"The Last Stand" - Southern Greater Glider in the Western Strathbogie Ranges
- SRRCG
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
In 2023 local community concern for maintaining biodiversity stimulated the use of the iNaturalist app and Strathbogie Nature Atlas Project (SNAP) to help residents and visitors to map species observed in the area. Citizen scientist records of rare and threatened species, such as the nationally endangered Southern Greater Glider (Petauroides volans), piqued the SRRCG Committee’s interest. This particular nocturnal, tree-dwelling species relies upon old, hollow-bearing trees and expanses of mixed Eucalypt dominated montane and foothill forest to survive. Any large-scale industrial development like overhead transmission lines or road construction/widening would further exacerbate habitat decline. More detailed information about the presence of the species was needed. Strathbogie ecologist, Bertram Lobert, was contracted by SRRCG to undertake transect surveys around Caveat, Terip Terip and Highlands in areas of potentially suitable forest adjacent to public land, along roadsides and private property near recent and older observations of the Southern Greater Glider.
Between August and December 2023, Bert walked many kilometres at night using infra-red scopes, spotlights and binoculars to ascertain their distribution. On some evenings locals accompanied him to explore the nocturnal life of a range of arboreal species, including Koalas, a range of possums, gliding possums, frogs and three species of owl!
Due to the nature of human-induced ecological change since the late 1800s that cleared and impacted the forests’ structure – including forestry, agriculture, bushfires and drought - very low numbers of Southern Greater Gliders (SGG) were found. Bert observed that the generally low numbers of old trees with hollows suitable for the SGG dens means the population is restricted to just a few small pockets of forest. Some species of Eucalyptus take over 100 years to form hollows, and much of the regenerating forest in the area may be 60-80 years old and is mostly on private property.
These results prompted Bert, on behalf of Strathbogie Ranges Conservation, to apply for a Landcare Australia community grant to undertake additional surveys and locate and install specially designed nestboxes in areas that are known to support the species. By augmenting natural tree hollows with nestboxes, the aim is to improve suitable habitat in the regenerating, regrowth forests where hollows are yet to form.
This new project, concluding in August 2025, has zeroed-in on the last remaining pockets of the Caveat forest where the Southern Greater Glider survives. We now have an improved understanding of just how fragile this species’ survival is. It is, almost literally, hanging on by its finger-nails.
This work has inspired a number of community walks, presentations and an increasing community awareness of the value of private land in protecting the wide array of native species that live in these local forests. Protecting and nurturing these forests, allowing them to mature and regain their health and resilience, is critical for the Southern Greater Glider and other arboreal species’ survival. A comprehensive project report will be available on Strathbogie Ranges Nature View once the project has concluded. More detail on preliminary results can be found here:
