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Indigenous Nursery Open Day- Frankston City Council

Kris Paule, Environmental Policy and Planning Officer, Frankston City Council

Come and join the celebrations at Frankston Indigenous Nursery on its annual open day, April 6th 2024.

Enjoy a range of activities including plant sales and giveaways, nursery and propagation tours, coffee and a sausage sizzle. Local environmental groups,

Wildlife careers and educators will also be providing educational resources.

Special guest presenter, ecologist Kelly Smith, will be speaking on her work with Koala conservation, and what we can do to help support these iconic Australian creatures.

When: Saturday 6th April 2024

9am – 1pm

Where: Frankston Indigenous Nursery, McMannis Way, Seaford.

All day: Children’s ‘paint a pot’ workshop

10am: Kelly Smith – Koala conservation

11am: Nursery Tour

12pm: Propagation workshop

Parking is limited, where possible, we encourage you to walk, ride or catch public transport.
 

VP_Q99KM09H_taxDocuments Frankston Indigenous Nursery – 2024 Open Day Flyer

 

 


Creating Biosphere habitats tick the boxes for conservation.

Annie Leitch – Communications and Extension Coordinator, Fitzgerald Biosphere Community Collective (FBCC)

Habitat boxes play a crucial role in supporting wildlife conservation efforts, particularly in regions like Southwest Australia where biodiversity is rich but habitats are increasingly threatened.  

They can come in many shapes and sizes and use a variety of materials. We focused on insects, amphibians, birds and mammals. Different behaviours of these critters determine different designs. 

First and foremost, the preparation for this event began weeks before. Mustering up plumbing pipe, solar lights, sphagnum moss, donated timber and Jarrah offcuts and filling the trailer with gravel from home construction, banksia pods, paperbark and pine needles. 

Al, a local handyman volunteer, sets up a workshop by proxy out the front as we begin with a tabletop introduction from Nathan McQuoid, local Landscape Ecologist, former Fitzy Parks’ Ranger and Chair of the FBCC. Combining his knowledge and expertise from his carpentry, ecology profession and experience within the region, he gives us insight with examples of natural hollows we are trying to imitate and emphasized the importance of giving thought to what might occur in various areas, correct placement of habitat boxes, monitoring these safely and most importantly, encouraging the sharing of our findings and asking lots of questions. 

It’s events like these that bring us all together in a shared mission to nurture and protect our local environment. The event was inspiring, creative, educational and above all, hands-on and fun! 

 

 


Sunshine Coast Biosphere videos sharing community perspectives

Kathryn Scott – Strategic Project Officer, Sunshine Coast Council

The Sunshine Coast Biosphere has recently launched a series of videos explaining what it means to live in the Sunshine Coast Biosphere.

The videos showcase different elements of the Biosphere and share community perspectives from Traditional Owners, youth, environmental conservation, volunteers and business members.

Watch the videos to learn from those featured, and take a moment to reflect, What does it mean to live in the Western Port Biosphere?

 

 


Science in pole position to win hearts and minds

Geoff Brooks – Board Director, Biosphere Foundation 

Many readers of Connector may be unfamiliar with the Trust Barometer, an annual survey by international PR firm, Edelman, of who we trust. As with all these surveys, the results are influenced by methodology, sampling and a bunch of other criteria but, overall, this survey generally aligns with what we intuitively feel.

In 2024, the great news for organisations like the Biosphere Foundation, which is committed to basing advocacy and priorities on scientific research, is that this year’s Trust Barometer showed that scientists (74%) are line-ball with ‘people like me’, or peers, as trusted sources of information.

 

It is a flip for those despairing of the flood of misinformation and disinformation bursting into social media streams, driven by interests vested in fossil fuels, irresponsible exploitation and land and water, or dog-whistle politics. These are advocates who seek to be regarded as ‘people like me’, those who share my beliefs, values and struggles. This lays the foundations for what social scientists refer to as echo chambers – online forums where our personal beliefs are reinforced and read back to us.

In the face of this and if the Trust Barometer is to be trusted, it says that there is a considerable proportion of the world’s population seeking truth and guidance from science. This is encouraging because it suggests that action based on science can win both community support and the future for the precious natural ecosystems within the Western Port Biosphere and beyond.

