Platypus research guides revegetation works
Healthy waterways are a result of healthy landscapes and since Project Platypus is all about sustainable land use, the platypus makes an ideal icon for the organisation. For a number of years, in a partnership with The Australian Platypus Conservancy, Project Platypus conducted regular surveys and monitoring of platypus populations in the upper catchment. Surveys have shown that the drought has taken its toll on areas previously known to be strongholds; such as the Nowhere Creek near Elmhurst which hasn't run for many years. Project Platypus is now looking to continue its work on this unique species with assistance from Platyscotia. The affect of drought, the success of revegetation and erosion works and population dispersion are key aspects which will drive research in the region. More Details on the Platypus (2100kb).

If you would like to report a platypus sighting in the Wimmera click here.

Black Range project helps declining bandicoot populations
In conjunction with the Black Range Landcare group, a project which highlighted the plight of the threatened Southern Brown Bandicoot was undertaken in 2006/07. With support from The Threatened Species Network, The Black Range Bandicoot Recovery team launched a Bandicoot Education Kit, planted trees to enhance corridors, undertook bandicoot surveys and implemented a fox and feral cat control program. In the midst of the project the Black Range was devastated by fires which provided a salutary lesson on how easy it is for our native fauna, already threatened, to become extinct! No bandicoots have been sighted since the fires, however further survey work is planned, with the hope that our fears are proved wrong - more details.

Nest box workshops provide instant habitat for local fauna
In response to the 2006 New Years Fires in the Grampians region, Project Platypus initiated a Nest Box Project funded by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority. Clive Crouch a naturalist from Nhill co-ordinated the construction of 500 nest boxes made specifically for creatures such as Sugar Gliders, bats, Brush-tailed Possums and birds which lost their homes in the fire. These were distributed and erected on properties throughout the devastated areas. The most successful report of nest box use so far was the rearing of a family of eight Sugar Gliders in the Black Range.

It's not just about trees
Anyone who has seen native grasslands in "full bloom" will marvel at the beauty in small things; those that really require you to get down on your hands and knees to appreciate them. The mosses, lichens, fungi and small gems such as the carnivorous sundews can make up to 90% of the biodiversity (diversity of species) on a remnant vegetation site. In many cases, the role that these species play in our ecosystem is unknown, however what is known is that they are beautiful, unique and vital to our environment. It is impossible to replant or re-introduce many of these small gems, so protection of remnants is critical to their survival.