Gourmet Gum Leaves Project - Improving landscape nutritional quality for koala and greater glider conservation and management

Now entering its third year, the Gourmet Gum Leaves Project aims to boost the long-term viability of koala and greater glider populations by enhancing the nutritional quality of habitats and restoration plantings. All eucalypt leaf eating animals survive on a diet that is very low in critical nutrients, like protein, but high in toxins that can be harmful to folivores. As a result, small changes in the nutritional quality of browse can have big impacts on reproductive success and population densities. Since the nutritional properties of eucalypt foliage are largely hereditary, selecting seeds from parent trees with superior nutritional traits could improve the value of restored habitats. This project will test the hypothesis that targeted enrichment planting using high-quality seedlings can enhance the nutritional quality and carrying capacity of landscapes for these iconic threatened species.