For preservation of Parkinson-Larapinta core area to have maximum ecological value, all adjoining areas will need to be linked utilising remnant forests, creeks and drainage lines of Blunder Creek and Oxley Creek systems, Scrubby Creek, Slacks Creek, Spring Creek and Bulimba Creek; which includes areas of Heathwood, Pallara, Doolandella, Drewvale, Berrinba and Kuraby.

 However, ecological protection can only be guaranteed areas to happen if there is a concerted effort by council planners to ensure there is security of tenure. Currently, there is no guarantee that State Government or BCC owned land outside of the crematorium boundary will not be sold for future development. In fact there have been recent breaches involving removal of old growth scribbly gums and other extensive clearing for the proposed cemetry.

NatureSearch data (Department of Environment), 1995, for the Parkinson Area and Bushland between the Logan Motorway and Johnson Road, Larapinta compiled by Dr Ian Gynther and Adrian Caneris, including a brief visit in 1994 to Larapinta wetlands, revealed 19 mammal, 62 bird, 11 reptile and 10 amphibian species. However, the State of Oxley Creek Catchment Report and Water and Land Use Impact and Management Analysis: Kinhill Cameron McNamara further highlights the ecological importance of the Oxley Creek Catchment with 43 mammal species, 226 birds, 21 amphibians, 11 aquafauna and 35 reptile species.

 Other listed species are Rare Accipiter novaehollandiae (grey goshawk), Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus (black-necked stork), rarely observed frilled lizard (from Greenbank, but may occur in adjoining forests), Litoria brevipalmata (green-thighed frog), and Vulnerable Species Crinia tinnula (wallum froglet), Ninox strenua (powerful owl), Calyptorhynchus lathami (glossy black cockatoo), and Species of Special Interest: Ornithorhynchus anatinus (platypus), Phascolarctos cinereus (koala) and Tachyglossus aculeatus (Short-beaked echidna).

 This evidence is clearly substantiated by the data collated by scientists from NatureSearch, including 3 confirmed gliders, 8 insectivorous bats and flying foxes, koala, common dunnart, common planigale, peregrine falcon, pacific heron, white-headed pigeon, rainbow bee-eater, parrots, lorikeets, rosellas, raptors and owl.

 Among the species of regional significance within the Oxley Creek catchment due to their status of rare, restricted or vulnerable and may include areas of Parkinson and Larapinta are five of the six species of Australia's gliders: Petauroides volans (greater glider), Petaurus norfolcensis (squirrel glider), Petaurus australis (yellow-bellied glider), Petaurus breviceps (sugar glider), and feather-tailed glider.

Both flora and fauna are well represented within the Glider Forest Reserve, most probably due to the diverse ecosystems with the following noted by the Queensland Herbarium for the Southeast Queensland Biogeographic Region:

 Endangered regional ecosystems

(Area within Province 1: Southern Coastal Lowlands) - paperbark open forest on coastal lowlands in southern part of region

paperbark low woodland on coastal lowlands in southern part of region

paperbark low woodland in southern part of region

wet heath on poorly drained sandplains in southern part of region

Regional ecosystems of concern

mixed dry sclerophyll (pink bloodwood, red bloodwood, scribbly gum, rusty gum etc) forest on coastal sandstones

scribbly gum woodland on coastal sandstones

coastal wetlands

 Flora

 Reports by Thompson and Kordas on Karawatha Reserve have identified several plant alliances and plant species as having regional significance, because of their restricted distribution; including Melaleuca wetlands, Eucalyptus carnea community and E. planchoniana/E. baileyana

There are many species of regional significance due to their restricted distribution on sandstone derived soil types including Gompholobium latifolium (glory bush-pea), Persoonia cornifolia (broad-leaf geebung), Hakea florulenta (three-veined hakea), Trachymene incisa (native yam), Lygodium microphyllum (climbing maidenhair fern)

The Parkinson and Larapinta core forest habitat represents a significant proportion of remaining intact, healthy forest, and diverse ecosystems with numerous tree and branch hollows, and standing dead trees which provide nesting sites, a broad range of foliage for herbivores and flowering plants for a diverse range of fauna.

 + Petaurus breviceps (sugar glider), which is likely to occur due to the availability of breeding hollows and preferred food trees including bloodwood, spotted gum and Banksia integrifolia

+ Recent discussions with Ian Gynther and Dave Stewart (Department of Environment) has indicated that these forests and corresponding ecosystems would include Rare, now amended to Vulnerable: Crinia tinnula (wallum froglet), Litoria brevipalmata (green-thighed frog), Ninox strenua (powerful owl); and Species of Special Interest: Phascolarctos cinereus (koala) and Tachyglossus aculeatus (Short-beaked echidna).

+ Other species of regional importance due to the range of forest types and wetland habitats with large numbers of tree and branch hollowsfor a range of predators.

The large core area within the Oxley Creek catchment in Larapinta includes springs, lagoons and channels with a constant flow into extensive wetland swamps which provide excellent aquatic fauna habitats for fish, frogs, water dragons, lizards, skinks, and insects; as well as all terrestrial fauna.

 Because of the variety of features, there is an urgent need for these core areas to be included into the National Estate Register to complement existing National Estate areas of Greenbank to the south-west, and Karawatha in the east. But most of all this area must not be fragmented or severed by any development, with the detrimental effect upon water quality, fauna and flora habitat. would include Petauroides volans (greater glider), Petaurus norfolcensis (squirrel glider), including dead trees provide nesting sites and the forest habitats provide food supply

 The following statistics should serve as a further reminder of the consequences of continued clearing of remnant vegetation in South East Queensland (source Dr Carla Catterall)

 + 2/3 of bushland already cleared