Specific nest box designs can improve habitat restoration for cavity-dependent arboreal mammals

Published source details Goldingay R.L., Rueegger N.N., Grimson M.J. & Taylor B.D. (2015) Specific nest box designs can improve habitat restoration for cavity-dependent arboreal mammals. Restoration Ecology, 23, 482-490.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Provide artificial dens or nest boxes on trees Action Link

Provide artificial dens or nest boxes on trees

A replicated study in 2003–2014 in one urban and two rural forest sites in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia (Goldingay et al. 2015) found that nest boxes were used by six species of arboreal marsupial. Within the rural landscapes nest boxes were occupied by sugar gliders Petaurus breviceps (29% of available boxes, use affected by design), brown antechinus Antechinus stuartii (23%, use unaffected by design), mountain brushtail possums Trichosurus caninus (1%) and feathertail gliders Acrobates pygmaeus (1%). Within an urban landscape, nest boxes were occupied by common brushtail possum Trichosurus sp. (20% of available boxes), common ringtail possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus (4%), and sugar gliders (4%). Use of some nest boxes influenced by design (see original paper for details). All boxes accessible to squirrel gliders Petaurus norfolcensis at two sites were used by them over a 10-year period (6-21 adults/year in boxes; total 61 individuals). Nest boxes of five different types (11–42 × 15–29 × 26–45 cm, 3.5–21-cm diameter entrance) were installed 3–6 m above ground. In the rural landscape, five boxes in each of 32 plots (25 x 25 m; ≥ 200 m apart) were installed across nine sites (>1 km apart). At the urban site a total of 188 boxes were installed across 20 sites. Boxes were erected in 2003–2007 and inspected three times in 2008–2009 at the rural sites and once in August 2010 at the urban site. In 2005–2009, 16 additional boxes were installed or adapted for squirrel gliders across two sites and were inspected usually once/year in 2005-2014.

(Summarised by: Ricardo Rocha)