Wildlife corridors for the Scenic Rim

We developed a plan in cooperation with the Scenic Rim Regional Council following surveys for squirrel gliders in the valleys (which have less Protected Areas than ou mountainous regions). Former environment officer, Keith McCosh recommended that in addition to establishing the corridors, we also consolidate the “hubs” (localities already relatively rich in wildlife) as secure squirrel glider habitat, by enhancing altered habitats within these with food trees or nest boxes as needed, . We have expanded the project to be useful not only to gliders but also koalas, glossy black cockatoos, small ground-frequenting birds (e.g. fairy-wrens, grey-crowned babblers), mammals (e.g. antechinus, bandicoots) and lizards, as well as native bees and butterflies. Corridors will especially lead out from the Kooralbyn/RoundMountain "hub" area to other areas where gliders have been detected – especially south to the Maroon area, west to Boonah area and north to Birnam Range, and from Birnam via the Kerry Valley to Duck Creek Road, where there are good populations of glider and other species. [As Kooralbyn is more or less in the centre of some major corridors, we thought of this as a "hub" with radiating spokes (corridors) but have since been referring to all the large habitat remnants as hubs.]. We have received substantial grants from two federal donors: the Community Environment Program (ended June 2021) and the Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grant (until April 2022). We are also receiving (non monetary) assistance from Boonah Landcare, Scenic Rim Land for Wildlife and Healthy Land and Water.
The initial corridors were (and still are ) to connect areas low-altitude open eucalyptus forest, which is not well represented in Protected Areas within the Scenic Rim, but has now expanded to provide habitat and food trees for rainforest fruit-eating birds which often have to move to lower altitudes in winter when food is scarce in the mountains, and occasionally at other times of year in response to disasters. Historically there was plenty of lowland rainforest for them to visit, but most of this was cleared many decades ago.
Plantings and fence construction have been achieved on over 20 properties so far, and it is anticipated that glider poles will be used across some paddocks where plantings are not wanted, and that we will also be planting on Council land to fill some gaps.

我们与风景岭区域议会（Scenic Rim Regional Council）合作制定了本项目方案，此前我们已针对山谷区域的松鼠袋鼯（squirrel gliders）开展了调查——相较于山区，该区域的保护区（Protected Areas）占比更低。前环境官员基思·麦科什（Keith McCosh）建议，除建设生态廊道（corridors）外，还应整合"核心栖息地（hub）"（即本地野生动物资源相对丰富的区域）作为稳定的松鼠袋鼯栖息地，具体方式为根据需求在这些区域的受损生境中补植食源树种或安装巢箱。我们已将项目覆盖范围拓展，使其不仅能服务于松鼠袋鼯，还能惠及考拉（koala）、亮黑凤头鹦鹉（glossy black cockatoos）、小型地面栖息鸟类（如细尾鹩莺（fairy-wrens）、灰冠弯嘴鹛（grey-crowned babblers））、哺乳动物（如袋鼩（antechinus）、袋狸（bandicoots））及蜥蜴，同时也可为本土蜂类与蝴蝶提供支持。生态廊道将尤其以库拉宾/圆山"核心栖息地"区域为起点，延伸至已监测到松鼠袋鼯的其他区域：具体包括向南延伸至马鲁恩区域、向西延伸至布纳区域、向北延伸至伯纳岭，以及从伯纳经克里谷抵达达克溪路（该区域拥有数量可观的松鼠袋鼯及其他物种种群）。【鉴于库拉宾大致处于若干主要生态廊道的中心位置，我们最初将其视为带有辐射状支道（即生态廊道）的核心栖息地，但后续我们已将所有大型残存生境区域均统称为核心栖息地。】我们已获得两家联邦资助方提供的大额拨款：分别为已于2021年6月终止的社区环境计划（Community Environment Program），以及有效期至2022年4月的土地保育（Landcare）主导丛林火灾恢复拨款（Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grant）。此外，我们还获得了布纳土地保育组织、风景岭野生动物土地项目及健康土地与水资源项目提供的非资金类援助。项目最初规划的生态廊道（目前仍在执行）旨在连接风景岭区域内保护区覆盖不足的低海拔开阔桉树林区域；如今项目范围已拓展，可为雨林食果鸟类提供栖息地与食源树种——这类鸟类常在山区食物匮乏的冬季迁徙至低海拔区域，偶尔也会在一年中的其他时段因灾害事件而迁移。历史上，这类鸟类原本拥有大量低地雨林可作为觅食栖息地，但这类低地雨林在数十年前已被大量砍伐。截至目前，项目已在超过20处地块完成植被补植与围栏搭建工作；我们计划在部分不适宜开展植被补植的牧场中安装滑翔杆（glider poles），同时也将在议会所有土地上开展植被种植以填补生境缺口。