Lemuroid Leap
Where we work / Wet Tropics / Lemuroid Leap
- Acquired:
- 2013
- Area:
- 90 ha
- Bioregion:
- Wet Tropics
- Habitat:
- Endangered high-altitude rainforest on basalt
- Threatened Ecological Communities:
- 1
- Threatened and Near-Threatened Species:
- 25
Reserve overview
Lemuroid Leap consists of two properties totalling around 90 hectares on the Atherton Tablelands. These properties consist of a mix of endangered high-altitude rainforest on basalt and cleared pastureland. Endeavour Conservation bought these properties in 2013 to enable the completion of the Rock Road Wildlife Corridor. The aim of the corridor is to reconnect the largest rainforest remnant on the Tablelands back to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
protecting wildlife, sustaining life
Species and Habitats
The high-altitude forests of the Atherton Tablelands are the prime habitat for a number of temperature sensitive possums, with the Lemuroid Ringtail Possum’s conservation status recently being upgraded to critically endangered. The corridor through Lemuroid Leap will play a vital role in giving this beautiful animal the best chance of long-term survival in the face of the threat of climate change.
Similarly, the Green Ringtail Possum and Herbert River Ringtail possum are both temperature sensitive animals that are threatened by climate change and which will benefit from the wildlife corridor through Lemuroid Leap.
Lemuroid Leap harbours over 370 plant species, 130 birds, including the endangered Golden Bowerbird and Cassowary as well as at least another 14 threatened or near threatened bird species. It is also prime habitat for Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo.
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Conservation Highlights
Intensive replanting of the pastureland in this section of the corridor commenced in the wet season of 2013 and was completed in 2016. This involved the planting of over 47 000 trees. By 2018 this part of the corridor was being used by Cassowaries, Tree Kangaroos, and all of the endemic possum species with the sole exception of the Lemuroid Ringtail Possum which requires more mature forest.
A possum bridge was erected over the road traversing the corridor in 2017. Since then, our cameras have recorded many thousands of uses of the bridge.
