Biodiversity: plants & animals

Restoring habitat and breeding programs in captivity may be the only hope of saving a critically endangered and unique bird.

One of a kind

The Northern Plains of Victoria is one of two last remaining habitats for an extraordinary bird, the Plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus). With no close relatives in the bird world, it was recently ranked fourth in the world and first in Australia in a Trust for Nature study that examined evolutionary distinctness combined with extinction risk.

Even though they were once widespread from Victoria to Queensland, fewer than 1000 of these small, ground-dwelling birds remain in the wild. Critically endangered and under imminent threat of extinction, they are threatened by the loss of their sparse native grassland habitat and the poor condition of the grassland that remains.

Preferring short, sparse grasslands that provide cover and space to forage for the seeds, leaves and insects that they feed on, the Plains-wanderers will abandon their habitat if the grass cover becomes too thick – or too sparse.

Conservation efforts in the wild and in captivity

The Plains-wanderer is one of 20 birds allocated resources for species recovery by the Australian Government. Efforts to save the bird from extinction are focused on restoring its grassland habitats and a potential long-term captive breeding program.

Zoos Victoria is one of several zoos and parks working together to establish a captive breeding program to ensure the Plains-wanderer’s survival. The initial focus of the breeding program is to establish an ‘insurance population’ for the species, but the zoos are hoping that captive-bred birds can be released to increase wild populations.

A 2017 survey at Terrick Terrick National Park found a greater area of suitable habitat for the birds than in the previous year. It also found evidence of breeding (nesting and chicks), but only in a single area. Multiple habitats must be maintained so that they can again be a home to this unique species.

Discover more

• Meet the Plains-wanderer video

• Zoos Victoria Plains-wanderer fact file

• Plains-wanderer chicks born at Werribee Zoo

• Song meter survey trial find Plains-wanderers

• Threatened fauna and flora and in Victoria

Boroondara means ‘where the ground is thickly shaded’ in the local Woiwurrung language (as spoken by the Wurundjeri people), and this municipality in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs has 343 species of native flowering plants and ferns. But 80% of them are now almost extinct in the area.

Keeping it green

The local government municipality of Boroondara boasts tree-lined streets that keep locals cool on hot summer days. Residents are proud of the leafy green public and private spaces in the neighbourhood.

But with the native plant and animal species under threat, the council decided to involve the community to help keep the area green and sustainable. The aim: boost biodiversity through planting local flora to attract more native wildlife. And so, Backyard Biodiversity was born.

The birds and the bugs

Many of the centuries-old river red gums in the area are suffering from dieback. The cause seems to be infestations of small insects eating the leaves. These leaf miners would normally be controlled by insect-eating birds such as spotted pardalotes, but these tiny birds have been chased away by aggressive honeyeaters.

The imbalance between the insect eaters and the honeyeaters is due to the loss of bird habitat and shrubby understorey in which the smaller birds can hide.

Restoring the balance

Attracting more wildlife can take just a few bushes, some local grasses and a tree in the corner to start the magic.

Backyard Biodiversity is run by council and all residents are encouraged to get involved. The program includes:

• a welcome session with an introduction to local birds and birdwatching

• a workshop on how to create a habitat garden for small native birds

• a Backyard Biodiversity Garden Guide to help residents plan a garden that will attract small birds

• community planting events

• free plants available from an indigenous nursery.

Since 2010, council has run 13 Backyard Biodiversity programs, with more in the pipeline. More than 320 enthusiastic households across the City of Boroondara have been involved.

Discover more

• View a Backyard Biodiversity project video to hear residents talk about their experience with the first Backyard Biodiversity project

• Victoria’s Biodiversity 2037 plan

• Victorian Biodiversity Atlas

• Sustainability Victoria schools biodiversity module

• To find out more or to join the Backyard Biodiversity project, email environment@boroondara.vic.gov.au

Sea urchins are threatening seagrass meadows, which are vitally important for local marine life and our coastal ecosystems.

