Funding fight over animal that 'disappeared from science' for 100 years

Nobody knows for sure how many endangered mahogany gliders, which "disappeared from science" for a century, still exist in their little pocket on the North Queensland coastline.

That is half the problem; the other half is that there is no funding to find out.

The small gliders are an example of the fight endangered-animal support groups face for funding and how a disaster can sometimes lead to a moment of fame.

The mahogany glider is one of Australia's largest tree-dwelling gliders and lives in a 120-kilometre-long stretch of eucalypt forest north of Townsville.

It was discovered in 1883 but never classified in the Queensland Museum.

"It then disappeared from science for over 100 years. The specimen was just filed away," former chair of the national mahogany glider recovery team Daryl Dickson said.

In 1993, it was rediscovered in North Queensland and declared a unique species with the name Petaurus gracilis, meaning graceful rope dancer.

At the same time, it was declared endangered with more than 60 per cent of its habitat already cleared.

That habitat was further decimated by Cyclone Yasi in 2011, which at the time was the worst storm to hit Queensland.

A blessing in the storm

"Cyclone Yasi was a game changer for us," Ms Dickson said.

"We managed to get into the limelight for a little while."

There was an influx of funding and the recovery team worked towards a scientific recovery plan for the species.

But then Ms Dickson said the funding ran out, which left the recovery team "in limbo". The finalised plan was shelved.

The recent Keeping Country Connected for Mahogany Gliders project, funded by the Queensland government, ended this month.

There is funding for ecosystem-wide action such as removing weeds or building road crossings.

"But there is no funding for the mahogany glider in any way shape or form that I'm aware of,"Ms Dickson said.

"We've had our moment in the sun."

And that came when she felt the group was on the verge of a breakthrough.

A new research method

Ms Dickson said the team was "always guessing" when it came to population numbers and locations, information that is crucial for analysing long-term changes.

A researcher recently flew a thermal drone over mahogany glider habitat, revealing an easy and accurate way to monitor the population.

From one brief night's flying, she estimated the population was about 3,000.

Ms Dickson said the "hugely expensive" drones "could be the answer for the future". But there was no funding.

"If we had a regular monitoring process, at least we'd see the warning signs early enough to perhaps be able to make enough noise to make the government pay attention," she said.

"It's frustrating to see things that could be done but that we have no capacity to do."

No 'basic funding'

More than 15 years after Cyclone Yasi, Ms Dickson said the mahogany glider had lost the political attention that secured funding.

"At the moment, the limelight is pointing at other species. We have so many endangered species with no basic funding," she said.

"Around Australia, there are so many amazing species that are all 'pick me, pick me' and there are so many brilliant groups working for these animals.

"We're all fighting the same battles. It's sad we're fighting against each other, but it's difficult days for government and conservation."

Funding decisions 'super important'

There are more than 2,100 plants and animals threatened with extinction in Australia.

Australian Threatened Species commissioner Fiona Fraser said they were all vying for a share of funding from different levels of government and various sectors and organisations.

For example, she said the Australian government committed about $800 million annually, guided by the threatened species action plan, which prioritises 110 species and 20 landscapes for a focused effort.

"In a perfect world, there would be long-term funding for all those species all the time,"Dr Fraser said.

"Our threatened species definitely need more love. They need more resources. They need more science.

"So, making decisions about funding is super important."

Dr Fraser said funding often prioritised wide-scale environmental action that benefited many animals rather than focusing on individual species.

"Some species need a very bespoke approach … whereas other species require landscape action to mitigate threats," she said.

Dr Fraser said some iconic species, for example the koala in Queensland, often received more funding because of their relative fame.

But she said that was a good thing because "actions to improve koala habitat … actually benefit the many, many other species that co-occur with koalas".

Meanwhile, Ms Dickson was determined to keep the recovery team in contact, even without a chairperson, funding or regular meetings.

"We just need to keep going until such time that, perhaps, the spotlight shines on the mahogany glider again."