East Gippsland Conservation Management Network (EGCMN) will soon complete the first 500HA (around 1000 football fields) of koala surveys using thermal drone technology as part of the ‘Wildseek project’, a partnership between New South Wales Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Landcare Australia.
Tom Crook, programs manager for EGCMN, said the $1.5M national ‘Wildseek’ project formed in response to the devastating bushfires four years ago. With EGCMN now the Victorian hub of the project, which uses remotely operated aircraft equipped with thermal imaging cameras to locate koalas.
“EGCMN’s Wildseek team has been funded to become qualified pilots with the Civil Aviation Authority and now have an industrial grade drone equipped with thermal (heatseeking) cameras able to fly large areas of forest to detect wildlife. This joint initiative is a local, practical response to help manage koalas following bushfires,” Tom said.
“The enormous amount of data gathered is being sent to and processed by our partners at QUT using Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms which sift through the data and can detect the Koala’s thermal signature with very high accuracy.
“While koala populations are considered stable in Victoria, after the bushfire there is concern for some of the more remote populations in East Gippsland. Monitoring these animals is important, which can be very difficult using conventional means due the remote locations and effort required to walk through the bush and find them.
“This new technology is a game changer for koala monitoring and forms part of EGCMN’s increasing capacity to use new technology to aid conservation efforts.”
In February 2022 koala populations in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory were up listed from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’.
This was due to various impacts including: Increased frequency and intensity of drought and high temperatures, and increasing prevalence of weather conditions which promote bushfires; a shrinking climatically suitable area; diseases; and habitat loss resulting from land clearance and mortality due to encounters with vehicles and dogs.
“It’s concerning to see the decline in koalas occurring across the country and now after the bushfires, understanding where they are
across our region, is an important part of the collective national conservation effort,” Tom said.
“The project is another great example of the partnership approach EGCMN takes to all its work, which continues to drive local investment into our region and create local jobs in the ‘conservation economy’. It is a good news story and helping East Gippsland play its part in looking after this iconic Australian species which is increasingly important to our regional tourism economy.
“The project’s initial focus is on identifying koalas, it has the potential to expand the program to include multiple animals who each have a unique ‘thermal signature’, including ducks and pest species such as foxes and feral deer, which are growing problem for local farmers.”
Anyone interested in learning more or helping out with the project is welcome to contact Tom Crook via the EGCMN’s website.
