Taxonomic revisions, strategic decisions research and management priorities for the threatened greater glider complex

Luke Daniel Emerson, Kristal N Kostaglou, Kita Ashman, Jemma K Cripps, Louise K Durkin, Teresa J Eyre, Ana Gracanin, David B. Lindenmayer, Amanda Lo Cascio, Karen J Marsh, Rachel Mason, Vivianna Miritis, Jenny L Nelson, Benjamin Wagner, Kara N. Youngentob, Euan G. Ritchie

Collating and synthesising ecological information is critical for guiding effective conservation policy and management plans. This is especially pertinent for species of conservation concern. This task may be further complicated when taxonomic revisions of species and species complexes occur. Species previously managed as a single taxon may be reclassified into multiple species, and hence species-specific concerns and management requirements may need to be revised rapidly. Until 2020, greater gliders were widely recognised as a single species (Petauroides volans) with an extensive distribution along Australia’s east coast. However, recent genetic evidence supports earlier descriptions of three separate greater glider species: Petauroides minor (northern greater glider), P. armillatus (central greater glider), and P. volans (southern greater glider). However, the current Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 currently recognises only P. volans (southern and central) and P. minor (northern) as unique species, which are listed as Endangered and Vulnerable, respectively. We conducted a systematic review of all literature relating to ecological research on greater gliders. Our aim was to inform appropriate conservation and management actions and identify future research priorities for the three species. We identified 178 unique greater glider studies and categorised them by geographic location and thematic focus, assigning them to each species based on previous work on distributional boundaries to evaluate the ecological knowledge base for each species. Most research addressed factors associated with occurrence, abundance, anthropogenic habitat destruction, fire, and spatial distribution, with a marked research bias toward the southern greater glider. Ecological knowledge for the central and northern species remains limited, potentially compromising species-specific conservation and management for these two taxa. Climate change, habitat destruction, and wildfire are considered key threats to greater glider populations. Additional research across all greater glider species is needed to understand key drivers of population dynamics, including the role of climate change and associated extreme weather events, life history traits, genetics, physiology, predation, competition, disease, habitat quality, planned burning, and spatial ecology. Such information is essential for accurate extinction risk and effective threat mitigation. Ensuring the long-term survival of greater gliders requires coordinated, species-specific conservation strategies informed by research, supported by legislative reform, and underpinned by strong environmental protections and habitat restoration. Our synthesis highlights the broader utility of re-evaluating existing research in the context of taxonomic reclassification, particularly for directing future research and informing targeted and effective conservation responses for threatened species.