by Clare Anderson
Wildlife Manager - Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas

We are all well aware of this wonderful World Heritage Wet Tropics region that we live in.  Not only is it abundant in its natural beauty but its wildlife as well.  The Wet Tropics is home to a host of small mammals, one in particular is the endemic Mahogany Glider. 

This small marsupial lives in a tiny area that stretches from the Hull River (east of Tully) south to Ollera Creek, south-east of Ingham, and extending inland about 100km.

Occurring in habitat below 120m elevation, mahogany gliders are highly mobile and dependent on continuous open forest or woodland to range freely. The most important factors for suitable habitat appear to be a sufficient variety of year round flowering plant species.

Today in this tiny area of remaining habitat live possibly fewer than 2000 of this endangered species. In 2006, a mere 20% of their former habitat remained due to a range of impacts. (Kemp et al. 2006) 

Issues that face this species include:

• The landscape has been modified or fragmented leaving small patches of remaining forest.
• Major roads disrupt mahogany glider movement dissecting their habitat
• Minimal hollows reduce availability for breeding due to the removal of trees
• Altered fire regimes, weed invasion and intensive grazing threaten the structure and ecological integrity of remaining fragments

So what can we do? Here are a few easy ways to help:

• Be aware that wildlife uses the same areas we do and in most cases they need the areas to survive
• Ensure there is ongoing reproduction of endemic tree species for nesting and food.
• Replace barbwire fences with plain wire and be wildlife aware when putting in fences.
• Managed fire regimes to help reduce invading weeds and rainforest species
• Plant endemic plant species
• Be aware of the wildlife that lives in your backyard both large and small, even insects play an important role

Community groups and government departments have put in place rope bridges and dozens of nest hollows in there habitat to help counter some of these existing issues, but the greater community can help in their own way too.

Mahogany Gliders have been successfully bred in captivity in a number of zoos throughout Queensland.  The collaborative efforts of government departments, universities and the zoo industry as a whole has increased the captive population to around 40 animals with the intent to increase the population further but also keeping it genetically diverse.

So many of these factors that influence Mahogany Gliders also impact other species.  How many of you have ever seen a live Striped Possum?  They live readily in Port Douglas and surrounds but are sadly more often seen deceased on the side of the road.  Only last week a Boobook owl was brought into wildlife care after being trapped in a barbed wire fence. These threats that face the mahogany glider also face many other species.

If you have never seen a mahogany glider come along to the Wildlife Habitat and join the Wildlife care behind the scenes tour.