However, if science is to capitalise on this opportunity, those who practice it must understand several things:

  • Trust comes with huge expectation and responsibility;
  • Accessible language and imagery will be the keys to winning the future;
  • Science will need to prevail and endure many short-term setbacks.

Expectation and responsibility

Trust is hard-earned, but easily lost. That scientists are ranking equal with ‘people like me’ on this metric is a significant advance in itself.

There is also another truism that is often quoted in sport. Getting to the top is hard, staying on top is even harder. As trust leaders, scientists are clearly under the public scrutiny. This demands transparency and occasionally even vulnerability.

The community expects honesty and integrity from science – an objective view of the world against which to measure the fire and brimstone from those working their vested angles.

Science, especially the complexities of natural science, is imperfect. There is risk and uncertainty around mathematical models and evidence-based knowledge is not indisputable. But it is and will prove more enduring and trusted than dogma and punditry.

Science should position as the gauge against which everything else is measured and be the guiding star for laying future pathways.

Language – make it easy

Science is nuanced. For those immersed in its technical ebb and flow, this is a strength. For non-experts seeking to understand, it is a whirlpool of ideas which sucks away comprehension and belief.

Within science there are some outstanding communicators. Professor Brian Cox simplifies the way we see the universe. He translates the complexity of particle physics into fragments of digestible information made for television and live audiences.

Dr David Suzuki, another great science communicator, uses powerful and accessible language to advocate climate action. Take a look at his Foundation’s website advocacy against LNG as a transition fuel for British Columbia. Its lead articles are succinct with links to relevant science for those wanting to drill down (excuse the pun).

To achieve a share of voice equal or better than ‘people like me’, scientists need to speak like this. It makes the purpose and voice of science accessible to people unfamiliar with its rigour and discourse. It has conviction, focusing on known truths, while providing pathways to evidence for those who seek it.

Photo by: Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Prevailing against setbacks

Anyone involved in climate and/or environmental advocacy is familiar with setbacks. Political, economic and commercial interests inevitable divert communities and activities in directions adverse to these causes. This will continue.

But trust is an invaluable asset that we must believe will yield brilliant dividends for future generations if we stay the course. Science is on an upward swing as a trusted source of truth and it is being backed by personal experiences.

Communities ravaged by climate extremes driven by increased energy within land and oceans are increasingly convinced that natural events are aligning with what science has been foretelling.

There is no more striking example than the emergence of widespread sustainable agriculture movements, with an increasing proportion of farmers understanding what indigenous communities have understood for tens of thousands of years. They are learning to nurture the land as well as their livestock and crops, even if that means returning some of it to natural habitat.

Governments and policy settings will change, but it will be communities working in partnership with and guided by science that will bring about the necessary changes to the way we live within and in harmony with nature.

Nurturing trust

The Biosphere Foundation is ramping up its efforts to advocate for climate action and the protection of the rich biodiversity that underwrote the initial establishment of the Western Port Biosphere over 20 years ago.

The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer indicates that there is no better time for science-based advocacy to resonate with government, communities and business. We’re here to support and work in partnership with all stakeholders within the Biosphere Reserve to ensure its future as one of the premier places in Australia to live and work.

Recently, we have been on the front foot with the issue of the proposed Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal at the Port of Hastings, advocating for Western Port’s extensive Ramsar wetlands in local media, The Age and on the ABC’s news and 7:30 Report. Federal decision stopped Victoria’s offshore wind strategy in its tracks – ABC News

This has been the result of several years of uplifted advocacy activity, which leverages off and benefits from our unique association with the global UNESCO Biosphere network.

Our advocacy will always be founded on scientific evidence, which is why we and all our stakeholders should celebrate the elevation of science to one of the world’s most trusted sources of news and information.

 

 


Archaeological dig in Cape Schanck- an update by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council

Cam Walls- Nature Systems team, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council 

The Australian National University (ANU) recently undertook an archaeological dig at a bushland in Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula. This is the third year ANU students have travelled from Canberra for two weeks to uncover artifacts valuable to both Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and early-European settlement period.

