Burramys parvus 

The Mountain Pygmy-possum, Australia’s only hibernating marsupial, is restricted to alpine and subalpine regions of periglacial rock scree and boulderfields in Victoria and New South Wales. Three genetically distinct and geographically isolated populations occur at Mt Buller, the Bogong High Plains Mt Hotham area and at Mt Kosciusko. All three populations are declining. The Mountain Pygmy-possum is most threatened at Mt Buller and the population has rapidly declined since it was first discovered there in 1996.

Nationally the Mountain Pygmy-possum is Endangered and is protected by the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; a national recovery plan is in preparation. In Victoria the Mountain Pygmy-possum is Endangered and is protected by the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988; an Action Statement for this species was produced in 1991. It is also listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (2007).

Captive breeding may be an important method of increasing the Mt Buller population. Zoos Victoria became involved in this program in 2007 and is undertaking a captive breeding project at Healesville Sanctuary to reintroduce the Mountain Pygmy-possum to the wild.

The Program Focus

The overall objective is to achieve down-listing of the Mountain Pygmy-possum from Endangered nationally to a lower threat category based on 1994 IUCN Red List criteria of population size and trends, extent of occurrence, and probability of extinction.

The Conservation Issue

All three geographically isolated populations are threatened by habitat loss (destruction, erosion and weed invasion), feral predation (dogs, foxes and cats) and possibly increased competition by other small mammals such as the Bush Rat. In 2007 bushfires came close to burning the remaining habitat at Mt Buller.

Climate change may also affect the long-term survival of the Mountain Pygmy-possum.  This is because Mountain Pygmy-possums hibernate for up to six months of the year underneath the snow, which provides an insulation barrier against cold weather. Following hibernation animals emerge to breed. They rely heavily on Bogong Moths, which migrate to the alpine region during summer, as a seasonal food resource.

Zoos Victoria’s Conservation Field Partners

The recovery program is led by the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment and includes representatives from the following organisations:

The Mount Buller and Mount Stirling Alpine Resort Management Board and Buller Ski Lifts Pty Ltd
University of Melbourne
University of New England

The Program Plan

The specific objectives of recovery for the Mountain Pygmy-possum are to:

• Ensure habitat security and undertake habitat restoration and enhancement, and ensure that land use activities will not impinge on the survival of the Mountain Pygmy-possum
• Monitor and control pest and predator species
• Undertake annual monitoring of the population and record population changes
• Undertake a captive breeding program specifically for the purpose of producing Mountain Pygmy-possums for reintroduction to Mt Buller to establish a secure and self-sustaining population
• Increase our understanding of Mountain Pygmy-possum biology and ecology, and potentially threatening processes that may be detrimentally affecting the species, in order to better manage the species and its habitat, and to mitigate threats to the species
• Encourage community awareness and support for Mountain Pygmy-possum conservation

Zoos Victoria's Role

Zoos Victoria’s key roles in the recovery of this species are to:

1. Develop a captive management program for the species and supplement in situ populations through captive breeding for reintroduction.
2. In the event that the wild population continues to decline, we maintain an insurance population in captivity.
3. Assist with population monitoring programs.
4. Increase community awareness of the plight of the Mountain Pygmy-possum and community support for its conservation.

Reports and Publications

Department of Sustainability and Environment (1991). Flora and Fauna Guarantee Action Statement #2: Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus. Department of Sustainability and Environment, East Melbourne, Victoria.

Geiser F and Broome LS (1991) Hibernation in the Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus (Marsupialia) J. Zool. Lond. 233: 538-539.

Hienze D, Broome L and Mansergh I (2004). A review of the ecology and conservation of the Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus.  Pp. 254-267 in The Biology of Australia Possums and Gliders ed by RL Goldingay and SM Jackson. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton, Sydney.

Heinze D and Williams L (1998) The discovery of the Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus on Mt Buller, Victoria Victorian Naturalist 115: 132-134.

Mitrovski P, Heinze D, Broom L, Hoffmann AA and Weeks AR (1997). Genetic fragmentation despite high levels of variation in populations of the Mountain Pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus, in alpine Australia.

Osborne MJ, Norman JA Christidis L and Mauuary ND (2000). Genetic distinctness of isolated populations of an endangered marsupial, the Mountain Pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus. Molecular Biology 9: 609-613.