Overview
Project by: Kylie Soanes
In 2007 rope bridges and glider poles were installed to help squirrel gliders move safely across the road. Rope bridges (also called rope ladders or canopy bridges) are exactly what they sound like – a bridge made of rope that links habitat trees on either side of the freeway.
Glider poles are tall wooden poles that can be placed in the roadsides and median as surrogate trees, allowing gliders to safely cross the road in a few short glides.
Background
In south-east Australia, there is lots of concern over the impacts of roads on threatened species like the squirrel glider. Squirrel gliders are exceptional little aeronauts and regularly glide across 30–40 metre gaps between trees.
But the longer the glide, the lower they land, and gliders attempting to glide over wide roads may end up colliding with traffic or even landing on the ground. Neither of these places are ideal.
Relevance
This project is relevant for other non-target species that inhabit Fishermans Bend like possums and birds. The Superb fairy-wren may potentially benefit from wild-life crossings, but they would need to be adapted to its individual needs.
References
Soanes, Kylie, Trina Rytwinski, Lenore Fahrig, Marcel P. Huijser, Jochen A. G. Jaeger, Fernanda Z. Teixeira, Rodney Van Der Ree, and Edgar A. Van Der Grift. “Do Wildlife Crossing Structures Mitigate the Barrier Effect of Roads on Animal Movement? A Global Assessment.” Journal of Applied Ecology 61, no. 3 (2024): 417–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14582.