Why underwater meadows matter

South Gippsland’s Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Park, just to the east of Wilsons Prom, is the only place in Victoria with large, unbroken areas of seagrass meadows. These meadows of the seagrass Posidonia australis are feeding grounds and breeding areas for local marine life. The meadows also store carbon and help prevent coastal erosion. Their importance is one of the reasons the Corner Inlet area is recognised in the international wetland conservation treaty, the Ramsar Convention.

The urchins move in

Unfortunately, the seagrass has become a favourite food of Purple Urchins (Heliocidaris erythrogramma), which usually live on rocky reefs rather than in grassy meadows. The urchin populations exploded, and ate so much seagrass that they created large areas of bare sand with no grass, or very little grass that is often shorter than it should be. These bare patches are called barrens.

No-one yet knows exactly why the urchins moved into the area and created these barrens. And because urchin barrens are unusual, with only three reported cases in Australia and only 20 in the world, there aren’t any tried and tested ways to deal with them.

Battling the barrens

Knowing they had to find a way to control the urchins to protect the seagrass, Parks Victoria surveyed the marine park between 2014 and 2016 and found such large populations of urchins they decided on a cull.

In 2017, snorkellers from Parks Victoria and Fisheries Victoria, supported by volunteers, removed 58,000 urchins by hand from two chosen sites. This successful cull has decreased urchin populations by 99.32% at one site and 80.42% at the other. Most importantly, seagrass has started to regrow.

An ongoing control program coordinated by Parks Victoria will see the team continue to monitor the seagrass and sea urchins to battle the barrens. 

Discover more

• Sea urchins wiping out biodiversity on the east coast

• Tackling barrens with harvesting and a cull trial in Port Phillip Bay

• Victoria’s marine and coastal area Biodiversity Response Planning

While DNA might be best known for solving crimes, it can also be used to track and trace animal movements through the wilderness.

Understanding is key

Australia currently has some of the highest wildlife extinction rates in the world, and Victoria is no exception. As Victoria’s population grows, so too will the threat to our spectacular native animals.

To help protect endangered animals, scientists need to understand them better, learning more about how they live and what exactly might threaten – and save – them.

Tracking through tech

DNA testing is now being used to track and trace animal movements in the Victorian environment, especially along the Yarra River. This technology is known as environmental DNA (eDNA).

Like humans, when animals move through their environment they leave traces of their DNA. Through the flecks of skin they cast off and the strands of fur they shed, they leave an identifying mark wherever they go.

A single drop of water or a small amount of soil from a particular location can tell scientists a great deal about an animal’s presence in the environment, like where and how often they frequent an area. This is essential for monitoring numbers of endangered species.

Why eDNA

eDNA can help with rapid, sensitive and cost-effective monitoring of native species, giving scientists a better way of understanding their movements. This in turn means more effective management to protect our valuable wildlife.

The benefits of using this technology over traditional monitoring such as traps and cameras include:

• greater sensitivity and a higher chance of detecting a species

• more cost efficient than traditional techniques

• higher accuracy, and therefore fewer false negatives

• minimal environmental disturbance

• low risk of introducing alien species and spreading disease.

Discover more

• Watch an introduction to eDNA and the platypus eDNA collection process

• Environment Victoria’s Act on extinction campaign

A dedicated team is experimenting with ways to boost numbers of the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot.

A bird under threat

Scientists believe there are as few as 50 Orange-bellied Parrots left in the wild, with the population of this vibrantly coloured bird having dropped by more than 10% every year since 2000, making it critically endangered.

The parrot is threatened by:

• loss and degradation of its habitat

• climate change

• environmental events, such as droughts

• loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding.

The parrots breed in south-west Tasmania in the summer and then migrate to the coast of south-east Australia during the winter.

Team parrot

A recovery team has been working to save the parrot since 1983 as part of a National Recovery Plan. As well, Victoria’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has invested heavily in programs to protect and expand the parrot’s habitat. And a network of volunteers monitors numbers of birds that winter in southern Victoria.