Week one was spent excavating the grounds of the Cape Schanck lighthouse (with Parks Victoria), which uncovered mid-19th century ceramic marbles and coble stone horse stables. The second week was spent alongside Bunurong Land Council (BLC) representatives at the reserve, students uncovered hundreds of artifacts including stone tools.  A hearth (old fire) was also uncovered with an estimated age of 3500 years old!


eDNA – Unveiling Biodiversity

Lance Lloyd, Water Adviser 

Dr. Pat McWhirter at Harewood

The Western Port Biosphere Foundation has joined forces with Dr. Pat McWhirter of Harewood and Dr. Nick Murphy from Latrobe University to delve into the biodiversity of Harewood – a historic property in northern Western Port. Harewood is already home to Southern Brown Bandicoots, Growling Grass Frogs, Swamp & Glossy Skinks, and other important species. This collaboration forms part of a comprehensive initiative aimed at unravelling the rewilding efforts undertaken at Harewood. Dr. Murphy and his team tasked Dr. McWhirter with collecting samples from 15 water bodies across Harewood, which were subsequently analyzed for environmental DNA (eDNA) at Latrobe University. The results were then compared against databases containing known species’ DNA profiles.

The findings have been nothing short of intriguing, shedding light on both the species uncovered and those overlooked. They have laid a robust foundation for follow-up sampling efforts and the utilization of alternative gene sequencing techniques.

saline wetland at Harewood

eDNA analysis has not only corroborated existing knowledge gleaned from previous fauna surveys but has also unearthed novel insights into the species composition. For instance, the eDNA data has identified the presence of seven frog taxa, aligning with previous records of seven species. Remarkably, it has also revealed the existence of ten fish species, which had not been subject to specific surveys on-site. Among these discoveries is the presence of the endangered species, Flatback Mangrove Goby (Mugilogobius platynotus), which has relatives which display a remarkable adaptation of being facultative air-breathers. If this is so with this species, the adaptation would provide them with a competitive edge in estuarine environments characterized by mangroves and soft silt sediments, often fraught with low dissolved oxygen levels.

Moreover, the eDNA analysis has unveiled a diverse array of invertebrates, encompassing approximately 100 species from 13 distinct taxonomic groups. This includes sponges, crustaceans, insects, molluscs, and Tardigrades. Tardigrades, colloquially known as “water bears,” are renowned for their resilience to extreme environmental conditions and are important pioneer species by inhabiting new developing environments. This ability to colonise new habitats attracts other invertebrates to populate those habitats.

freshwater wetland at Harewood

These findings are instrumental in comprehending the biodiversity across various water bodies at Harewood, and they serve as invaluable guidance for rewilding endeavours elsewhere. However, the analysis of terrestrial invertebrate data, alongside vegetation surveys and historical sightings, remains ongoing. The efficacy of eDNA as a monitoring tool is underscored by its repeatability, enhancing accuracy, and aiding in the strategic direction of survey initiatives. Ultimately, this technology holds promise in facilitating the restoration of listed species and fragile ecosystems, fostering their recovery and resilience.

 

 


Biodiversity in Schools program update 

Lucy Kyriacou- Project Manager 

The team has been busy this term supporting schools learning about the unique ecology and coastlines of Western Port.  

We began the new year delivering a series of workshops at Point Leo Foreshore Reserve as part of the Junior Ranger program. These included Scats and Tracks with koala expert, Kelly Smith, and The Wonderful World of Wetlands with aquatic ecologist, Lance Lloyd. The children enjoyed hunting for scats to find clues about what might be living in the trees of Point Leo, and bug dipping to discover the water-dwelling invertebrates. 

We were back at Point Leo Reserve recently to deliver workshops about the intertidal zone and the wetland area, where freshwater meets the sea, to the students from Woodleigh School as part of their school camp. The children enjoyed using the bug identification kits to find out about the species in the wetlands and to gauge water quality, and a scavenger hunt in the intertidal zone to identify coastal and marine flora and fauna. We would like to thank Tony Walkington, Head Ranger of the Reserve, for promoting the work of the Biosphere Foundation and our environmental education programs. 

Other educational opportunities this term have included taking Caulfield Grammar VCE students on a guided boat trip of Western Port. Students were able to see the coastal wetlands, including mangroves, seagrass meadows, saltmarsh, and mudflats. They witnessed migratory shorebirds feeding as they prepare to take flight in April on their migration routes. Following the boat trip, the students were taken to the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens to meet the Southern Brown Bandicoot Recovery Group Coordinator, who took them on a guided walk to learn about bandicoot conservation and protection. 

