Endangered Australian Gliders Given Funding Boost

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: February 4, 2021 1:15 pm

A wild glider in the research area at Mallacoota

Photo Credit: Aussie Ark

The recovery of two glider species has been given a boost through a grant awarded to Native Mouse Ecological Consulting (NMEC) and Atkins Eco Contracting (AEC) for their project ‘Testing the post-fire resilience of the Yellow-bellied and Greater Glider in Far East Gippsland.’ This grant was given as part of the Australian Endangered Species Recovery Grants.

Funding for the grant was provided as a partnership between WildArk, Aussie Ark and Global Wildlife Conservation. The Australian Endangered Species Recovery Grants form part of the koala comeback campaign which is providing funding so organizations can quantify the impact of bushfire on Australia's threatened species.

A wild glider in the research area at Mallacoota

Photo Credit: Aussie Ark

Yellow-bellied gliders and greater gliders are believed to have perished in significant numbers after bushfire burned large areas of their habitat during the summer of 2019-20.

Lead Ecologist Dr Phoebe Burns and Dr Atkins’ research will identify how the species fared within the fire scar which will help land-management agencies to accurately assess the species status, and plan for the long-term conservation of this unique gliding marsupial.

Their surveys will target an area of East Gippsland where surveys are critically needed.

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“This grant has helped fill a massive gap in funding for post-fire data on many species,” said grant recipient Dr. Phoebe Burns of Native Mouse Ecological Consulting. “The data we’ve already collected has helped contribute to state and federal bushfire elicitation and planning, making sure our projects have maximum impact!”

This is the first project of up to nine which will receive a grant of up to $16,000 to help carry out research with a measurable impact in the next 12 months. Much of this research will involve species population surveys, protecting unburnt habitat, or implementing other critical interventions identified by species experts.