DELWP, Zoos Victoria and many other partners are testing different ways of increasing the numbers of Orange-bellied Parrots. One strategy is to release captive-bred parrots so that they can combine with wild birds to create new flocks.

It’s important to choose a site with suitable habitat so that the released birds will survive, but also so they’ll act as a ‘beacon’ to migrating wild parrots.

Promising early results

The first release was of 11 captive male birds  in Victoria in April 2017 at the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee. Another 15 parrots were released in Geelong in April 2018.

While none of the captive-bred birds has yet made the trip to Tasmania to breed, the project has been a success in other ways.

The majority of captive-bred birds not only survived but successfully formed a flock, and attracted wild birds to the habitat and the flock. Scientists tracked one breeding pair as they migrated from Tasmania to rejoin the Werribee flock.

Discover more

• Watch Orange-bellied Parrots at Werribee Zoo

• Birdlife Australia on Orange-bellied Parrot recovery

• Last-ditch effort to save Orange-bellied Parrot from extinction

Water set aside for the environment has real benefits in north-western Victoria

In the dry Mallee country in north-western Victoria, the Hattah Lakes are an oasis for native animals who find food and shelter in these wetlands and floodplains. The lakes are filled seasonally by creeks connected to the Murray River, and occasionally flood. But with rainfall becoming less predictable thanks to climate change, the native fish and waterbirds are threatened by loss of habitat.

Water for the environment

Environmental water is water that's set aside in reservoirs and dams to be used for environmental purposes, such as supporting plants and animals. In the Hattah Lakes, scientists from the Arthur Rylah Institute monitored plants in the area before it was flooded with environmental water in 2014, and then every two years after.

A model for the future

Based on this research, the scientists developed a model to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental watering and predict the resulting changes to vegetation. The focus is on key plant species and plant communities so that environmental watering can be carefully planned for future.

Since the program started, the researchers found more than 80 plant species, 26 of which were rare or threatened. Some had never been recorded at Hattah Lakes before. There was an increase in native species and a reduction in non-native species. The watering also reduced the number of dryland plants invading the floodplain.

Good news for Hattah Lakes – and other wetlands

Environmental watering will be undertaken at Hattah Lakes every eight years, with benefits expected to increase. The research has shown the value of environmental watering for maintaining quality of habitat and improving tree cover not just in the Hattah Lakes but other similar areas. And the model itself can be used in the future throughout Victoria and beyond.

Discover more

• Watch environmental watering at Hattah Lakes and find out about the 2013 Banksia Awards

• Hattah-Kulkyne National Park and Engineers without Borders on the Hattah Lakes

Multiple threats mean the Mountain Pygmy Possum is critically endangered, with fewer than 2000 left in the wild.

Cold comfort

The Mountain Pygmy Possum (Burramys parvus) is Australia’s only hibernating marsupial, spending as much as seven months of the year dormant. It is also the only marsupial to live exclusively in alpine regions, living only in areas above 1200m. These tiny animals – whose bodies are only about 10cm long – need a large amount of snow cover so they can maintain their correct body temperature over winter.

But climate change, loss of habitat and being hunted by feral cats and foxes mean they’re under threat of extinction.

Limited snowy spaces

These unique possums live in just two places in Victoria – the Bogong High Plains/Mt Hotham area and at Mt Buller (they can also be found in Mt Kosciuszko in NSW).

In Mt Hotham and Mt Buller, their habitat is shared with ski resorts, with up to one-third of their best breeding habitat affected. As well as being affected by the presence of people and infrastructure, the noise and vibration from snow-maintenance vehicles during winter can wake them from their hibernation. Waking with a shock burns up precious energy in the tiny animals, and can kill them if it happens too many times.

