Protecting the greater glider

Local Land Services are working with landholders, traditional owners, Landcare and ecologists in the Batlow area to reduce threats to the endangered Southern greater glider. 

Last updated: 02 July 2026

A large fluffy greater glider sits on a big tree branch.
On this page

Quick facts

Topics
Natural resource management <br> Threatened species
Local Land Services Regions
Riverina

Project overview

Status: In progress

This project works with landholders, traditional owners, Landcare and ecologists to reduce threats to the Southern greater glider (Petauroides volans) in the Local Land Services Riverina region around the township of Baltow. The study area is approximately 17,200 ha of predominantly freehold land which was significantly impacted by the Black Summer bushfires in early 2020.

Local Land Services works with landholders who: 

  • have knowledge of any sightings in the local area
  • have areas of native vegetation including large unburnt old trees with large tree hollows
  • are interested in undertaking activities to improve habitat.
3:38

Gliding away from extinction

This video showcases a project underway in Batlow in the Riverina region to support the recovery of the endangered Greater Glider following the Black Summer Bushfires.

Read transcript
Video transcript

Gliding away from extinction

[Music]
the greater glider is australia's largest gliding mammal the greater glider were once fairly common in this area after the fires we were unsure as to how they had survived so with funding from the australian government through the bushfire recovery program we started this project nine months ago wondering if we would actually find any gliders at all so being a nocturnal species we use spotlights and thermal scopes we surveyed a total of nine properties and excitingly we found 18 gliders on six of the properties when the dams road fire hit batlow it crossed into the town from basically here so when we arrived back there was nothing but black everything just looked like a moonscape and what was the most terrible thing about it was the loss of the wildlife we went out one night spotlighting with cherie and they were there and it was just the most amazing feeling to actually see them it was just a wonderful story of survival so the second phase of the project was to actually start to help improve the habitat for this species so pest control pest plants and pest animals are an issue we've been working with traditional owners to help us with that pest control we've also undertaken some wildlife friendly fencing we're looking at two different options here in terms of providing nesting sites for the glider it can take up to 100 years for a hollow to form during the fires a lot of those hollow bearing trees were lost there's a thing called hollow hogging where you drill a hollow into the actual trunk of the tree and then you excavate out to actually create the hollow and then we've been using the habitek nesting boxes well we're in beautiful batlow in some tall eucalypt forest and we're installing some habitat nest boxes for the greater glider to improve their chances of survival there we go being really thermally efficient it mimics a natural hollow the insulation properties enable the gliders to stay warm in winter and then cool in summer research is showing that the greater glider population has crashed all across the east coast and there's estimates of up to 80 not just impacted by the bushfires but also due to habitat fragmentation and climate change local land services plays a role not only in the environment but especially around threatened species and after extreme events we were not only working on the greater glider but also a number of other unique species to our region including platypus the endangered macquarie perch we're a long frog this project has been really exciting to discover that the gliders have persisted after the fires it's not unimportant for that threatened species but also for this batlow community who've been through quite a lot in years to come i can i can imagine coming out here and seeing the greater gliders and seeing them use those nesting boxes i can't think of anything more satisfying as a land holder

Project background

The greater glider is the largest of the gliding possums and feeds almost exclusively on eucalypt trees. These gliders rely on up to 18 hollow bearing trees for shelter and nesting and are usually solitary and very loyal to their territory. The greater glider has recently been declared an endangered species under NSW and Commonwealth legislation, and their survival after the Black Summer bushfires was largely unknown. 

Key threats to greater gliders include:

  • loss and fragmentation of habitat
  • climate change
  • increased frequency of bush fires
  • loss of hollow bearing trees
  • increased frequency of bushfires
  • barbed wire which can entangle gliders and damage their gliding membranes.
Map showing a large, irregularly shaped boundary outlined in bright pink covering a mountainous, forested region around Batlow in New South Wales, Australia. The shaded relief background highlights ridges and valleys in light grey and white, with green areas indicating surrounding state forests such as Green Hills State Forest and Batlow State Forest. Thin blue lines represent rivers and creeks running through the terrain.
The Batlow project area.

Project objectives

This project aims to reduce threats to and increase community awareness of the Southern greater glider. 

Project delivery

Work includes:

  • undertaking spotlight surveys
  • retaining hollow bearing trees
  • undertaking pest animal and plant control
  • promoting awareness of any greater glider sightings
  • native seed collection
  • planting native tree corridors to connect areas of remnant vegetation
  • replacing barb wire especially on the top wire of fences adjoining forested areas
  • installing species-specific nest boxes in areas where hollow bearing trees are declining.
0:09

Greater glider nestbox installation

Project updates

Habitat mapping

Habitat mapping was undertaken in August 2023 to help improve decision making on where to invest funding. 

The landscape habitat was classified as patches greater than 5 ha and less than 5 ha, based on 5 ha being the cut-off for a connected patch to theoretically support a population of greater gliders. 

 

Patches >5 ha (Valid) 

Patches <5 ha (Invalid) 

Total Landscape 

Number of Patches 

78 

338 

416 

Area (ha) 

5,633 

555 

6,188 

Mean Patch Size (ha) 

72.2 

1.64 

14.9 

Median Patch Size (ha) 

13.2 

1.28 

1.68 

Standard Deviation 

223.7 

1.07 

100.2 

Skewness 

5.6 

1.02 

13.1 

Kurtosis 

37.5 

3.3 

198.7 

The desktop assessment of habitat connectivity found that 5,633 ha (33%) was considered potential habitat for the greater glider based on a patch size greater than 5 ha. 

