Squirrel Gliders Petaurus norfolcensis are enigmatic animals whose survival is under threat. The species now has a patchy and fragmented distribution across Victoria, where its habitat has been reduced to roadsides, creek-lines and patches of native vegetation on private property.

The Longwood Plains, near Euroa, is the most southerly extension of the Victorian Riverina bioregion. Its original woodland vegetation is substantially degraded and highly fragmented, due to almost 200 years of grazing, ring- barking, timber harvesting and cropping. An on-going threat is the loss of hollow-bearing trees. This landscape’s flora and fauna have done it tough, yet several threatened species, including the hollow-dependent threatened Squirrel Glider, cling to survival.

At numerous sites across Victoria, recently regenerated native habitat, often lacking in natural tree hollows, is supplemented with nest-boxes for hollow-nesting species.

For nest-boxes to work, they need to be installed where gliders are known to occur, yet the most recent glider records from the Longwood Plains are over 20 years old. To complicate matters, Squirrel Gliders are difficult to find; they don’t have bright eye-shine (for nocturnal detection), they don’t vocalise (unlike the Sugar Glider), and their body colouration camouflages them in the tree canopy.

Increasingly, thermal imaging (infra-red) technology is supplementing traditional, direct detection of cryptic species, like the smaller gliding possums. Using thermal imaging, we were able to efficiently detect Squirrel Gliders on three Longwood Plains covenants. Then, with support from the Urquhart Charitable Fund, we installed 80 nest boxes on these covenants, at locations where natural hollows are few.

Real-time viewing of the natural world through thermal imaging is a powerful tool; as well as improving detection of hard-to-find species like the Squirrel Glider, it provides experiences and ecological insight that previously could not have been imagined.

This study looked at the prevalence of Squirrel Gliders in an area in the Goulburn Broken region.

For more information about projects in the Goulburn Broken region contact Shelagh Curmi (03) 8631 5888 or shelaghc@tfn.org.au

The Ruffs bought a 132-hectare grazing property in Wirrate 21 years ago. They removed the sheep and the property has been managed for conservation ever since with over 140 species of birds recorded. It is protected by a covenant and they’ve done a lot of work to restore plants and wildlife including erecting 30 nest boxes.

The Ruffs have erected two ex-closures designed to keep herbivores out. One of them is in an open grassy area which would be heavily grazed by herbivores such as rabbits and kangaroos, the other ex-closure is in a woodland area, less preferable to herbivores. They are part of a long term monitoring project to compare the browsing behaviours between each of these landscapes. The main vegetation type on the property is Box Ironbark Forest with areas of nationally threatened grassy woodland. The property received funding from the Australian Government through the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority to manage the woodlands.

Mistletoe has challenged the native trees, killing them in fact. So it was surprising when a mistletoe expert told people at a field day held on the property that the mistletoe plant benefits biodiversity.

Professor Dave Watson from Charles Sturt University says we need to understand the whole landscape to understand why mistletoe becomes a problem.

The landscape is recovering and the environment has changed, fire frequency has changed and many of the remaining trees were used as sheep camps, increasing nutrients around the trees. This still effects the health of the trees today, so extra pressures such as mistletoe have an added impact.

Mistletoe does have predators, one of the main ones being Common Brush Tail Possums, which love the sweet and juicy leaves. However the Brush Tail Possum population hasn’t recovered from recent culling history, (contrary to over population in some urban areas).

Butterflies are also predators – the Imperial White Butterfly lays its eggs on mistletoe and the voracious caterpillars reduce mistletoe growth.

The Striped Legless Lizard (Delma impar) was once common across Victoria and parts of the ACT, South Australia and New South Wales. It’s believed to be extinct in South Australia and habitat loss has led to a drastic population decline and local extinctions in Victoria. Though widely distributed in northern Victoria, it had not been seen for several decades in the north east.

Striped Legless Lizards are difficult to find. They aresmall, rare and look similar to several other species. Between 2016 and 2019, Trust for Nature and members of the local community set out to raise awareness of this disappearing species.

Starting with the most recent Striped Legless Lizard records from the Rushworth, Benalla and Wangaratta districts, we sought help from local landholders, conservation groups, and government agencies and surveyed more than 35 sites. We didn’t find any of the Lizards until we received a blurry photo of what looked like a Striped Legless Lizard from a locality called Greta West in 2017. This was followed by a confirmed record from Whorouly South in 2019, the first record of the Lizard in this area for almost 40 years! Trust for Nature projects have now found Striped Legless Lizards at three new sites in north east Victoria, suggesting they may be more widespread than anyone had previously thought.

More surveys are planned to better understand the extent of the Whorouly South Striped Legless Lizard population and help them survive. This project was funded with the support of the Victorian Government. Help from landholders, covenantors and community groups was invaluable.

For more information about projects in the Goulburn Broken region contact our Senior Conservation Officer Bert Lobert on (03) 8631 5888 or bertl@tfn.org.au.