I have a pdf version of the following article which I can forward on request
...
ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION VOL 3 NO 1 APRIL 2002 37
The value of ?bat boxes? for attracting hollow dependent fauna to farm forestry
plantations in southeast Queensland
By Geoffrey C. Smith and Gordon Agnew
R E S E A R C H R E P O R T
The work described in this report was initiated by the authors when they worked
with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. Geoffrey Smith now works
with Forest Ecosystem Research and Assessment, Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service (80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly, Qld 4068, Australia. Email:
and Gordon Agnew 12 Windsor Avenue, Moffat Beach,
Qld 4551.
Summary Small artificial nest/roost boxes, originally designed for microbats,
were deployed in three farm forest plantations and at one native forest site in
southeast Queensland in order to assess their use by vertebrates and their
contribution toward enhancing biodiversity in plantation forests through the
provision of habitat. Two sites were located in a relatively ?intact? forest
landscape (SF 351 and Strano) and two sites in a more ?fragmented? or
?variegated? landscape (Askham and Thomas). Twenty-four boxes were placed at
each site over an area covering approximately 1.2?1.8 ha. Each site was checked
from five (SF 351) to nine (Askham) times between April 1996 and November 2000.
The artificial nest/roost boxes were attractive to a range of small fauna that
included Feathertail Gliders ( Acrobates pygmaeus), Sugar Gliders ( Petaurus
breviceps), Squirrel Gliders ( Petaurus norfolcensis) and the Yellow-footed
Marsupial Mouse ( Antechinus flavipes), all of which constructed nests inside
boxes. Gould?s Long-eared Bats ( Nyctophilus gouldi) used boxes primarily as
roosts and maternity sites. In general, fewer animals were recorded in boxes at
the two sites located within a relatively ?intact? landscape, while the highest
numbers of animals were recorded in boxes in two farm forest plantations within
?variegated? landscapes. The availability of alternative natural hollows and
landscape factors appear to be important determinants of the extent to which
boxes are occupied. The present study indicates that the biodiversity of farm
forests can be enhanced through simple habitat manipulation utilizing artificial
roosting or nesting boxes.
LK
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