Greater Glider Conservation& Community Engagement in Logan
Supporting the persistence of endangered greater glider populations in Logan
© Josh Bowell
About this project
In July 2023, Wildlife Queensland’s Queensland Glider Network (QGN) secured funding through Logan City Council’s EnviroGrants program to undertake conservation actions to support the persistence of endangered greater glider populations within Logan’s local government area.
The greater glider (Petauroides volans) was uplisted to Endangered in 2022 under Australia’s national environmental law. Inhabiting old-growth forests, the greater glider’s decline stems from land-clearing, forest degradation, and the impacts of climate change.
“Greater gliders can be particularly susceptible to these threats because they have a low reproductive rate, are sensitive to disturbances and are not good at moving through areas of non-forest,” explains Wildlife Queensland Project Officer Hannah Thomas.
Despite their presence in various patches of bushland scattered throughout Logan, loss of hollow-bearing trees due to land clearing has led to intense competition for hollows, posing a significant threat to their survival. Greater gliders heavily rely on hollows, utilising multiple ones as denning sights during the day.
© Matt Cecil
Letterbox drop to properties in Chambers Flat.
“One Chambers Flat resident observed animals competing for tree hollows in her backyard,” shared Hannah. “The greater glider was often edged out by noisy and competitive birds like the sulfur-crested cockatoo.”
This situation jeopardises their sustainability, necessitating urgent conservation interventions.
Project activities:
- Installed twenty nest boxes (18 specially designed nest boxes carved from salvaged wood and two carved hollows) on glider-preferred tree species across five Land for Wildlife properties in Chambers Flat, Logan where regular greater glider sightings have been reported.
- Installed non-invasive camera monitors on two nest boxes to monitor greater glider occupancy. The cameras were installed on two different nest boxes (one traditional and one carved in-situ) for comparison of occupancy rates.
- Delivered a community workshop, which focussed on greater glider education, awareness and conservation actions.
Greater Glider Workshop
Wildlife Queensland’s Queensland Glider Network hosted a Greater Glider Workshop for Logan City residents on 16 March 2024. Presenters Hannah Thomas and Maaike Hofman provided fascinating insights into Queensland’s endangered greater gliders — their unique behaviours, habitat, threats and local conservation actions.
Workshop presentations:
- Presenter: Maaike Hofman, Project Officer, Wildlife Queensland
Greater Glider Ecology and Threats [PDF 7MB] - Presenter: Hannah Thomas, Project Officer, Wildlife Queensland
Conservation Actions for the Greater Glider [PDF 10MB]
© Maaike Hofman
Project update: December 2023
The project yielded positive results, capturing the attention of smaller gliders and birds, with the exciting sighting of a greater glider exploring one of the newly installed nest boxes. Wildlife Queensland eagerly awaits more footage to see if the greater gliders start to use the nest box regularly.
Chambers Flat was selected as the designated project site due to the availability of old gum trees in residents’ backyards and a notable number of greater glider sightings. Additionally, concerns raised by some local Land for Wildlife members highlighted the intense competition greater gliders face for hollows on their properties, particularly from birds like sulfur-crested cockatoos and brushtail possums.
Residents in Chambers Flat and Park Ridge are keenly observant of greater gliders and are eager to support conservation efforts. Yet, the installation of nest boxes presents challenges—it’s laborious, time-consuming, and costly. Thanks to support from Logan City Council, this project aims to address these obstacles by providing professionally crafted nest boxes and strategically installing them at heights conducive to greater glider habitation, thus enabling us to assist and empower these proactive residents.
Partners & sponsors
- Logan City Council
- Habi-Tec