Meet a conservation biologist
Q&A with Dr Ana Gracanin
In this article, we get to meet Dr Ana Gracanin—a conservation biologist specialising in the ecology of threatened mammal species. Ana recently moved to Canberra for a new role as a research fellow at the Australian National University. Her work explores the impact of environmental disturbances on endangered species like the greater glider and spotted-tailed quoll, and she often heads out to Tallaganda for fieldwork.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in conservation biology?
When I was a kid growing up in Western Sydney there wasn’t a lot of nature around. My parents would take me and my sister out exploring national parks and take us camping. From these experiences I grew up valuing nature and wildlife and having a strong connection with these places and animals. This led me to studying conservation biology at the University of Wollongong, where I ended up volunteering with a lab group called Team Quoll. There I spent many years exploring all kinds of remote places to look for threatened species, in particular greater gliders and spotted-tailed quolls.
What drew you to working with greater gliders?
The greater glider is such a strange and funny looking creature. I remember seeing one for the first time in Budderoo National Park, and through my crappy pair of binoculars, I could just make out these great big fluffy ears and a rather puzzled looking Gizmo-gremlin face, reminding me of a toy Furbie I had as a kid. It had the longest tail and the fluffiest body. Knowing that under all that dense fur was a gliding membrane, and that it could “fly” through the air from tree to tree, it became a really fascinating species for me. They don’t do much but sit in the tree, stare back at you, and browse on eucalyptus foliage, but once in a blue moon you can witness them glide. After doing lots of spotlighting surveys for them, I came to love this quirky and cute creature.
I started to learn just how little we knew about greater gliders. One particular conservation challenge was the complete lack of genetic data for the majority of their populations. Genetic data is very important as it allows us to understand how viable populations are and identify adaptive potential within populations.
However, catching greater gliders is incredibly difficult as the species spends its entire night foraging in the canopy, rarely coming to the ground. So myself and the team started to investigate how we could safely capture them, and after many months of trialling different methods and techniques, we found we could climb trees to capture them from inside their hollows.
Before I knew it, I was spending all my time tree climbing to study these animals in new ways and with new questions. I use camera traps and temperature loggers inside their hollows, and also study artificial hollows like nest boxes and carved hollows.
What are the main threats facing greater gliders?
The greater glider is facing serious threats to its survival. One major problem is habitat loss and fragmentation, which historically resulted in massive swathes of land cleared for purposes such as development and agriculture. Habitat loss continues to result in populations declining and when habitat becomes fragmented, the greater glider is unable to traverse vast distances over cleared land. This disrupts their ability to move and find mates, making it harder for their populations to stay healthy.
Adding to this is climate change, which brings hotter temperatures and less water, making it difficult for gliders to stay cool—they start to experience heat stress at temperatures over 20 degrees. The situation gets worse with wildfires, which have become more severe and frequent, wiping out large areas of glider habitat and causing significant population loss. On top of all this, logging for timber production removes trees that gliders need for shelter, nesting and for food. To help these creatures survive, we need to manage fires better and stop logging in greater glider habitat.
You also work with spotted-tailed quolls, can you tell us a bit about that?
Spotted-tailed quolls are similarly cryptic and difficult to study. We spent years studying this animal through camera traps, traversing incredibly difficult terrain, coming up against all kinds of challenges, but I think that’s what drew me to this animal in the first place. The challenge is rewarding—it makes it really special when you do find them on camera, or on the rarest of occasions, see them in the flesh.
They are inquisitive, graceful, with sharp teeth and a big button nose. They are incredibly beautiful, bold and one of Australia’s largest marsupial predators. It’s really sad to know that this endangered species is threatened with extinction, which is why every bit of data on their populations helps. Without the data, we can’t effectively implement conservation strategies and management to then help support and recover populations.
What do you think needs to change to ensure the survival of these species?
Crucial steps are strengthening environmental laws to provide better protection for greater glider and spotted-tailed quoll habitats, enforcing stricter regulations on logging and land clearing activities, and implementing comprehensive recovery plans. With concerted efforts and effective policy interventions, Australia can avert the looming extinction crisis facing these species and ensure their survival for generations to come. It's crucial to act now to ensure these fascinating animals have a future in the wild.
What makes Tallaganda ecologically important?
Based on the high density of greater glider records in the Tallaganda area, it's clear that this is a very large population and could be a genetic stronghold. I'm working with the University of Wollongong who are collecting genetic data to estimate the effective population size of greater gliders at Tallaganda, as well as to investigate their population viability.
In past research, we found that greater glider populations along the south coast of NSW were all experiencing some kind of genetic decline or had very low population viability. This was true for all but one population in the Metropolitan Special Area, located South-West of Sydney. This population is a significant stronghold, with an exceptionally large population, indicating it has much better potential to overcome stochastic events and persist in the long term.
Tallaganda, thanks to its wet and cooler climate, and large contiguous habitat, makes it an incredibly important location for greater gliders. Under a changing climate, other regions are projected to experience significant decline or extinction, as these areas will become too warm for greater gliders to effectively persist. That’s why identifying stronghold populations and protecting them is an important management strategy to ensure the species does not go extinct.
What are your hopes for the future of Tallaganda?
I hope that one day the entire Tallaganda landscape becomes protected, as not only is it important habitat to greater gliders, but also for other endangered species like the spotted-tailed quoll. There are campaigns underway to create large changes in this area—in particular, Wilderness Australia and National Parks Association of NSW are advocating that Tallaganda State Forest becomes part of the national parks reserve system. This would ensure ongoing protections and conservation works to improve and support endangered populations and the habitat they reside in, which I fully support!
What can local communities do to help?
Participate in citizen science projects and report sightings of greater gliders and other threatened species to relevant authorities or research organisations. Your observations can contribute valuable data to ongoing monitoring efforts and help researchers better understand glider populations and their distribution.
Write to local and national policymakers urging them to strengthen environmental laws and regulations to better protect greater glider habitats. Support initiatives that promote sustainable land use practices, habitat restoration, and biodiversity conservation.
Spread the word about the importance of greater gliders and the threats they face. Share information on social media, and participate in community events advocating for changes in our environmental laws to better protect greater gliders and their habitat.
How can we follow your work going forward?
I’m on X (Twitter) and Instagram at: @ana_gracanin
Thanks Ana!
If you’re keen to see greater gliders in flight, check out this short and very informative YouTube video that features Ana’s glider footage:
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