Protecting Biodiversity

Biodiversity Research and Monitoring

VicForests also has another, longer-term approach to forest biodiversity monitoring. We assess plant and animal communities across the broader landscape, not just in areas planned for harvest, but across much larger areas where particular species may occur.

This type of monitoring is carried out over longer periods of time, taking into account possible variation in animal activity which can be dependent on season.

This approach to VicForests’ threatened species management is still in its infancy, with a range of long term projects underway including one targeting Spot-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) distribution.

In addition to this, we have also embarked upon a long term monitoring project investigating how timber harvesting may impact on local animal communities, over time.

The aim of these longer-term, large scale projects are to provide guidelines on how best to manage the landscape for the production of timber resources, while at the same time maintaining, or even enhancing, local biological diversity.