The Southern Greater Glider needs your help!

The Greater Glider, Petauroides volans, is Australia’s largest gliding possum. Around the size of a large cat, this adorable marsupial closely resembles the ‘good’ Gremlin ‘Gizmo’.  Greater Gliders are strict folivores – that means they only eat the leaves of Eucalyptus trees – and are pretty picky about which leaves, too! During the day, they den in the hollows of the largest, highest, oldest trees in the forest – which they rely upon for survival and breeding.

Unfortunately, the Federal Government recently ‘uplisted’ the Greater Glider, in terms of it’s conservation status, from ‘Threatened’ to ‘Endangered’, across it’s range. The biggest threat to Greater Gliders is loss of habitat – in the form of hollow-bearing trees, and – to a lesser extent – food trees.

Recent research shows that Greater Gliders in Australia are actually at least three sub-species. The species in Victoria is known as the Southern Greater Glider – Petauroides volans subsp. volans. Since 2020, this species has been hit by multiple events which have impacted its habitat and, therefore, it’s ability to persist. These events include the Black Summer bushfires, which destroyed large tracts of habitat in East Gippsland, and the storms of 2021 – in which many hollow-bearing trees were lost across Victoria.

With the assistance and partnership of ecologists, this fundraising program aims to create supplementary artificial hollows in key Greater Glider habitat where hollow-bearing trees have been lost due to land-use change and/or extreme weather events.

Artificial hollows will be created using tools including chainsaws and the Hollowhog. The Hollowhog is a wood carving tool specifically designed to create habitat for hollow-dependant wildlife; it can efficiently create large internal cavities through small entry holes in standing trees, in both living and dead wood, and there is no other damage to the tree’s cambium during the carving process. Using a combination of methods, and a skilled arboriculture team, we can create hollows that are both big enough, and high enough in the canopy, to suit Greater Gliders.

The construction of a single large hollow suitable for a Greater Glider costs about AU$400. We commit to installing one hollow for every $400 donation received.

Additionally, you will receive our quarterly newsletter which will contain information on hollow installations and post-installation occupancy monitoring (you can opt out at any time).

Visit our website www.ecowarriorsaustralia.org to find out more about Eco Warriors Australia, including how you can get involved in our projects.