Посум Лидбейтера: исчезающий символ Австралии.

Species of marsupial

Leadbeater's possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) is a critically endangered possum largely restricted to small pockets of alpine ash, mountain ash, and snow gum forests in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia, north east of Melbourne. They also go by the common name of fairy possum. On 2 March 1971, the State of Victoria made the Leadbeater's possum its faunal emblem.

Leadbeater's possum is thought to have evolved about 20 million years ago. It was not discovered until 1867 and was originally known only through five specimens, the last one collected in 1909. From that time on, the fear that it might be extinct gradually grew into near certainty after the swamps and wetlands in Australia around Bass River in south west Gippsland were drained for farming in the early 1900s. By the time of the 1939 Black Friday fires, the species was thought to have been extinct. Then, on 3 April 1961, a member of the species was rediscovered by naturalist Eric Wilkinson in the forests near Cambarville, and the first specimen in more than 50 years was captured later in the month. In 1961, a colony was discovered near Marysville. Extensive searches since then have found the existing population in the highlands. However, the availability of suitable habitat is critical: forest must be neither too old nor too young, with conservation efforts for Leadbeater's possum involving protection of remaining old growth stands, and maintenance of younger stands that are allowed to attain hollow bearing age. The combination of 40 year old regrowth (for food) and large dead trees left still standing after the fires (for shelter and nesting) allowed the Leadbeater's possum population to expand to an estimated peak of about 7500 in the early 1980s. From its peak in the 1980s, the Leadbeater's possum population was expected to further decline rapidly, by as much as 90%,

Leadbeater's possums are rarely seen as they are nocturnal, fast moving, and occupy the upper storey of some of the tallest forest trees in the world. They live in small family colonies of up to 12 individuals, In addition, female Leadbeater's possums are more aggressive in nature, often engaging in frequent fights with other females, including their own daughters. Due to the constant attacks, young females are forced to leave much earlier than their male brothers, which results in the extremely high male to female ratio of 3:1. destroyed in the bushfires of February 2009 – large areas of forest around Toolangi, Marysville, Narbethong, Cambarville and Healesville – the species' status is currently in doubt. Consequently, in December 2012, David Lindenmayer and Zoos Victoria's threatened species biologist, Dan Harley, submitted an application to the federal government for a revision of the species status, providing evidence that it should be relisted as critically endangered. The then minister for the environment, Tony Burke, agreed with the nomination and forwarded the application to the scientific committee of the EPBC Act requesting urgent consideration. On 22 April 2015, it was decided to relist the species as critically endangered. The only remaining population outside the Central Highlands is located at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. Harley has estimated this population to be fewer than 50.

As the species is endangered and occupies a restricted range, logging continues to pose a critical threat to the Leadbeater's possum. The logging in 1993 of "much of the possum's habitat, known as zone one" a five hectare reserve east of Powelltown, followed a "mapping error". Author Peter Preuss stated that the possum's population faltered in 1997 with current habitat (limited to a 50 square kilometre area) under threat from logging. He emphasised the need to relaunch a breeding program. Despite a joint federal and state government plan to save it, since the 1980s, the Leadbeater's possum population halved to around 2000 even before the Black Saturday fires. Many more were killed early in 2007 when the government backed enterprise company, VicForests, bulldozed large firebreaks through Leadbeater's monitoring stations following the Christmas fires – firebreaks and clear felling also prevent breeding with nearby colonies. Studies have shown that clear felling operations, such as the logging run in state forest between the Yarra Ranges National Park and Mount Bullfight Conservation Reserve in February 2006, led to the deaths of most possums in the area—"Adult animals have a strong affinity with their home range and are reluctant to move". Salvage logging since the fires has posed a further risk to this extremely diminished population with clear felling also approved by VicForests in the few remaining unburnt areas, such as the Kalatha Creek area of Toolangi State Forest in 2010, a move opposed by the Yarra Ranges Shire Council. In 2012 MyEnvironment challenged VicForests' operations in three planned coupes in the Toolangi forest in the supreme court. The basis of their claim being that "VicForests did not undertake adequate pre logging surveys prior to logging in an area that we claim meets Leadbeater's habitat and therefore should not have been logged." The proposed logging is to supply (taxpayer subsidised) pulp to manufacture 'Reflex' copy paper—a product of Australian Paper owned by the Japanese company, Nippon Paper Group. During the case, film was recorded of a Leadbeater's possum in the contested coupe area. The case was lost by MyEnvironment due to inconsistencies in the wording of the Leadbeater's Possum Action Statement (10 years out of date) and the forestry prescriptions adhered to by VicForests. The group immediately appealed the decision by the presiding judge Justice Osborne, and the supreme court accepted there was a sound basis for an appeal to the original determination. A supreme court appeal was heard on 24 June 2013 before three judges and MyEnvironment was represented in court by Julian Burnside QC. The appeal was lost.