Western Port Secondary College grade 9 humanities students have been learning about biomes and human impact on ecosystems. We have supported their learning by providing resources about the ecosystems of the Hastings coastline and joined them on an excursion to the coastal wetlands. We ran activities to demonstrate scientific techniques to collect data in the field, and mangrove restoration trials, such as the ‘John Eddy’ method. 

We look forward to supporting more schools in term 2. 

If you are interested in learning about the workshops we have on offer please visit: 

Biodiversity in Schools – Western Port Biosphere  

Or contact Lucy Kyriacou, Project Manager, directly on: 

[email protected] 

0499333762 

 


Blue Carbon – protecting what we have now

Stephen Brend- Project Science Officer

Lang Lang erosion, March 2024

Friends of the Foundation will know that we have been investing a lot of time and energy into studying Blue Carbon; this is carbon trapped in the plants and sediments of coastal ecosystems, particularly salt marshes, mangroves and seagrass meadows.  There are ways that we can boost the amount of carbon sequestered, or locked up, by these ecosystems, for instance, by planting mangroves to speed up natural regeneration, or allowing pasture to revert to salt marsh, be excluding cattle and other livestock.  These are important strategies – by expanding the natural habitat not only is more carbon stored but it also secures the ecosystem services provided by the coastal ecosystems.  However, the Biosphere Foundation is now focusing on another, equally pressing aspect of the Blue Carbon puzzle: how to stop the loss of what we have now. 

Lang Lang erosion March 2024

Erosion is a major concern along the coast of eastern Western Port.  Some estimates suggest that the shoreline may be retreating at a rate of up to 1m per year.  Along a 10km shoreline that is an incredible amount of land being lost and, once in the water, that soil creates further problems.  By increasing turbidity, the erosion decreases the amount of light available for photosynthesis which will impact seagrass growth.  The collapsing shoreline makes mangrove recovery virtually impossible while the exposure and oxidation of the peaty soils found in the area is likely to result in the release of CO2, which is exactly the opposite of what we want to achieve. 

People have attempted to address the problem.  Pylons have been sunk in.  Apparently, one landowner even attempted to create a “seawall” using two abandoned cars.  Clearly, though, nothing has worked.  This threatens to undo the good work being done elsewhere as well as costing landowners.  We are not sure what the solution will be but we hope to find one, soon! 


Program manager update

Glenn Brooks-MacMillan- Programs Manager 

Wow, 2021 seems so long ago! My introduction to the Western Port Biosphere Foundation as Program Manager was quick and I hit the ground running, with lots to do. I look back to ‘my’ first connector in Oct 2021, see here Connector Newsletter – Issue 31 – Western Port Biosphere with Sarah Coe as editor.

I remember very vividly meeting Mel Barker, Lance Lloyd, Sarah Coe, and Stephen Brend with the odd contact with non-politician Greg Hunt, thinking how exciting this journey is going to be.

At the time Sarah asked me this:

What would you like to achieve as Program Manager of the Biosphere Foundation?
I am very interested in spending time working with a passionate Board of like-minded people all wanting to make a difference. I am looking forward to working as a team to help uphold the UNESCO and RAMSAR programs that in principle I see is about show casing how society can function sustainably while living in and protecting a hot spot of high biodiversity environmentally.
I see the Biosphere Foundation can help collaborate, educate, and support existing programs and initiatives across the Peninsula and Western Port. In addition, I would like to explore new and innovative programs to further build resilience and capacity in our community to best adapt and mitigate the risk of climate change.

So off we went, with Katerina Palthe a graduate student joining our team as graduate science officer along side Lucy Kyriacou as Project Science Officer, I can remember tackling ‘our’ first Environment Restoration Fund, Water Stewardship site visit which was with Lance, Kat, Lucy, and myself. It was incidentally at Sarah Coe’s place in Tyabb which formed the basis of some training, insights and more importantly passion for catchment improvements across the reserve. Sarah passed away not long after, and I still to this day when carrying out site assessments across the reserve think back to how approachable and willing, she was to listen and introduce new practices to her property.

I don’t feel people deliberately manage their land inappropriately, but it is more about awareness and reasons to change, money helps, but the drive to want to change is more effective.

Next to join our team was Jessica Brady, initially covering for Lucy while on holidays, Jess made an immediate impact by exploring some project management with Willum Warrain assisting us in building our first nations relationships through practical onground action called ‘Healing Water Country’.

