10 April 2025
In the end of 2023, our Landcare groups joined together to launch a "Biolinks Team". The goal was to create a model for working more closely with neighbouring groups, towards a common goal of connecting up habitat from the Grampians clear across to the Pyrenees. We call this a "biolink". Since we formed, we have been discussing the steps we will need to take, and the tools and resources that will help us build biolinks.
At our first get together of 2025 last week, our Biolinks Team was really starting to see the fruits of our labours!
Last year we identified that a key tool we would need for coordinating a Biolink project between many groups would be a shared 'Biolink map'! This map should be accessible to all the member groups and allow us each to record where we are undertaking habitat creation and protection works in our own patch. That way when we get together as a Biolink team, we can start looking for high value connection points between our regions.
Since then, our Biolink team has set up a field app accessible to each member group which lets us map our work. And all the data we record gets sent to a GIS project where we can see everything together. This get together was our first time being able to sit down and look at our map all together!
In addition to our habitat project sites (seen in hot pink here), we can also add other useful map layers. For example, you can see here the locations on reserves (in dull pink) and you can see the quality of native habitat (shown as the background layer on a scale of white to blue, with blue being best quality). We have also added in green the biolink focus areas, which were identified in a 2013 study done by Central Biolinks Alliance.
So what is still missing from this map?
To help us identify the most ecologically valuable places to build biolink corridors, we need to know where our vulnerable native species are living!
We want to fill our Biolinks map out with occurrence points for native animals. We want to focus in particular on 'indicator species', which are species that tend to be found only in areas that can support many other native species. So for example, a stumpy tail lizard or a magpie (which are very good at living on farms without much native habitat left) is not a great indicator species. However, a sugar glider (which is only found in areas with enough old hollow bearing trees) is a better indicator. The 2013 Bioinks Alliance study identified good indicator species for our area. We are going to start with a focus on two types: small woodland birds (like mistletoe birds) and noctural gliders.
We want to collect records of our chosen indicator species in a consistent manner across our landscape. That way we can compare the 'biodiversity value' of one site to another. So to help us achieve this goal, our Biolinks team is going high tech!
One way to collect bird data is to send someone who knows their birds out birdwatching. This gets you the best data! But you are also limited by time (how often your bird expert can go out surveying).
dA newer way to collect bird data is with small digital devices called Birdweather Pucs. You can leave the device out in the field, continuously listening for birds, and the device uses an AI model to identify each bird song! The AI might make mistakes sometimes, but you can still use your human bird experts to review the data. The benefit of these devices is that you can leave them out for long periods without having to feed or water them, like you do your bird expert ;)
The other benefit of these devices is that you don't need to be a bird expert yourself to participate in biodiversity data collection. You just need to put out a Puc station! This is how we see the power of technology in conservation - not to replace humans, but to allow even more humans to participate than could before!
At our recent Biolinks Team get together, which we held at Best's Winery, our Upper Wimmera Facilitator Elia gave us all a demonstration of the Birdweather Puc AI bird call monitor devices.
After the get together, which ended with a walk through beautiful remnant habitat near the winery, each group representative went back home to identify locations where their own landcare group would like to start measuring woodland bird diversity. We decided our starting focus would be on historic landcare revegetation sites. These sorts of sites will form important "islands of habitat" on our Biolink map. Each participating Landcare group has now submitted coordinated applications for the Victorian Landcare Grants, to fund each of our groups to set up these off grid bird stations. If we are successful in our grants, we will be purchasing the equipment and setting up the stations this Spring.
Elia Pirtle
Landcare Facilitator and Communications Officer