Further threats

Climate change is expected to mean less snowfall in fewer places in the next 30 to 70 years. This will further restrict the possum’s habitat and affect their food sources, which include caterpillars, millipedes, moths, beetles and spiders, as well as nectar from flowering alpine shrubs, seeds and berries.

While artificial snow might seem a good solution, it is unlikely to sustain the natural plants and animals of the area – including the Mountain Pygmy Possum.

During breeding season, Bogong Moths are a vital food source for the possum – and they too are under threat. Climate change is already thought to be interfering with their seasonal migration patterns, and their numbers are reducing because of the loss of their own inland native grassland habitat. There also fewer for the possums to prey on because the moths are attracted to artificial light, leading them away from the Mountain Pygmy Possums’ habitats.

Planning for the future

A national recovery plan for the possum aims to:

• maintain and increase numbers in the wild

• maintain and enhance the extent and condition of their habitat

• research the biology and ecology of the species.

Over the last decade, Zoos Victoria has been running a successful captive breeding program at Healesville Sanctuary, resulting in the birth of more than 100 baby possums. In 2013  some of the zoo’s possums were reintroduced into the wild in Mt Buller and had both high survival and breeding rates.

Discover more

• Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning footage of the ‘Tunnel of Love’ for Mountain Pygmy Possums

• ABC Catalyst episode on the Mountain Pygmy Possum

• Australian Geographic footage of Mountain Pygmy Possums in the Australian Alps

A program to monitor fish populations and river health is providing both scientists and fishers with valuable information on the location and condition of native fish in Victorian rivers.

Report cards for native fish

Conservationists and recreational fishers now have access to information about the health of Victoria’s rivers and the status of native freshwater fish – thanks to online Native Fish Report Cards.

Using data collected by scientists and anglers on the number and size of fish caught in a particular river, the Native Fish Report Cards give a snapshot of the health and population of selected fish. This includes both fish that recreational fishers are allowed to catch and threatened species. The snapshot helps improve fisheries management and also tells anglers where recreational fish are biting.

A combined effort

The Native Fish Report Card Program is a partnership between the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and the Victorian Fisheries Authority, with input from recreational fishing license holders. It forms part of Water for Victoria, the state’s plan for managing water in response to climate change impacts and population growth.

Fish species are being monitored at 10 priority rivers, with more to be added in the future. Population data will be collected over a three-year period, with the report cards updated annually.

The report cards can be seen at the Native Fish Report Card website, which includes a mapping portal and downloadable summaries for each species in each priority river. The website also provides other resources about waterway health and recreational fishing.

INSERT PDF FILE SHOWING NATIVE FISH REPORT CARDS OR TAKE IMAGES FROM THE WEBSITE

Discover more

• Overview of the Native Fish Report Card, technical information about the program and highlights from its first year

• Native fish report card tells us where they’re biting

• The Water for Victoria plan

Scientists are racing against the clock to prevent a unique species of Australian frog from being wiped out by a highly contagious amphibian disease.

A unique amphibian

Small and dark brown with black flecks and irregular light patches on its skin, the Baw Baw Frog (Philoria frosti) lives exclusively within the Baw Baw National Park, 120km east of Melbourne. It is found on the Mt Baw Baw plateau in an area of around 80km2 where the vegetation is mainly wet heathland and woodland and the climate is cool and temperate. Unlike most frogs, the Baw Baw Frog evolved to thrive in a cold climate and lives under the snow in winter, where it lies dormant.

Frogs versus fungus

Over the last 35 years, the Baw Baw Frog population has declined significantly, most probably due to chytridiomycosis, a highly contagious fungal disease responsible for large declines in numbers of amphibians worldwide.

When researchers surveyed the Baw Baw plateau in the 1980s, they found thousands of Baw Baw Frogs. Today, scientists estimate that there are only a few hundred left in the wild and that the species will be extinct in five to 10 years’ time without human intervention.

