Greater Glider by Kate Smith

by Judy and Peter Smith

The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA) comprises eight reserves: Blue Mountains, Gardens of Stone, Kanangra-Boyd, Nattai, Thirlmere Lakes, Wollemi and Yengo National Parks and Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. The area was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000 because its natural values, including the diversity of its fauna, were considered to be outstanding at international level.

In 1998, when the nomination of the Greater Blue Mountains Area for inscription on the World Heritage List was prepared, it was well known that the area provided habitat for a wide variety of fauna. However, details of the vertebrate fauna were sketchy. Over the last year, in an attempt to gain a clearer understanding of the fauna, we have been preparing annotated checklists of the native frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals in the GBMWHA.

The checklists indicate the species we consider to have been reliably recorded in each of the eight constituent reserves together with their conservation status at national and state level, and details of their distribution, habitat and relative abundance in the WHA. The project has been supported through funding from the Australian Government’s Community Heritage and Icons Grants Programme.

Out of interest, over 60 of the vertebrate fauna species are considered threatened at national and/or state level and at least 422 native species: 66 mammal, 250 bird (including at least 29 honeyeater species), 71 reptile and 35 frog species have been recorded in the area since European settlement, truly an outstanding diversity.

If you would like a copy of the checklists please contact us. Additional records or comments on the checklists would be most welcome. As the fauna is by no means completely known, nor is it static, we are hoping that the checklists will be regularly updated. We can be contacted at: smitheco@ozemail.com.au