Brushtail Possums: “Champion of the suburbs” or “Our tormentors”?

Matthews, Alison; Lunney, Daniel; Waples, Kelly; Hardy, Jeff

doi:10.7882/fs.2004.093

Cited by 27 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…The high numbers of T. vulpecula recorded in our exurban regions are consistent with their wide distribution across nonnatural habitats within Tasmania (Rounsevell et al, 1991) and their high level of persistence in urban environments (van der Ree & McCarthy, 2005), which has occasionally resulted in the species receiving pest status among residents (Matthews, Lunney, Waples, & Hardy, 2004). However, T. vulpecula was significantly less frequently recorded in exurban Kingborough than in wildlands.…”

Section: Ecr Species Traits and Landscape Responsessupporting

confidence: 78%

The influence of landscape context on the distribution of flightless mammals in exurban developments

Daniels¹,

Kirkpatrick²

2012

Landscape and Urban Planning

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Section: Ecr Species Traits and Landscape Responsessupporting

confidence: 78%

The influence of landscape context on the distribution of flightless mammals in exurban developments

Daniels¹,

Kirkpatrick²

2012

Landscape and Urban Planning

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“…Urban adapters, such as red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) or Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) occasionally find suitable denning sites beneath buildings (e.g., Marks Davison et al 2008), while smaller mammals such as raccoons (Procyon lotor), brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) or squirrels (Sciurus spp.) may nest in roof voids or attics of inhabited buildings, thereby bringing them into conflict with human residents (Adams et al 2004;Matthews et al 2004;O'Donnell and DeNicola 2006). In Europe, stone martens (Martes foina) are well established in urbanised environments (Broekhuizen 1999;Herr 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Den preferences and denning behaviour in urban stone martens (Martes foina)

et al. 2010

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Stone martens (Martes foina) occur in urban environments in many parts of continental Europe, where they cause a nuisance by denning in inhabited houses. We radio tracked 13 stone martens (10 females, 3 males) in two towns in southern Luxembourg during a 2-year period, in order to investigate den preferences and patterns of den use. We predicted that urban martens would make more use of buildings and less use of natural den sites than do their rural counterparts. All martens used multiple den sites but use was concentrated on a subset of these, between which individuals shifted frequently. Denning was almost exclusively in buildings (97.1%), with use of inhabited buildings being the highest (41.9%) recorded to date for this species. Inhabited buildings were used more extensively in winter, presumably because they were warmer and better insulated. We conclude that stone martens can successfully adapt their denning behaviour to an urban environment and that they use anthropogenic den sites more often than do most other mesocarnivore urban adapters.

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“…The association of common brushtail possums with those who most like native animals may be because the brushtail possum is regarded by many people to be a nuisance (Matthews et al 2004), because of its propensity to consume vegetables, crops and flowers, strip trees of their fruit and leaves, nest in house roofs and descend down chimneys. It is the native animal that is most often (illegally) relocated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitude and action syndromes of exurban landowners have little effect on native mammals in exurbia

Daniels

Kirkpatrick

2011

Biodivers Conserv

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Private property is increasingly important for nature conservation, and exurbia an increasingly prominent form of private land use. There have been very few studies of the attitudes of exurban landowners to nature, all of which indicate a high degree of biophilia, and no studies of the effect of variation in the attitudes and actions of these landowners on wild mammal assemblages on their properties. A questionnaire survey of landowners was combined with spotlight observations of fauna on their properties to test the attitudes of the landowners to nature and the null hypothesis that syndromes of landowner attitudes to nature, and actions in relation to nature, have no effect on wild mammals at the property scale. All respondents were positive about native wild animals and trees. Four groups of landowners (biophiles, autocrats, idealists and utilitarians) derived by a classification of ordination scores based on attitude and action question responses, were different in their attitudes towards native wild mammals, exotic wild mammals and trees. However, their properties did not differ in the presence or frequency of any native wild mammal species. There were statistical relationships between the presence/absence of native wild animal species and indices related to intervention, fondness of trees, aversion to trees, fondness of native animals, and fondness of exotic animals. However, with the possible exception of the tendency of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) to be absent from properties owned by the people who least liked wild animals, the association of native animals with attitude or action indices appeared to be coincidental. It therefore seems that programs directed towards influencing the attitudes of landowners to wildlife may be ineffective in conserving wildlife in exurbia.

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Brushtail Possums: “Champion of the suburbs” or “Our tormentors”?

Cited by 27 publications

References 4 publications

The influence of landscape context on the distribution of flightless mammals in exurban developments

The influence of landscape context on the distribution of flightless mammals in exurban developments

Den preferences and denning behaviour in urban stone martens (Martes foina)

Attitude and action syndromes of exurban landowners have little effect on native mammals in exurbia

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