Central Victorian community groups were given the rare opportunity to hone their glider conservation skills at a packed workshop held in Seymour on 18 March, 2016.
Organised by GER’s Central Victorian Biolinks Alliance, the Glider Symposium was run to facilitate the sharing of expert knowledge and practical experience to build local capacity for glider conservation.
“The Glider Symposium was an opportunity to bring community groups together to share their knowledge and experiences around key issues facing glider conservation on private land in Central Victoria. It was also a chance to hear the latest knowledge on glider ecology and conservation directly from the experts,” said Sophie Bickford, Facilitator of Central Victorian Biolinks Alliance Inc. (CVB).
Talks by three leading researchers were followed by presentations from several Central Victorian community groups on their glider conservation projects.
The workshop was held as part of ‘Glideways’, a collaborative program run by GER aimed at conserving gliding possums and their habitat in strategic locations across eastern Australia.
“Gliders are a unique and special part of our landscape but they face a number of growing threats. Through our Glideways projects we are working to secure the future of gliders in remnant forests and woodlands on private land in Central Victoria,” says Sophie.
“In areas where large hollow-bearing trees remain we are focusing on protecting and reconnecting remaining habitat. In highly cleared areas, our focus is on restoration and enhancement of habitat through revegetation, installation of nest boxes and community engagement.”
“By bringing the different community groups involved in glider conservation together we will significantly increase the capacity to deliver strong conservation outcomes.”
“Our Glideways projects will have benefits far beyond the life of the program by empowering community groups involved in glider conservation through new skills and knowledge, and by building new partnerships, delivering greater ecological outcomes. The lessons learnt will also help to inform future project design and increase chances of funding success.”
“It was great to see so many people passionate about helping to conserve gliders in Central Victoria. The breadth of knowledge and projects in that small room was amazing to see and learn from. We are very excited about the new opportunities Glideways is already inspiring and of the potentially significant positive impact these projects will have on glider conservation,” concludes Sophie.
The CVB Glideways project is funded through a grant from the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife.
Projects under the Glideways banner are also being rolled out by the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala, Slopes to Summit, Jalliigiir Biodiversity Alliance and Hinterland Bushlinks GER Regional Partnerships.
