It is important for information which is presented to the public as facts to be subjected to some level of scrutiny. Statements made by individuals or institutions as truth can often vary in reality from on-the-mark, to misleading, or downright incorrect. You may be familiar with the ABC Fact Check which regularly tests the accuracy of claims by politicians, public figures, advocacy groups and institutions. These tests of truth provide a reliable gauge to both determine true statements and notify the public of false points.
Recently, a pamphlet by the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) provided comments on Leadbeater’s Possum and the proposed Great Forest National Park. These comments were presented as ‘facts’ and the pamphlet was sent directly to councils and is posted on their website. You can view the IFA pamphlet here.
David Lindenmayer and researchers from The Australian National University have studied the Victorian Central Highlands and Leadbeater’s Possum since 1983.
While some statements in the IFA pamphlet are correct, the majority of presented ‘facts’ are overstated, misleading or simply wrong. Researchers at The Australian National University, led by Professor David Lindenmayer, have published more than 200 peer reviewed scientific articles and 8 books on the Victorian Central Highlands and Leadbeater’s Possum since 1983. As such, we have provided a scientific response to the IFA’s pamphlet including references to the relevant scientific publications on which our responses are drawn. You can find the scientific response to the IFA’s Leadbeater’s Possum pamphlet here.
Additionally, we have created our own Leadbeater’s Possum fact sheet based on decades of research evidence. You can download our possum fact sheet here.