A Spot-tailed quoll was recently sighted in the Erica State Forest. Spot-tailed quolls are rare; they are listed as Threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and Vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC). Source: Timberbiz
To the best of our knowledge, the last sighting of a quoll in this area was many years ago.
“VicForests is delighted that this beautiful creature graces our forests,” Mr Alex Messina general manager corporate affairs at VicForests said.
“The quoll was sighted in an existing special protection zone (SPZ) in the Erica State Forest, established to provide habitat for a variety of animals.
“This special protection zone is linked to other reserve areas by protected forest corridors to allow animals to move throughout the landscape.”
No timber harvest takes place in SPZ. The nearest active timber harvesting was about 2km away in a coupe named ‘Lure’ and harvest has been halted while biologists assess the surrounding area to ensure that the quoll seen roaming in the forest in search of mates remains undisturbed.
“We have halted harvesting in the area, and it is not expected to resume in that coupe until spring this year,” Mr Messina said.
VicForests will work with the regulator, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), to ensure the regulatory requirements for protection of this species is met.
A 1000ha SMZ is required to protect the spot-tailed quoll. This will be made up of the existing SMZ and additional rezoning of priority habitat, if required, and will in place before harvest resumes.
