna movement or creating a fire or safety hazard.

Natural shelter: Tree hollows

Family den use: Usually a family unit of two adults and one young may share a den

Den behaviour: Animals return to a den after each night of foraging

  • Use a qualified ecologist to select the location, design and height of any nest box or artificial hollow.
  • Inspect artificial shelters and retained hollow features after installation and during monitoring, and repair or replace them if they fail.
  • Record the number, location, design and inspection result for every artificial shelter.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats and measure success

Control weeds and protect regenerating rainforest so the restored canopy can reconnect retained forest.

Manage fire in accordance with the approved ecological fire plan, keeping fire impacts away from mature rainforest and hollow-bearing trees.

Include predator and feral animal controls only where a project assessment identifies a relevant, lawful and effective action, because the supplied documents identify carpet pythons and rufous owls as natural predators rather than project control targets.

Known habitat sensitivity: The species is strongly reliant on primary forest and highly vulnerable to fragmentation and logging

Known patch response: Populations decreased by 97 per cent in secondary forests according to the cited Animal Diversity Web account

Movement requirement: Canopy connectivity supports home range and movements

  • Monitor plant survival, canopy development, weed cover, retained hollow condition, artificial shelter use and canopy connectivity at defined intervals in the rehabilitation plan.
  • Use nocturnal spotlighting and daytime habitat inspections to check whether possums return to restored or protected habitat, recording effort and conditions each time.
  • Set success measures that include survival of planted food trees, protection of existing hollows, reconnection of canopy and confirmed use by the species where feasible.
  • Continue maintenance and monitoring until the approved success measures are met, rather than stopping when initial planting is complete.

Sources