19 November 2024
In response to the urgent need to protect hollow-bearing trees, Wildlife Queensland plans to use cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to uncover the hidden world of species that depend on hollows.
Hollow-bearing trees—often centuries old—provide essential homes for hundreds of native species in Queensland. It can take over 100 years to develop cracks or small hollows suitable for nesting. Studies reveal that only 10–15% of trees contain natural hollows. Yet these old-growth trees are vanishing rapidly due to land clearing, logging, and bushfires.
Hollows provide critical nesting and shelter
Across Australia, nearly 15% of all terrestrial vertebrate species rely on tree hollows for nesting and protection. For species like the powerful owl (Ninox strenua), greater glider (Petauroides volans), and green tree frog (Litoria caerulea), hollow-bearing trees are irreplaceable shelters.
Destroying hollow-bearing trees severely affects wildlife such as kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae) which rely on these hollows for nesting. When their hollow homes disappear, kookaburras are forced to relocate, facing competition for available hollows from other territorial kookaburras and species like parrots, owls, and possums.
Wildlife Queensland’s strategy to protect hollow-bearing trees
Wildlife Queensland has launched an urgent appeal this festive season to raise funds to help protect and preserve the hollows that sustain so much of Queensland’s biodiversity.
The Wildlife Queensland team will:
- Collect eDNA samples to identify species that inhabit tree hollows, from tiny insects to mammals.
- Identify and promote ‘hero trees’, which are mature, large-girthed trees with hollows used by many species, and then collaborate with government bodies to protect them.
- Advocate for policy reform by campaigning for Queensland to adopt measures similar to South Australia’s regulations on large trees based on trunk circumference.
“The fate of so many species hangs in the balance, and this is our chance to turn the tide,” says Wildlife Queensland Project Manager Matt Cecil. “Your support can help us gather the data we need to protect these vital hollows and ensure that the wildlife relying on them is not left homeless.”
How you can help
DONATE to Wildlife Queensland’s appeal this holiday season. With every tax-deductible donation, Wildlife Queensland can move closer to preserving these ancient hollows and the wildlife that calls them home.
This “housing crisis” is endangering the survival of many species. Your donation can make a lasting difference, ensuring that our state’s hollow-bearing trees remain safe havens for future generations of wildlife. Together, we can turn the tide.