Scientists to the rescue

Efforts are underway to save the Baw Baw Frog from extinction. Since 2010, scientists at Zoos Victoria have been researching breeding and husbandry techniques in an effort to raise, maintain and breed Baw Baw Frogs in captivity. The project aims to collect live Baw Baw Frogs, especially females to secure the genetics of the wild population, establish a semi-wild population, and begin a trial reintroduction of captive-bred frogs into the wild.

At the same time, researchers from Deakin University have been studying where the chytrid fungus pathogen can be found across the Baw Baw region to identify low-risk areas where frogs raised in captivity by Zoos Victoria could be reintroduced.

In October 2018, Zoos Victoria had a breakthrough in its breeding program, when the first viable Baw Baw Frog eggs were laid in captivity. These eggs will be reintroduced to a chytridiomycosis-free location on Mt Baw Baw and the resultant frog population will be closely monitored.

Discover more

• Deakin University uses eDNA to detect Baw Baw Frogs

• Watch Zoos Victoria on the Baw Baw Frog breeding breakthrough

Our neighbourhoods have the potential to feed and home many of our native bees – but to keep them happy we need to know what habitats they like.

A vital service

Native Australian bees are a crucial part of Australia’s ecosystems. They pollinate native plants, some of which can’t be pollinated by introduced species. And studies from the CSIRO and the Australian Native Bee Research Centre suggest that native bees are even better pollinators than their introduced cousins.

What do native bees like?

Researchers wanted to know where most native bees could be found, and the most important habitat for them in cities. They examined bee communities in three types of green spaces in urban areas:

• golf courses

• public parks

• front gardens and streetscapes in residential neighbourhoods.

The most native bees, and the greatest variety of bee species were found in public parks. European honeybees dominated residential neighbourhoods.

Public parks and the ‘out of play’ areas of some golf courses had fewer introduced plant species compared to residential areas and the tended parts of golf courses. They were also less intensively managed. This combination of more native plants and less management provides more habitat for native bees.

Give them what they want

The results show the importance that urban areas can play in contributing to conservation. In this case, urban areas need to be included in pollinator conservation initiatives. Increasing the amount and types of native plant species in all green spaces in urban areas – including home gardens – would help boost bee numbers.

Discover more

• CSIRO’s guide to native bees and their important role as pollinators

• Gardening Australia video on keeping native stingless bees

• Worldwide decline in wild bees

• Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice

A new action plan aims to stop the damage feral horses are inflicting on some of Victoria’s most sensitive environments.

Carving up the mountains

While ‘brumbies’ have a romantic place in Australian folklore, the reality is that feral horses seriously damage the landscape, especially Victoria’s sensitive alpine areas.

As well as grazing on native plants, which means there is less for the local wildlife to eat, feral horses degrade natural habitats, trampling the ground with their hard hooves and fouling waterways. The damage they do increases the rate of erosion and makes it harder for bushfire-affected ecosystems to recover. Areas trampled by horses have fewer plant species and more non-native weeds.

Too much of a bad thing

A 2014 aerial survey estimated that there were about 2350 feral horses in the Eastern Victorian Alps and a much smaller population of up to 80 in the Bogong High Plains.

The horses don’t distinguish between national parks, state forests, reserves and private land. And they don’t avoid those habitats that are crucial to the survival of threatened species. The high numbers of feral horses and their impact on the environment is causing severe long-term harm to endangered native alpine wildlife and plant species.

Holding the horses

Following extensive consultation with the community, environmental groups and other stakeholders, Parks Victoria developed a Strategic Action Plan to control feral horse numbers in the Alpine National Park. The plan was released in June 2018.

As a result of community feedback, the plan focuses on passive trapping, with rehoming the horses the main priority. Community consultation revealed that many people didn’t understand the size of the problem and didn’t see feral horses as pests. Once informed about the issues, they generally supported population management as long as it used mustering and fertility control, not culling. Parks Victoria hopes to capture and rehome approximately 400 feral horses each year.