Previously feral cats had only been considered a peripheral threat to Leadbeater's possums, but recent research has found video evidence of cats preying on possums leaving nesting boxes, and of possum remains in stomach contents of trapped feral cats. It is now considered that cats may be a more significant threat to possum populations, particularly in areas already disturbed by logging or bushfires.

On 27 June 2013 the Napthine led State government passed legislative changes to allow VicForests access to Victoria's forests for the next 25 years and to be self monitoring (this follows the success of other recent cases preventing logging of remaining possum habitat). According to The Wilderness Society, "the Victorian government [is] virtually signing the death warrant of the remaining 500 or so Leadbeater's possums." These changes to the Sustainable Forests (Timber) Act 2004 will have implications not only for the Leadbeater's possum but to the biodiversity, carbon storage and water catchments of the forests.

On 22 April 2015, Greg Hunt, the Minister for the Environment, announced that the Leadbeater's possum would be listed as a "critically endangered" species under the EPBC Act. Following uproar from the logging industry & the National Party it was soon placed under re assessment. On the eve of an ABC 4 Corner episode on "Extinction" (24 June 2019) the then Environment Minister, Sussan Ley announced that it would be re listed as "critically endangered". Of its ash forest habitat, about 30% is protected, while the rest is allocated to logging. In addition there is a small isolated, genetically distinct, population protected within the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. The park would protect the area between Kinglake, Baw Baw and Eildon national parks, which is also important for Melbourne's drinking water and as a carbon sink. Since 2004, the Friends of Leadbeater's Possum community group has been active in raising the animal's profile and lobbying for its conservation. Through a joint community/government program, "Project Possum" has installed approximately 200 plastic nest boxes in the wild. Many of these nest boxes were paid for by a community fundraising campaign. The nest boxes are primarily used to assist with ongoing population monitoring and supplement the declining forest habitat. Project Possum has targeted two forest types: montane ash forest (i. e. Mt Ritchie, Dowey Spur, Ben Cairn) and sub alpine woodland (i. e. Mount Baw Baw, Lake Mountain, and Mount Bullfight). The nest boxes are routinely checked for habitation every one or two years. Nest boxes located in the sub alpine woodland tend to have a high uptake, while those located in montane ash forest have very limited uptake. An additional 50 nest boxes are due for installation in 2015–16.

Des Hackett is credited as the first person to successfully breed the Leadbeater's possum in captivity. In May 2006, the last Australian specimen at the time, held at Healesville Sanctuary, died. In January 2010, Kasia, at the time the last captive Leadbeater's possum worldwide, died at Toronto Zoo. of the few Lake Mountain Leadbeater's possums remaining after the 2009 bushfire led to three remaining individuals being taken into captivity for their own protection. One animal has since died. There are no plans to release the remaining two animals despite a further two colonies of Leadbeater's possums having recently been located at Lake Mountain in remnant gully vegetation. These two Lake Mountain animals are now on public display in the Nocturnal House as ambassadors for the species. Healesville Sanctuary's captive breeding program for Leadbeater's possums recommenced in May 2012 and now comprises 6 individuals from the genetically distinct Yellingbo population. as of 2015, they are housed as pairs in large enclosures off display, but are yet to breed.

On 14 September 2017, National Geographic reported that the Leadbeater's possum was the 7,000th animal photographed for The Photo Ark by Joel Sartore. The project's goal is to photographing all species living in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries around the globe in order to inspire action to save wildlife.