The conservation of arboreal marsupials in the Albury‐Wodonga region of south‐eastern Australia

Abstract

Urban expansion is a major cause of land use change and presents a significant threat to biodiversity worldwide. Agricultural land is often acquired by local councils and developers to expand urban growth boundaries and establish new housing estates. However, many agricultural landscapes support high biodiversity values, especially farmlands that feature mosaics of native vegetation and keystone habitat such as hollow-bearing trees. In southeastern Australia, many arboreal marsupials including the threatened Squirrel Glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) have populations within peri-urban zones of expanding rural cities. A key challenge to planners, developers and conservation organisations is the need to maintain habitat for locally rare and threatened species as land undergoes changes in management. Critical to the sustainable development of peri-urban landscapes is a thorough understanding of the distribution, habitat requirements and resources available to maintain and improve habitat for species dependent on limited resources such as tree cavities. In this management report, we present background information on an integrated research programme designed to evaluate potential impacts of urban development on fauna in the Albury Local Government Area, NSW. We mapped hollow-bearing trees, erected nest boxes and monitored arboreal marsupials. Information presented in this report provides a blueprint for monitoring arboreal marsupials, including threatened species in other developing regions, and will assist the Albury-Wodonga local governments in future planning of sustainable living environments.

Beyond growth management: A review of the wider functions and effects of urban growth management policies

“…Several studies (11 %) from the landscape ecology and nature conservation literature studied elements of ecological functioning within UGMP zones, reporting their importance for biodiversity (Gilchrist et al, 2016;Gordon, Simondson, White, Moilanen, & Bekessy, 2009;Michael, Niedra, & McWhinney, 2021;Szczepańska & Senetra, 2019;Wilson et al, 2013;Xiu et al, 2017). Notably, the North-West GB in England and Stockholm's GWs were shown to provide an important pathway for the range expansion of butterflies, small birds and amphibians (Gilchrist et al, 2016;Xiu et al, 2017).…”

“…Notably, the North-West GB in England and Stockholm's GWs were shown to provide an important pathway for the range expansion of butterflies, small birds and amphibians (Gilchrist et al, 2016;Xiu et al, 2017). Similarly, Australian UGBs provide ecological protection function for important habitat (Michael et al, 2021;Wilson et al, 2013). Some UGMPs have become to explicitly recognise these biodiversity functions, such as Helsinki's GWs (Hautamäki, 2021).…”

Citizen science and community action provide insights on a threatened species: nest box use by the brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa)

“…Projects such as the provision of nest boxes for wildlife are widely undertaken by community groups (Thomas 2009;Goldingay et al 2018;Michael et al 2021), and often supported by governmental and philanthropic funding. Unfortunately, in many such projects monitoring is not undertaken systematically, collation and curation of data are incomplete, and few projects are analysed and reported in a manner that allows for learning and new insight (Macak 2020).…”