I remember Jess once saying, ‘so let me get this right, we need to meet, to make a plan, on how we are going to prepare a management plan, that everyone agrees to do, so we can do some onground works…right?.’

Welcome to my world, as Program Manager, that’s what I do. I raise awareness to the community on UNESCO and Ramsar and try and convince them they are the solution and how people can live sustainably with nature. I then go find some money and resources to help them achieve their goals through new and innovative projects.

To me, I call it stewardship. Thanks to Lance, the Biosphere Foundation have delivered an excellent Water Stewardship program. Lucy, biodiversity in schools, and Jess has hit her mark as Marketing and Comms. Who would had thought this old bloke would be liking facebook, Instagram, WhattsApp and tiktok?

Add to this, significant investment in Blue Carbon, through mapping projects, management plans and onground works, but also extending our connection to country by working with Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation assisting their works team engage in Blue Carbon initiatives. We have been able to bring the ‘Blue Carbon’ community together to work on a number of exciting projects and initiatives.

Water Stewardship continues through investment in actions coming out of individual water plans such as the Revillaging Project in Boneo to establish a wetland along side the Tootgarook wetlands. Blue Carbon projects across Western Port Bay, where Lang Lang could in a few years be bringing back the swamp….(but don’t tell anyone just yet) and extension to Biodiversity in Schools to include marine and coastal asset education for school age children, where a day at the beach now constitutes part of their curriculum and maybe one day becomes a career for them.

Not only does the Foundation have a passion for the wellbeing of the Southern Brown Bandicoot through the coordination of a recovery group thanks to Stephen Brend from his overseas office, but in my relatively short time at the foundation, I have seen the Koala and Orange Bellied Parrot rate a mention, not to forget our migratory shorebirds.

Thanks to Kelly Smith joining our team wanting to share her passion for Koala’s, we have been able to align biolink connection across the reserve with the preservation of the Koala in partnership with the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation group and Moonlit Sanctuary. Watch this space, a ‘Koala Preservation Group’ for Western Port is not far away.

While the Reserve is big and has many many issues to address, it is the partnerships and relations with people, organisations, groups and governments that gets me out of bed to travel from the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges all the way to Western Port every day of the week, well it may surprise you but I was able to achieve all of this in only three days a week!

Being Program Manger is not about a job, it is a passion, it is an addiction and takes courage and risk taking and most of all a delight to know you have arrived home safely at the end of the day while changing someone’s life.

I am so proud of the team at the Biosphere Foundation and what we all have achieved (in such a short period of my time), I am so much looking forward to my next adventure which no doubt will be to continue to keep in touch with all of these great people, partners and landowners.

However, my job for now is over as Program Manager for the Western Port Biosphere Foundation, I will achieve more through the vast catchment experience I have, connections and most of all, the ever-increasing drive to implement action. For over 30 years of working in NRM, it wasn’t until my short stint at the Foundation that I discovered another excuse to get out and dirty and plant Mangroves in summer. Wow what a time.

It’s a full circle for me now, with my original reason for coming to the foundation in 2021 was to find out whether all the good work we do in the hills ends up?

Ironically, it is back to the hills for me, as now I am confident, we have the framework and capacity to address Climate Action across the two bays. Who knows, maybe Hills2Bays is my next adventure?

 


French Island Threatened Species Update from Zoos Victoria

Dr Amy Coetsee-Threatened Species Biologist, Zoos Victoria

Meg Farmer (Zoos Vic) processing a potoroo in the field

We hope you enjoy reading about French Island’s wonderful threatened species and our research into them. If you have any questions about the information in this update, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

In an effort to understand the habitat use and population size of Long- Nosed Potoroos on the Island, we conducted an island-wide 6 week trapping project throughout July and August last year. We sampled the potoroo population at a total of 31 sites, spread across the island in different habitat types, including sites both in the National Park and on private property (22 in the park; 9 on private land). Ten cage traps were laid at each site and trapped for three consecutive nights, following a week of free feeding (baiting traps and leaving them cable tied open) to encourage potoroos to enter the traps.

