6 June 2023
The day has finally arrived! We are beyond excited that we have found two nationally Endangered Greater Gliders (Petauroides volans) using our artificial hollows here in Wombat State Forest, Victoria.
Greater gliders rely on large, old, hollow-bearing trees for shelter during the day and to breed. Greater Gliders are therefore impacted by habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly the loss of hollow-bearing trees1 and canopy integrity and connectivity2.
The Victorian storms of June 2021 resulted in the loss of thousands of hollow-bearing trees and canopy fragmentation in key stronghold areas such as the Wombat State Forest. ERA’s ecology and arborist teams have worked closely together to create the most suitable artificial habitat for this threatened species.
1McLean, C. M., Kavanagh, R. P., Penman, T., & Bradstock, R. (2018). The threatened status of the hollow dependent arboreal marsupial, the greater glider (Petauroides volans), can be explained by impacts from wildfire and selective logging. Forest Ecology and Management, 415, 19-25.
2Pope, M. L., Lindenmayer, D. B., & Cunningham, R. B. (2004). Patch use by the greater glider (Petauroides volans) in a fragmented forest ecosystem. I. Home range size and movements. Wildlife Research, 31(6), 559-568.