The distribution of patches appeared well spread across the focus area with the largest patches found to the north east. Over 90% of the patch area could be considered valid habitat with an area of over 5 ha.

Gaps between valid patches also appeared quite small and would be easily closed with additional revegetation works.

Map of the Greater Glider LAMP project area near Batlow, NSW, outlined in pink, showing vegetation patches. Red areas indicate valid habitat over 5 hectares and yellow areas show smaller, invalid habitat patches. The map includes terrain shading, rivers, roads, nearby towns, a legend, scale bar, and north arrow.
Valid (red) and invalid (yellow) habitat identified by the habitat analysis of the Batlow focus area.

This information was then refined to better target viable patches above 5 ha in size. The largest connected patches were found to the north east of the study area.  

Map of the Greater Glider LAMP project area near Batlow, NSW, outlined in pink, showing habitat patches by size. Larger, high-quality habitat areas are shown in dark green, with smaller or lower-value patches in lighter greens, yellows, and reds. Terrain shading, waterways, towns, legend, scale bar, and north arrow are included.
Valid habitat patches greater than 5 ha in size, symbolised from dark green for connected patches with the largest area (ha) to dark red for connected patches with the smallest area (ha)

This data was then compared with internal holdings data and individual landholder maps that showed identified habitat were then produced.

Ground-truthing

The study area was significantly impacted by the Dunns Road Bushfire in 2020 with unprecedented loss of habitat during and after the fire. ​Burn severity data taken to re-review the potential habitat reduced it by 83% (total of 940 ha).

Ground truthing of burnt and unburnt sites across 34 properties was led by partners Australian National University and Habitat Innovation and Management. 

The sites were inspected using spotlight surveys and results have shown that greater gliders were predominantly found in sites that were unburnt or had only low severity burning. 

Nestbox installation

Modular greater glider nest boxes were installed at multiple times between 2021 and 2026, and in-situ hollows were constructed using the hollow hogging tool in 2021.

A person lifting a nest box into a tree with ropes.
Nest boxes were lifted into trees with ropes and attached to the trunks of suitable trees.
Spotlighting

Community members joined in for a night of spotlighting and the chance to see some of Australia's unique possum and glider species, including the endangered greater glider.

Participants had the opportunity to:

  • learn about the greater glider and the habitat this species occupies
  • spot other night-active animals
  • hear from ANU ecologist Clare Crane about the recent glider surveys conducted in the local area
  • hear what Local Land Services is doing to help conserve greater gliders in the Riverina
  • learn how they could get involved and help this species to recover.
People with torches walking through trees.
Participants used spotlights to see nocturnal species.
Paddock walk

Community members joined Local Land Services for a morning walk around White Gate travelling stock reserve to learn more about Australia’s unique possum and glider species, including the endangered greater glider.

Participants had the opportunity to:

  • help Local Land Services check nest boxes that provide hollows for the greater glider and other glider species
  • view possums and gliders using the nest boxes
  • learn about the greater glider and the habitat this species occupies
  • hear about the recent glider surveys conducted in the local area
  • hear what Local Land Services is doing to help conserve greater gliders in the Riverina.
A group of people stand in a paddock looking up at a next box in a tree.
Attendees got to see where greater glider nest boxes were placed, high up in trees.
Seed collection

Locally native seed was collected by women from the Brungle Tumut Local Aboriginal Land Council (BTLALC) across several sites in the Batlow area. 

A group of people gather around a bush and collect seed.
BTLALC members collected seed from the local area.

BTLALC members sorted and prepared the seed which was then provided to the Tumut Landcare Nursery. At the nursery, groundcover, shrub, and overstorey species were propagated to support the project’s habitat restoration program. 

 

Project outcomes

The Protecting the greater glider project has reduced threats to the greater glider and has the following successes:

  • 68 nest boxes installed, providing new hollow options for nesting
  • 242 ha of habitat was improved through revegetation work
  • 42 ha of weeds were controlled.
Tree guards around seedlings in a field.
Tree planting restoration works were undertaken at Sunningdale.

These successes have led to 20 species detected over the duration of the project with 34 greater gliders recorded. Additionally, there are a number of key findings from the field work done as a part of this program.

Two gliders on a nest box.
A camera caught a photo of a mother glider and her joey sitting on a nest box.

Key findings

  • Greater gliders preferred nest boxes that were a minimum of 10m above ground​.
  • There was no preference for top opening versus side opening modular hollows​.
  • It took several months following installation before the greater gliders would use the nest boxes.​
  • Only 6% of greater gliders recorded in the project area were white morph.
  • Preliminary evidence was found of greater gliders bringing foliage into their artificial den.

These images are believed to be first images of greater gliders and their young using artificial nest boxes in the Batlow area.​

Small fluffy gliders curled up in a nest box.
A mother glider and her young in a nest box at Batlow.

The learnings from the project have provided more insight into the activity and preferences of this private creature. 

Find out what's happening in the Riverina

LLS icon.

Get the latest news, seasonal advice, and project updates or be the first to hear about upcoming events.  

  • Subscribe to the Regional Update and Animal Health.
  • Follow Local Land Services Riverina on Facebook.
  • View our events page to see what's happening near you.

Funding and partnerships

This project has been assisted by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust. Riverina Local Land Services is continuing to support this project through ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

Key partners include:

  • Australian National University
  • Habitat Innovation and Management
  • Brungle Tumut Local Aboriginal Land Council (BTLALC)
  • Riverina Highlands Landcare Network 
  • private landholders.

Contact Local Land Services NSW

We welcome your enquiries, feedback and comments.  Contact our team

Find your nearest LLS office

Use the search function to find information or resources from Local Land Services.

Phone:1300 795 299
Top of page