It can be difficult to get the potoroos to leave the bag on a cold winter’s night

With reports of increased potoroo sightings across the island, we were expecting busy nights, but we were vastly underprepared for the sheer enormity of our captures! Across our 31 sites, we had a mammoth 400 total potoroo captures, of 268 individual potoroos (172 male: 96 female). Given that we caught potoroos at all but 3 of our sites, at a glance it seems that potoroos didn’t seem to discriminate by habitat type, with the exception of avoiding open pastures. However, we are currently working on an in-depth habitat analysis to have a greater understanding of their habitat preferences. We’re looking forward to sharing our findings with you when we get the results.

A bandicoot venturing back out into the wild after recovering from anaesthetic

Clearly, the increased rainfall we’ve enjoyed over the past few years combined with reduced feral cat numbers has resulted in ideal conditions for these wonderful animals. This project has provided an important baseline understanding of how the potoroo population currently stands, to be compared against in future years as environmental conditions change.

This project wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of the amazing French Island community. Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered their land and time toward this project; it was a mammoth effort, and we couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you also to the wonderful Parks Victoria staff for sharing their invaluable knowledge of the park, and for giving up sleep to help on trapping nights.

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot and Long-Nosed Potoroo population in Bluegums is generally trapped every spring and autumn to see how they are faring. A Zoos Victoria vet team also joins us to bleed the bandicoots and potoroos to test them for Toxoplasmosis, a disease spread by cats that can be fatal to marsupials. Due to some very busy schedules, trapping occurred a bit later this year, in the first week of summer. We weren’t sure how this would affect our results, however a cooler and wetter start to summer worked in our favour and we were kept busy with a bumper week.

On average, we generally catch between 8 and 26 bandicoots and 2 and 12 potoroos. This time we caught 55 bandicoots (29 male: 26 female), with 25 being caught for the first time. Though we fell just short of our record of 56 bandicoots (from April 2023),  we were extremely excited to see a more even sex ratio when we usually have a strong male bias. Of the females caught, 4 were carrying pouch young, some of which were very large and furred, which is always very special to see.

For the potoroos it was a record breaking week, with 29 individuals (19 males: 11 females) being caught, with almost half (14) being caught for the first time. Our previous record for Bluegums was 20 potoroos (from April 2023), so this was an exciting jump in capture rates and heartening to see this species flourishing. Eight of the eleven females were carrying pouch young, including one with two pinkies, which we rarely see.

These wonderful results wouldn’t have been possible without the enormous dedication and enthusiasm of the amazing volunteers from the community, who gave up their time (and sleep!) to help out. A massive thank-you to everyone who was involved, we hope to see you again in autumn!

April Trapping Dates

Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or haven’t yet joined us for a night of trapping, we would love to see you in April!

Everyone is welcome and no experience necessary.

The next bandicoot and potoroo trapping in Bluegums (French Island) will be from the 8th – 10th April 2024.

We are trapping after daylight savings ends so it will be an earlier start and possibly an earlier finish.

Orange-Bellied Parrots 

threatened species orange bellied parrot on a branchThe critically endangered Orange-Bellied Parrot is one of three migratory parrots found in the world. They breed in south-west Tasmania then fly to the mainland to spend the winter months primarily in saltmarsh habitat along the south-eastern coastline. Each winter, only 7-15% of individuals are sighted on the mainland. This is a major knowledge gap, as little can be done to help protect and restore important migration and over- winter habitat if these locations remain unknown.

In early 2023, Zoos Victoria and NRE Tas ran a successful pilot study fitting captive- bred Orange-Bellied Parrots with transmitters pre-release to follow their migration North using fixed receiver stations. In early 2024, the program will be expanded with more tagged birds and more receiver stations.

Orange-Bellied Parrots have been seen on French Island, making the island a great location to put a station if a suitable, accessible location can be found. Ideally the receiver will be placed close to the salt marsh on the North of the island.

A receiver station installed on the mainland

Receiver stations include a 6-8m high aluminium mast with 2 small antennae at the top, a small solar panel and a metal box containing the necessary hardware. The receiver station needs to be installed in February/March 2024, and left in place for six months to record all migrating tagged birds that may pass by or spend time on the island.

If you have a property in the North of the island and are interested in hosting a receiver station, please get in touch.

If you would like to be involved please contact [email protected].

Like to know more? Read more of Dr Amy Coetsee’s work in this great article:

Why move species to islands? Saving wildlife as the world changes means taking calculated risks (theconversation.com)