The significance of this project

The south coast of Western Australia sits within the South West Biodiversity hotspot, an area globally recognised for its unique flora and fauna. The south coast is home to many species of threatened plants and animals, with many found nowhere else in the world.

Staff from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction's (DBCA) South Coast Region work closely with Birdlife Australia, the Gilbert’s Potoroo Action Group (GPAG) and the Friends of the Western Ground Parrot (FWGP) to manage and service over 130 camera traps across the region, and we are asking for your assistance to analyse the terabytes of data that they produce. These cameras are installed within the remote wilderness of the national parks and nature reserves across the South Coast region to monitor occupancy and abundance of threatened species, the more common native fauna of the area and feral predators. Feral predators such as foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cats (Felis catus) have had a major impact on the range and abundance of all threatened species on the south coast, and the South Coast DBCA team, in conjunction with Western Shield, implement management actions to control these pests. Data collected from camera traps are used to measure the effectiveness of feral predator control programs and to inform future conservation actions aimed at recovery of threatened species.

This project focuses on the conservation monitoring, management and recovery of a suite of unique threatened fauna, including two critically endangered species, the Gilbert’s potoroo or Ngilgyte (Potorous gilbertii) and the western ground parrot or Kyloring (Pezoporus flaviventris). Numerous other threatened and common species benefit from this work, including the western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis), noisy scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus), western bristlebird (Dasyornis longirostris), western whipbird (Psophodes nigrogularis) and quokka (Setonix brachyurus).