Discover more

• Victoria plans to move 1200 feral horses from Alpine National Park

While we often assume that fires are universally bad for animals, research suggests that some animals and ecosystems might benefit.

The effect of fire

The dingo is Australia’s only apex predator, but has disappeared from many parts of the country. A 2018 Charles Sturt University and Deakin University study looked at the effect of fire on dingoes. It also examined what would happen to other animals when dingo populations changed, particularly the introduced red fox, and smaller native mammals.

Predator vs predator

The study found that dingoes like to live in recently burned landscapes. The newly open habitat after a fire suits a dingo’s body shape and hunting habits.

Like dingoes, foxes are predators. They aren’t directly affected by whether there’s been fire in an area. But there is an indirect effect. Foxes are ‘mid-ranking’ predators, and can be prey for dingoes. The research found that in recently burned areas fox numbers dropped as dingo populations increased.

In many parts of the world, the presence of apex predators protects smaller mammals.The researchers thought there would therefore be an increase in numbers of the small native mammals that foxes prey on, but which dingoes ignore. They chose two examples, Mitchell’s hopping mouse and the silky mouse, and studied numbers in 21 different areas.

However, there weren’t any significant changes in the populations of these animals, suggesting that they are also prey to other mid-ranking predators such as feral cats. It is also possible that populations of other small native animals are positively affected by larger numbers of dingoes in an area.

Thinking about the environment means thinking about predators

Even without the expected rise in the populations of the two native mice studied, the research confirmed that environmental disturbance such as fire can create conditions that suit an apex predator – like the dingo –  leading to a drop in numbers of invasive mid-ranking predators – like the red fox.

This study’s authors suggest that for the sake of biodiversity conservation, their findings should be kept in mind when people are managing fire and other environmental disturbances.

Discover more

• Fire and dingoes can control foxes in Victoria’s Big Desert

• Deakin study shows fire is dingo’s friend but fox’s foe

• Dingoes emerge as unlikely heroes in study of bushfires and feral pests

• Watch footage from remote cameras in Victoria’s Big Desert Wilderness Park

Trout are the main threat to a small Victorian fish – and more needs to be done to protect this endangered native animal.

A threatened fish

The Barred Galaxias is a small, reddish brown fish with distinct dark oval blotches on its side. It lives in the Goulburn River system in central Victoria on the Murray-Darling Basin side of the Great Dividing Range.

Introduced rainbow trout and brown trout are threatening the Barred Galaxias by preying on the smaller fish and competing with it for habitat. The Barred Galaxias is also threatened by bushfire and drought.

As a result, the Barred Galaxias is now endangered, and restricted to a small upland area of the river system. The remaining populations of fish are isolated from each other and are unlikely to be interbreeding. This limits the gene pool for the species.  

Ways to save the Barred Galaxias

A national recovery plan for the fish has seen trout removed from waters upstream of the  Barred Galaxias’ habitat, and barriers have been installed to prevent more trout from entering the waterways.

After the 2009 bushfires, 394 adult Barred Galaxias were removed from affected waterways and held in captivity while the vegetation around the catchment recovered.

In another effort to boost numbers of the fish, they were reintroduced at six new suitable sites (out of the 216 assessed).

More to be done

While progress has been made, the fish are still under threat from trout potentially breaching the barriers, or being reintroduced by recreational fishers. Once they are in the Galaxias’ waterways their numbers can quickly increase.

More needs to be done to prevent trout populations growing. As well, more work is required rehabilitate the Galaxias’ natural habitat. Efforts to rehabilitate streams often focus on large recreational fish species rather than small, but important, natives.

Discover more

• Watch Barred Galaxias in the Goulburn River catchment

When the Sale Common wetlands were threatened by huge numbers of European Carp, Parks Victoria called on fisheries agencies to help launch a rescue mission.

