Latest news with #BudjBim
SBS Australia
13 hours ago
- Science
- SBS Australia
Gone fishing: DNA tech helps Traditional Owners map species at Budj Bim
Budj Bim is home to the oldest dated aquaculture system on earth. Comprised of channels, dams and weirs that control water flow, the aquaculture system has been used to contain floodwaters and trap, store and harvest eels for millennia. The World Heritage-listed landscape in southwest Victoria has been cared for by Gunditjmara people for generations. Now, traditional knowledge is being combined with western science to continue safeguarding the important cultural and environmental landscape at Budj Bim. Traditional Owners are using environmental DNA sampling to map fish populations and track ecological changes in the waterways. The surveys have already detected 53 species. Gunitj Mirring Traditional Owner Corporation Aboriginal water officer Nicole Hudson has been monitoring waterways at Budj Bim in Victoria. "We are able to trace where the Kooyang (short-finned eel) are travelling through our system, identify key endangered species and invasive species that are threatening our native cultural species," Ms Hudson told AAP. The technology, developed by EnviroDNA, takes a sample of particles left by living organisms in an ecosystem. "We're able to pick up the presence of that DNA that's left behind and take it to our laboratory and assign that to different taxonomic groups to tell you what animals are absent or present," EnviroDNA chief executive Jim Stuart said. Mr Stuart said the technology was a more powerful tool than observational techniques, as it provided definitive evidence on whether a particular species was present. The technology enables users to hone in on just one species or map the biodiversity of the entire ecosystem. For Ms Hudson, being able to map the biodiversity at Budj Bim helps fulfil a cultural responsibility thousands of years old. "It's our obligation to protect what our ancestors left for us," she said. "They planted the seeds and paved the path for us to walk in harmony with Country. "We read Country. It tells us what it needs, and when to step in to help it heal from pollution and unnatural changes. "Our connection is ongoing. We'll always care for our Country." EnviroDNA's technology has been employed in 25 projects involving 19 Traditional Owner groups across Victoria, NSW, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. The projects have already covered more than 21,000 square kilometres of land and sea, and Mr Stuart said it was hoped the program could be further expanded to become national. "If we want to make lasting impact, we need to back Indigenous-led programs that are already working," he said.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Photo reveals sad truth behind koala that was rescued from Aussie national park
Preparations are underway to reopen an Australian national park where a staggering number of koalas were 'euthanised' after a bushfire swept through in early March, causing injuries and food shortages. On Wednesday, Victoria's department of environment DEECA confirmed with Yahoo News that only one animal was rescued and taken into care, while 1,061 were euthanised. 'Since early March, 2,219 koalas have been assessed by both ground and aerial teams, with 48 per cent identified as suffering severe injuries and burns from the bushfire and required humane euthanasia to relieve unnecessary suffering,' it said in a statement. After Yahoo News revealed on April 25 that koalas were being shot from helicopters in World Heritage-listed Budj Bim national park, the story was reported around the world, including the US, UK, India, Japan, South Korea and across Europe. But local animal advocates have now revealed populations of these iconic marsupials living across the surrounding region face an even bigger problem than fire. Koala Alliance president Jessica Robertson visited Victoria's southwest on the weekend, surveying the perimeter of the national park where the 'cull' occurred. Her most immediate concern is that private blue gum plantations continue to be harvested in the surrounding area, further impacting food availability. 'If DEECA is worried about koala welfare, they would stop the harvesting until a better solution can be found," she said. "We can't go on with business as usual, because it's creating endless suffering.' Over 40,000 koalas are estimated to live in blue gum plantations around Victoria, and these feed trees cover over 100,000 hectares in the southwest. Photos taken by Robertson highlight how the marsupials are regularly left homeless after the trees they live in are felled. They're then forced to relocate to protected areas like Budj Bim where they are already overpopulated. Related: Fear for joeys as Australia guns down koalas Robertson's grassroots advocacy group, along with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Humane World for Animals, the Greens and the Animal Justice Party, are calling for an independent investigation into long-running concerns about koala management across the southwest. "The sad truth behind these shocking headlines... is the ongoing chronic animal welfare crisis facing koalas in southwest Victoria that has been unfolding for decades. The root cause being rampant habitat loss and the relentless expansion of the blue gum plantation industry. With their natural habitat diminished, koalas are left with nowhere safe to go," IFAW said last week, before launching a petition for an inquiry to address "Victoria's shameful secret". "We are strongly supportive of calls for an independent review of management plans designed to protect koalas in private timber plantations," HWFA added. Koalas have regularly become overabundant in Budj Bim, resulting in the need for regular health assessments and euthanasia. In 2022, a DEECA-led team performed two medical assessment operations inside the park. During the first, 93 were examined, 28 euthanised, and 53 were given fertility control. The second resulted in 30 of 135 being declared unviable due to welfare concerns. A participant in the health-check program, who spoke to Yahoo on the condition of anonymity, said koala populations regularly boom inside the park after trees across surrounding plantations are cleared. Only small clusters of trees are left for the koalas, forcing them to flee once the leaves run out. DEECA has conceded that "overpopulation in Budj Bim is an ongoing management issue", and there were between 1 and 1.5 koalas per hectare in the fire zone. Environment minister Steve Dimopoulos is yet to directly address Yahoo's questions about the welfare of koalas in the southwest, or the euthanasia program at Budj Bim. The only planned response Yahoo is aware of is a standard post-incident review by DEECA that will assess the successes and failings of the euthanasia program. But for many animal lovers, this internal review is simply not enough. Over 1,600 people are calling for an independent inquiry, and more than 21,000 people have signed a petition. 'Without warning, and without public consultation [DEECA] has authorised the aerial and ground-based shooting of koalas, claiming the animals were suffering due to lack of food after recent bushfires. Yet this brutal decision was made behind closed doors — and we, the public, were never supposed to find out,' the latter petition states. This week, the Liberal Party renewed calls for the government to publicly release all documents that led to its aerial shooting response. DEECA's chief biodiversity officer James Todd described the response to the Budj Bim fire as long, emotional and difficult'. He said the decision to proceed with euthanasia wasn't taken lightly, and only went ahead after approval from wildlife experts and vets. 'It was clear from early on that most fire-impacted koalas were in areas simply unsafe and virtually impossible for ground crews to access in a timely manner, which is why we took the decision to conduct aerial assessments and shooting where deemed necessary to remove koala pain and suffering,' he said. DEECA has since reassessed the health of koalas at Budj Bim, and found the 'overall state' of populations in the fire-impacted area had 'significantly improved'. To help support the remaining koalas, the agency is undertaking a program of invasive predator control. And the state government confirmed with Yahoo it will provide $1 million through its BushBank program to revegetate areas of private land adjacent to Budj Bim to provide koalas with additional habitat. But despite these programs and the massive loss of koala life, DEECA appears to expect ongoing health issues will continue at Budj Bim into the future. 'Ground crews will continue to do monitoring for some time, and longer-term, land managers will continue to do important health checks to support a sustainable population in the park,' Todd said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
