Research Report
Miriam Goosem, Robyn Wilson, Nigel Weston and Martin Cohen
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook
University
ISBN 9781921359088
Published July 2008
MTSRF Project 4.9.3 -
Impacts of urbanisation on North Queensland environments:
management and remediation
Overview
This report explains the three components of Project 4.9.3's
highway overpasses study, and summarises research to date on the
movements of some of North Queensland's rainforest arboreal mammals
in the face of human impacts such as habitat fragmentation.
Section 1 - Ringtail possum home range
evaluation and monitoring in habitats adjacent to the canopy
bridges over the Palmerston Highway
Section 1 of the Highway Overpass project was designed firstly
to evaluate the road-frontage of rainforest ringtail possum home
ranges to assist management in determining the optimum distance
between overpasses in rainforest habitat along the Palmerston
Highway. A second objective was to evaluate the potential of
a highway to isolate populations of arboreal species. The
third objective was to determine whether any collared possums
crossed the road and examine the behaviour of these individuals
with respect to the newly erected canopy bridges.
Section 2 - Erection of canopy bridges over the
Palmerston Highway
This section of the project aimed to:
-
Construct as many canopy bridges as possible in the funding
available over the Palmerston Highway at the point where it reaches
its highest elevation in continuous forest;
-
Erect bridges at spacings that take into account the road
frontage of the target rainforest ringtail species and designed
with consideration both for safety of road and wildlife users;
and
-
Comparison of long rope ladder and rope tunnel designs.
Section 3 - Monitoring of canopy bridges over the
Palmerston Highway
The objective of Section 3 was to monitor the canopy bridges for
use by arboreal mammals using a variety of techniques:
-
Regular spotlighting of the bridges and surrounding rainforest
habitat for arboreal mammals;
-
Regular searches under the bridges for arboreal mammal scats;
and
-
Infrared-triggered digital camera monitoring of the rope tunnel
canopy bridge.
