Otways animals caught on film

FOREST Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) is keeping a close eye on the wildlife of the Otways, taking tens of thousands of photos as it assesses the impact of the recent planned burn.

The project is monitoring the Eastern Otways landscape to better understand the impact of planned burning, and ultimately inform future bushfire strategies.

FFMV deployed 90 motion-sensing cameras during autumn and winter, generating more than 60,000 images.

Some of the animals – which include wedgetailed eagles, wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, possums, a range of small mammals and birds, as well as feral animals such as foxes, cats and deer – were photographed at Big Hill, where a 380 hectare planned burn was carried out by FFMV in April.

The monitoring is a continuation of the Otway Hawkeye Project, which has been looking at the impact of planned burning on ecosystem values since 2011. FFMV Barwon South West landscape evaluatior Hamish Martin said the project measured the impact of planned burning, by identifying the change over time in habitat elements and species populations before and after planned burns.

“The data collected will develop our understanding about how species respond to different types of fire, and this will help guide strategies for future planned burning.

“Motion-sensing cameras are a valuable tool for monitoring animals, and require much less labour than the traditional method of trapping.

“We are still working through the images to identify species and produce the data which will then inform our planning.

“This monitoring contributes to the Victorian Bushfire Monitoring Program, which will increase our understanding of the impact and effectiveness of bushfire management on risk reduction and ecosystem resilience.”