Mahogany Glider
EPBC Status: Endangered
SPRAT Species Profile: Petaurus gracilis — Mahogany Glider
Found in: Queensland
Threatened Species Strategy Scorecards:
Mahogany Glider Year 3 scorecard 2018 (PDF - 410.64 KB)
Mahogany Glider Year 3 scorecard 2018 (DOCX - 399.05 KB)
Year 3 Scorecard Summary (2018)
Mahogany Gliders are arboreal marsupials, found in a small narrow band of open, wet sclerophyll forest along the Queensland coast north of Townsville. While the species’ overall range has remained stable, available habitat within this area has been severely reduced and fragmented due to clearing for agriculture, roads and residential development. Mahogany Gliders are also threatened by road and fence strike and predation by cats and dogs, while their limited distribution makes them vulnerable to extreme weather events that affect continuity of their habitat and availability of nectar.
Gliders are poor dispersers across habitat gaps, so to address the risk of populations in smaller habitat patches disappearing over time, conservation efforts have focused on restoring and managing habitat corridors. These have included revegetation projects, fire management to maintain the quality of glider habitat on private and state lands, as well as installation of glide pole crossings across roads and easement corridors, and community engagement projects to raise awareness of Mahogany Gliders’ habitat requirements. These projects have occurred over small areas of the species’ total distribution, but could provide proof-of-concept for future conservation action.
Further information
- Threatened species strategy
- 20 birds by 2020
- 20 mammals by 2020
- Three year review of progress on priority bird and mammal species
Please note that this scorecard is due for review in Year 5 of the Threatened Species Strategy (2020). If you would like to contribute information on this species please provide your contact details to ThreatenedSpeciesCommissioner@awe.gov.au
Photo credit: Wet Tropics Management Authority, Queensland