Nanangroe Plantation Plot Network: The Value of Countryside Elements in the Conservation of the Threatened Arboreal Marsupial Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis in Agricultural Landscapes of South-eastern Australia - the Disproportional Value of Scattered Trees, 2005

Data Collection (spatial data) The area of each countryside element available to an individual squirrel glider was calculated by measuring the total area of woody vegetation attributed to that ‘element’, within a 1000 m radius of the centre point of all fixes for each individual glider. A 1000 m radius was used, as 2000 m is approximately the maximum home range length that has been reported for this species (van der Ree and Bennett, 2003). The area of woody vegetation was measured using geographical information systems software (ArcGIS 9.2- Esri) to draw polygons over the canopy of woody vegetation interpreted from satellite imagery (SPOT5- Astrium GEO). Woody vegetation isolated by a gap distance of greater than 70 meters was considered unavailable to the glider (van der Ree et al., 2004).

ArcGIS 9.2- Esri, SPOT5- Astrium GEO

Plot setup Sites were selected on the basis of having squirrel gliders present and also to ensure we had 5 spatial independent sites, each encapsulating a number of different countryside elements.

Data collection (radio- tracking data) We captured gliders using drop-door, wire mesh cage traps (170 mm x 200 mm x 500 mm) over a three night period at each site in March 2005 (Crane et al., 2008). We fitted 32 gliders with a single stage brass loop radio transmitter, weighing 4.5 grams (Sirtrack, New Zealand). Gliders were radio-tracked to their diurnal denning site at least twice a week and to a nocturnal location at least 1-3 times a fortnight, over a 4-5 month period (Crane et al., 2008; Crane et al., 2012). For each fix, we recorded the countryside element in which the glider was located.

single stage brass loop radio transmitter, weighing 4.5 grams (Sirtrack, New Zealand). Our investigation encompassed five study areas within the south-west slopes of New South Wales, Australia (Fig. 1). The region is the most extensively and intensively disturbed of the 13 botanical regions of NSW, with an estimated 85% of the original cover of native vegetation removed in the past 200 years (Benson, 2008). The five study areas were located in heavily modified agricultural landscapes, used predominantly for livestock grazing and dryland cropping. Study areas were approximately 3km x 3km. Woody vegetation occurred primarily as relictual scattered paddock trees, native vegetation plantings and remnant temperate Eucalyptus woodlands on private lands, road reserves and travelling stock reserves. Radio tracking data was collected between March and July 2005, mapping was developed in 2013 from 2005 SPOT5 imagery.