Using canopy bridges to link habitat for arboreal mammals: successful trials in the Wet Tropics of Queensland

Canopy bridges significantly aid arboreal mammals, including rare and endemic species, in crossing roads within the Wet Tropics of Queensland. The study found that nine mammal species, five of which are endemic or listed as rare, utilized three types of rope canopy bridges—single rope, ladder-like, and tunnel-shaped—to traverse a 15-meter-wide tourist road and a highway. Notably, over 50 crossings were observed on an elevated ladder-like bridge, while longer (~40 m) bridges were used by four species. These findings suggest that such structures can mitigate road-kill risks and reduce subpopulation isolation, offering potential broad applications for conserving arboreal mammals in fragmented habitats.

Weston, N., Goosem, M., Marsh, H., Cohen, M., & Wilson, R. (2011). Using canopy bridges to link habitat for arboreal mammals: successful trials in the Wet Tropics of Queensland. Australian Mammalogy, 33(1), 93–105. https://doi.org/10.1071/am11003