The importance of the Sale Common wetlands

The Sale Common Nature Conservation Reserve is the only freshwater wetland within the Gippsland Lakes and the last freshwater wetland on the Latrobe River system. It’s an area of international importance (the Gippsland Lakes are listed in the international convention for the preservation of wetlands known as Ramsar), as well as a popular natural attraction for locals and visitors.

The Sale Common is home to a variety of native and migratory birds and native aquatic animals, including platypus, water rats and crustaceans. It is also a commercial fishery, harvesting of eels for eating and European Carp for the fertiliser industry.

The dual dangers of black water and carp

In times of natural flooding, carp enter the wetlands from the La Trobe River and happily coexist with native species. However during dry periods when water levels recede, carp de-oxygenate the water, threatening the long-term health of the wetlands and billabong.

In mid-2018, following a prolonged dry period, the Sale Common Nature Conservation Reserve was under threat of a black water event. This is where water containing elevated levels of dissolved organic carbon flows back into the wetlands and billabong from inundated flood plains.

Fishers to the rescue

In response to the imminent black water event and the dangerous volume of carp in the billabong, Parks Victoria undertook an eight-day program to remove the carp from the Sale Common Nature Conservation Reserve.

Commercial fishers were brought in to catch the carp using an electro fishing method that allowed them to avoid landing other aquatic animals in the process. In all, 25 tonnes of carp were removed and shipped frozen to a National Carp Control Plan site for the development of fish meal and other products.

The carp removal program required cooperation with other government agencies including the Victorian Fisheries Authority, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.

Although there are still some carp left in the billabong, the program has resulted in improved water clarity and ensured the long-term health and biodiversity of the wetlands.

Discover more

• Tonnes of carp removed from the Sale Common

• Footage of the Sale Common Wetlands Walk

Surveying the Leadbeater’s Possum’s habitat has helped scientists understand more about the critically endangered marsupial, and how to protect it from extinction.

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/takver/

Home sweet home

The tiny Leadbeater’s Possum – Victoria’s animal emblem – is critically endangered. It was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1961 near Marysville. It lives in the montane ash forests of Victoria’s central highlands, but its habitat is under threat, especially from logging and bushfires.

The possum needs large trees with hollows to make its home, and dense vegetation in the lower levels of a forest so it can move easily and forage for food. Without these trees, the possum would not survive.

https://youtu.be/y2qQC8bm8Ss

G’day possums

In 2013 the Victorian government set up the Leadbeater’s Possum Advisory Group, which was co-convened by Zoos Victoria and the Victorian Association for Forest Industries. The group advised that to protect the possum, no trees should be logged within 200 metres of where a colony of possums had been recorded in the previous decade or so.

The group also recommended further research, including finding out if there were other colonies that hadn’t been found before, and if so where they were located.

To do this, scientists from the Arthur Rylah Institute designed an extensive survey. In 2014, with the help of arborists, they placed cameras in trees and lured the possums with creamed honey.

They chose trees where they thought possums were likely to be found – and they were right. More than half the places they installed cameras had possums nearby.

In the last year of the survey, they placed cameras in random locations throughout the forest. Even with this random approach, there were Leadbeater’s Possums located at 37% of the surveyed sites. And this included parts of the forest that had been burnt in the 2009 bushfires.

From survey to protection

More than 200 colonies were found over the three years of the survey. All these new-found colonies are now also protected from logging by the recommended 200m exclusion zone.

The survey also helped scientists understand where the possums live and how they behave. This knowledge will be used when future conservation and management plans are developed to protect the Leadbeater’s Possum.

Discover more

• The Leadbeater’s Possum and how Victorians can help protect them

• Finding possums with the innovative camera survey method

• Protecting Leadbeater’s Possum from clearfelling and predation by feral cats

• VicForest’s Leadbeater’s Possum updates

• Victorian Biodiversity Atlas

With aquatic biodiversity threatened by climate change, water use and intensive land use, trees can help improve water quality in streams and protect Victoria’s fish.

