This included the purchase of 170 hectares of existing habitat and the rehabilitation of 220 hectares of land elsewhere as suitable possum and cockatoo habitat, fox baiting and the installation of animal bridges over the road.

The 72 possums surveyed in the Gelorup area would be ‘shepherded’ to neighbouring bushland during the clearing process, not ‘translocated’ (physically trapped and moved), as translocation often results in the animals.

Advice from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to the EPA over 2021 said it would be difficult to ascertain whether the Gelorup possum population would survive.

It advised in emailed correspondence that the proposal was likely to have a significant impact on the Gelorup population and potentially on the greater southern Swan Coastal Plain population.

It was hard to say there would be no deaths if the possums were shepherded into the territories of other populations, as there would be territorial conflicts and competition for food.

A monitoring program has been proposed to determine the mortality rate.

The DBCA concluded the overall recovery of the species would not be impacted by the loss of possum habitat and individual animals. The authority also noted there was a declining availability for remnant vegetation with good possum habitat suitable for acquisition in the Bunbury to Dunsborough area for use as a project offset.

Appeals convenor calls for more offsets

The community has railed against the EPA decision, lodging 170 appeals.

This week the appeal convenor decided not to send the project back to the EPA for another review but acknowledged community concerns and upped the requirement for land offsets for cockatoos, tuart and banksia if the southern section went ahead.

Friends of the Gelorup Corridor acting chairman Sue Chapman said West Australians deserved better.

“Main Roads had the potential to avoid a large amount of the environmental damage. They had the opportunity to plan a better road and they have taken a short-term easy option,” Dr Chapman said.

“I’m really grateful the appeals convenor has said to Main Roads ‘you haven’t done enough offsets.’ But the issue of revegetation is completely inadequate.

“We’ve been given this extraordinary amount of money with very little strings attached. But there has been no independent cost-analysis of this road at any point.”

Environment Minister Reece Whitby agreed with the convenor about the offsets to put in place if the southern section proceeded but also stated the ongong state decision-making process would consider the merits of alternative options.

“The acceptability of this proposal in the context of its environmental risks and other matters such as social and economic considerations will be taken into account,” he wrote.

Conservation Council of WA executive director Maggie Wood said the determination on the appeal stopped short of any meaningful decisions to prevent significant environmental harm.

“Other more viable and less damaging routes for the ring road are available,” she said.

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“Appeals lodged against this project shows how poorly it has been received ... There has been a distinct lack of strategic planning from Main Roads and environmental concerns appear to have taken a back seat.

“We would urge the WA Government to seriously consider an alternative route.”

No final decision has been made by the state government on the southern section of the road but the project also requires a federal environmental approval to go forward.