Surveying to Save Gliders

https://www.leadbeaters.org.au

This project concerns increasing the capacity for surveying of the endangered Southern Greater Glider (Petauroides Volans) in order obtain immediate protection of their forest habitat which is at risk of destruction by logging. Greater Gliders are arboreal mammals that reside in the Central Highlands. They require old trees with hollows, have a small home range, and need a minimum of 20 den trees in order to survive. They are considered an “umbrella species”, meaning that the health of the species is indicative of the health of the forest ecosystems in which they live. The Greater Glider population has catastrophically declined, with numbers having dropped over 80% in the last 20 years, primarily due to habitat loss. Last month the Greater Glider was “uplisted” to endangered. Despite this logging of their habitat continues in Victoria.

Kinglake Friends of the Forest, alongside ‘Environment East Gippsland’ are currently engaged in legal proceedings concerning the Greater Glider against the state logging agency ‘VicForests’.

Surveying at night for Greater Gliders has proved absolutely crucial to this case. Due to the current court injunctions, finding a Greater Glider within a coupe or near a coupe (240m from the coupe boundary) will protect that area from logging.