Case Study: Providing Homes & Habitat for gliders and glossy black cockatoos

Community Open Day with ecologist Dr Peter Croft

Plantings at Currys Gap State Conservation Area

Plantings on a private property

Plantings & nest boxes on a private property

This project will support the recovery of two vulnerable species, Squirrel Gliders and the Glossy Black Cockatoo, involve public and private land managers and raise community awareness of the impacts of the fires across the Torrington & Currys Gap areas.

The Issue

The Torrington and Currys Gap State Conservation Areas and surrounding areas were significantly impacted by high-intensity wildfires in 2019.

Intense fires completely remove larger, older trees by under-burning the trunk, causing the tree to fall, resulting in the loss of homes for hollow-dependant birds and arboreal mammals (including gliders). These fires followed three years of intense drought which is known to cause failures in seed production – especially of Allocasuarina species, the principal food trees of the vulnerable Glossy Black Cockatoo.

Following the wildfires, 60% of all hollows in Torrington SCA were burnt and Currys Gap SCA had a "complete dearth" of tree hollows. This combination of drought and intense wildfires resulted in very low records of glider sightings and a lack of breeding of Glossy Black Cockatoos in 2019 on the Northern Tablelands.

The Solution

The Australian government's Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants Program provided funding to engage land managers and community members to support the recovery of the vulnerable-listed Squirrel Glider and Glossy Black Cockatoo. Activities included:

• community workshops to construct glider nest boxes

• revegetation of habitat and food tree and shrub species for both fauna species

• installation of artificial hollows for both target fauna species

• a Community Open Day, showcasing the project outcomes and increasing the knowledge of the attendees, encouraging them to undertake recovery activities in their local environments.

• a camera was purchased to monitor nest box activity.

The Impacts

The project planted 6,000 seedlings of various tree and shrub species, providing habitat and food for the target species (and other native species) within two State Conservation Areas (Torrington and Currys Gap) and two private properties near Torrington.
100 artificial hollows were constructed and installed within the Torrington and Currys Gap SCAs and on two private properties (at Torrington and nearby Stannum).
The skills of community members increased when constructing glider nestboxes at two workshops, where they also improved their knowledge regarding the impact of wildfires on native species and the importance of tree hollows.

Key Facts

• Post-bushfire destruction of habitat resulted in a significant reduction or lack of breeding opportunities for two vulnerable species: Squirrel Gliders and Glossy Black Cockatoos.

• These two targeted species were provided with homes (100 nestboxes) and future food sources (6,000 seedlings).

• Habitat was improved across both public and private properties.

• Community members gained new skills, knowledge regarding the importance of tree-hollows and the confidence to create habitat in their own properties in the future.

• Ongoing monitoring of nestbox activity will provide vulnerable species population data to project partner NPWS, scientific databases and local communities and create future educational opportunities.