14 – The multiple benefits of monitoring threatened species: Leadbeater’s possum^197throughout the montane ash forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria. The
‘stag-watching’ method has been employed each year since 1983 (except 1985 and
1986) in which all large, old hollow-bearing trees on a given site are watched for an
hour either side of dusk to produce an absolute count of animals. This method has
been employed annually to ensure the long-term integrity of the data record. There
has been some work to compare the efficacy of the method against other field
methods such as trapping, hair-tubing and spotlighting (Smith et al. 1989). This
has shown that stag-watching is the most effective method for detecting almost all
species of arboreal marsupials, with the possible exception of the greater glider (for
which spotlighting appears to be the best field survey technique).
Providing data for conservation planning
Empirical field data from the long-term monitoring program for Leadbeater’s
possum have been used in a range of modelling studies important for conservation
planning. These include: (1) applications of population viability analysis of the
species (Lindenmayer and Possingham 1995a; Lindenmayer and McCarthy 2006);
(2) assessments of the effectiveness of the current reserve system for Leadbeater’s
possum and the need for it to be expanded (Todd et al. 2016; Taylor et al. 2017); and
(3) formal assessments of condition and conservation status of the mountain ash
ecosystem using the IUCN assessment process (Burns et al. 2015).
Uncovering ecological surprises
Long-term research and monitoring can often lead to ecological surprises
(Lindenmayer et al. 2010). This has been true in the monitoring program (and
range of allied projects) for Leadbeater’s possum. For example, inter-relationships
between the sensitivity of the species to wildfire (Lindenmayer et al. 2013b),
irrespective of severity, coupled with the ability of young logged forests to promote
high-severity wildfire (Taylor et al. 2014) were highly unexpected. Similarly, from a
policy perspective, the inability and (apparent) unwillingness of the Victorian
Government to adjust the allocation order (or sustained harvest levels) of timber
despite large areas of forest being burned in 2009 and the impact of fire and
logging on the elevated extinction risks to Leadbeater’s possum also was a
significant policy surprise (Lindenmayer et al. 2015a).
Acting as a catalyst for completing environmental accounts
Despite the enormous body of ecological information derived from the long-term
monitoring program for Leadbeater’s possum, the potential for using this
information to change forest management practices has been limited, partly
because the Regional Forest Agreement that covers the Central Highlands region
precludes intercession by the Australian Government during the life of the
agreement, even for nationally listed species. Moreover, the obstinate nature of the
logging industry and various state and federal government organisations that are,