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Communities help unearth animal secrets
Communities in South Australia's arid north are helping scientists uncover the secret lives of native animals in a bid to save them from extinction.
About 550 kilometres north of Adelaide the Arid Lands have a rich biodiversity. Nonetheless, since white settlement more than half the region's mammals have become either locally or completely extinct.
Now a program is underway to find out more about the ecological needs of native animals on the brink by involving the community in vital research and monitoring.
Funding
Since the beginning of 2005, the South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board has received about $350,000 from the Australian Government for the Recovery of Threatened Fauna program. The State Government also provided support.
Activities
The Board's Community Fauna Recovery Officer, Michelle Watson said the program aimed to piece together missing information on priority native species.
"It's hard to gather basic facts about certain animals, partly because of their secret, solitary natures, but mainly due to the vast distances involved, particularly in central Australia," Michelle said.
"We're overcoming this obstacle by using the eyes and ears of the community to boost our research."
Under the program Michelle liaises with station managers and owners about the kinds of species that inhabit their properties, and how they can help protect them.
"For example, I work closely with cattle stations along the Birdsville Track to monitor populations of a small, carnivorous marsupial called a Kowari. This collaborative project has yielded an exceptional amount of detail about the location, size and needs of Kowari populations."
She also works with a range of community groups. "In May 2006, I worked with the Friends of the Simpson Desert on a survey to find out more about the distribution of one of Australia's most elusive animals, the Southern Marsupial Mole," Michelle said.
Listed as endangered, the mole spends most of its time underground. Scientists need to find a population to study before a recovery plan can be put in place. The Friends group is continuing to look for signs of the mole in the Simpson Desert.
Achievements
Michelle said the project had increased awareness about reporting threatened species sightings.
"We regularly send out stories about threatened birds and animals, so when people see them they now know to contact us. One man rang me recently to say he'd seen a Plains Wanderer, which is one of Australia's rarest birds," she said.
More information
- Michelle Watson, Community Fauna Recovery Officer: (08) 8671 1083 or michelle.watson@saalnrm.sa.gov.au
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