Data driven understanding

A group of Victorian scientists used data from 20 years of biological monitoring — from 1990 to 2009 — to see how climate and the amount of vegetation around water catchments affected the numbers and types of fish in Victorian waterways.

The scientists, from EPA Victoria, Arthur Rylah Institute and Monash University, also wanted to identify land-management practices that might help lessen the negative effects of climate change on freshwater ecosystems.

Fewer trees means fewer fish

The data showed that water quality in streams was consistently better if they had upstream catchments with extensive native tree cover, as well as intact vegetation on and in the adjacent wetlands. In those streams, better water quality resulted in larger and more diverse fish populations.

The amount of vegetation around catchments influences a range of factors, including:

• supplies of water, energy (light and organic matter), nutrients and sediments to running water habitats

• channel form and habitat structure

• population dynamics for species with non aquatic life-stages.

This was true even during severe drought.

Protecting our aquatic ecosystems

Climate scientists expect we will experience reduced rainfall or increased variability in rainfall in the future, as well as more frequent and intense weather events such as droughts. All of this will mean reduced water flow in rivers and streams, resulting in lower quality water and a loss of aquatic habitat for fish and other animals.

The data clearly showed that, in these important ecosystems, vegetation around waterways, especially catchments, has a positive effect on water quality. Carefully managed planting of native trees and other vegetation might protect the animal and plant life of Victorian waterways from the worst impacts of climate change.

What can we learn from studying the traffic along the Platypus Highway – also known as the Yarra River?

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/psjeremy/

Best job ever?

Melbourne Water’s Waterwatch Coordinator Dr Tiana Preston has an enviable job – roaming up and down the Yarra in search of the platypus, one of Australia’s favourite native animals. The Yarra is a hotspot for biologists and wildlife lovers to learn more about how these shy animals breed, feed and play.

Platypuses under threat

Platypuses are feeling the heat when it comes to climate change. But that’s not the only problem – there’s a whole mix of human-induced and natural changes to this sensitive animal’s environment, all of which are threatening platypus numbers. Drought, floods, altered waterflows, clearing vegetation, dams and weirs, poor fishing practices, litter and predation can all be lethal.

Scientists still know little about this unique animal. We need to find out more about the platypus to help ensure its survival. Scientists like Tiana visit the Platypus Highway to understand more about these sweet but shy creatures. And monitoring along the Yarra River and its tributaries shows that litter control is critical if we’re to maintain population numbers.

Put it in the bin  

Tiana works with Melbourne Water teaching people about the impact litter can have on platypuses. Even small pieces of litter can be lethal. Hair bands especially can drift into waterways and get tangled on a platypuses’ beak, stopping the animal from being able to eat.

A victory for the platypus

Opera nets (fishing nets that resemble the Sydney Opera House) are particularly dangerous. They trap platypuses, stopping them from going back to the surface to breathe. Once trapped, the animal will eventually drown. Victoria has now banned the use of opera nets in public and they will be banned in private waters from 1 July 2019.

Fishers can trade in their old opera house nets for free open top lift nets which aren’t a danger to platypuses.

Discover more

• Watch Melbourne Water’s Waterwatch Platypus Program in action

• Zoos Victoria rescues an entangled platypus lucky to be alive

• Victoria bans opera house nets and big retailers stop selling them to protect the future of the platypus

Victoria is host to a diverse range of citizen science programs. There are many volunteers across the state who dedicate their time and energy collecting data about our diverse terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine plants and animals.

The State of the Environment 2018 Report supports the diverse citizen science groups across Victoria who strive to improve and protect their local ecosystem through data collection and analysis. Research has shown that volunteers engaged in citizen science programs benefit from health and wellbeing outcomes.

For Victorians who want to be involved in citizen science, and need some assistance in navigating their way to a program that aligns to their interests and passions, there are two main online sites to explore, the Australian Citizen Science Association and the State Wide Integrated Flora and Fauna Teams.

Photo credit: EPA Victoria and Waterhole Creek Citizen Scientists