All seven species of Australian glider are found in Queensland, six of them in the south-east of the State. They range in size 
from the tiny feathertail glider, which can sit in a child’s hand, to the solitary and regionally vulnerable greater glider.
The Queensland Glider Network (QGN) was established in early 2006 to support glider populations through communication, education, data collection and mapping.
QGN aims to raise awareness of gliders and their habitat requirements. We want to improve community knowledge and interest in gliders. We hope to achieve by being a hub for glider conservation, research and information exchange in Queensland. We want to educate communities to enable them to support their local glider populations.
The absence of glider imagery can likely be attributed to the selection of hollows for monitoring. The greater glider, the species targeted by the project, is known to have specific tree hollow requirements. While we humans made every effort to select hollows likely to be deemed suitable, greater gliders in the area clearly did not agree!
Wildlife Queensland is proud to have been awarded funding under the Redland 
City Council’s Community Grants Program to monitor for the presence of the greater glider (Petauroides volans) and evaluate tree-hollow abundance within the Redlands area. Spotlighting activities are planned for a bushland reserve at Redland Bay to gain an understanding of the distribution and abundance of glider species inhabiting the area, with a focus on the greater glider.
Gliders in the Spotlight is a QGN program that trains community groups to identify gliders and their habitat. By delivering workshops and teaching survey techniques, knowledge and skills are developed within each group and ongoing monitoring of gliders in their area is encouraged. While experiencing an enjoyable outdoor activity that promotes nature appreciation, the priority is to collect data to assist in the conservation of gliders and their habitat.
This project is giving the Cardwell community, rangers and volunteers an opportunity to be involved in nestbox monitoring in mahogany glider habitat around the Cardwell area. Our local WPSQ Tully Branch is actively working to save this endangered glider from extinction.
QGN established an ongoing project in 2011 on glider population conservation within the Flinders Karawatha corridor. QGN’s role includes monitoring existing nest boxes as well as linking fragmented glider populations through additional nest box installation.
Nest box monitoring – glider occupancy
| Year | Larapinta | Holcim | Oxley | Beaudesert Road | Greenwood Lakes |
| 2011 Apr | 5 | 5 | – | – | – |
| 2011 Aug | 9 | 4 | – | – | – |
| 2012 Apr | 9 | 18 | 5 | 2 | – |
| 2012 Oct | 10 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2013 May | 8 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
The following table shows the nest box occupancy success measure. This is represented by the number of nest boxes occupied by any species (gliders, common brushtail possum, short-eared mountain possum, native bees and ants) as well as evidence of occupancy (leaf nests) over the total number of boxes at the site. This demonstrates the effectiveness of artificial nest boxes as a conservation method in these specific habitat areas. Greenwood Lakes’ boxes were installed within the last 2 years so are both increasing in occupancy as well as total glider numbers.
| Larapinta | Holcim | Oxley | Beaudesert Road | Greenwood Lakes |
| 39/40 | 30/30 | 15/16 | 8/8 | 25/45 |
Each monitoring round assists us in tracking whether local glider populations are persisting, as well as the effectiveness of the installation of nest boxes as a conservation method. Other species recorded include common brushtail possums, short-eared mountain possums, lace monitors, pale-headed rosellas, rainbow lorikeets, native bees, native ants and red triangle slugs.
Nest Box Monitoring with QGN
Photo © Maki Sumitani
We run glider identification evenings and optional monitoring trips twice a year. These are free for members and $5 for non-members. If you would like to head into our Brisbane city office for an hour in April or October to find out more about our furry gliding friends, email our office for dates and times.
To see our video on nestbox monitoring, just click on the image above.
The Queensland Glider Network collects data on threats to gliders leading to their admission into vets, wildlife hospitals and care, in order to provide a better understanding over time of the dangers to gliders in Brisbane.
Data collected over the past two years suggests that the greatest single cause for admissions was gliders being orphaned – but without sufficient data about the mother; however, the leading cause of injury to the gliders was entanglement in barbed wire or a fence – an issue humans can assist in reducing through alternative fencing options. Closely following entanglement was domestic cat attack. This is another injury that we can reduce by more closely managing pets – and keeping cats in at night.
Through raising awareness of alternatives to barbed wire, and about responsible pet ownership, we can help reduce the number of gliders these threats impact on.
A very encouraging element to this data is the number of gliders that were rehabilitated (over 60%) and though combined percentages of euthanasia and unassisted death totalled approximately 37%, the rehabilitation rates demonstrate the positive impact of our wildlife hospitals, carers and vets.
For an ‘at a glance’ reference to carers in your area, visit our rescue and care page. In addition, data on threats to gliders leading to their admission will be compiled providing a better understanding of the dangers to gliders in Brisbane.
Our QGN presenters visit schools as well as youth and community groups to deliver glider education talks and raise awareness about the 6 species. In addition, our regular spotlights offer the chance to improve community knowledge and interest in gliders and their habitat requirements.
This project is an exciting program of educational and fun activities for scout and guide groups in Brisbane. A glider researcher and a science education specialist teaches glider identification through visual cues, sounds and spotlighting techniques as well identifying food and habitat trees. Nestboxes can also be installed near scout and guide huts so that participants can monitor populations and build on the skills they have learned. The program was launched in 2009 with Salisbury Scouts, the Gap Girl Guides, and Narangba Scouts, and we continue to work with the Scouts Queensland Environmental Commissioner to develop programs contributing to the Environmental Badge requirements.
Funding: Scouting for Gliders received funding from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund in 2009.
We are currently seeking more funding to expand the activities of the Queensland Glider Network.
For more information on WPSQ’s projects, email or phone +61 (7) 3844 1029.
