Research project offers renewed hope for threatened species

ENVIRONMENTAL authorities say a three-year collaborative research project has laid the foundations for successful survival of several mammal species in the Otways.

The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CCMA) marked the end of the Wild Otways research project this week alongside partner agencies, local conservationists and community members, and government representatives.

CCMA managed the project for the Australia Government, which provided $6 million of funding in 2020.

The Wild Otways initiative aimed to improve outcomes for a range of threatened species native to the area.

The project encompassed land from Bells Beach to Port Campbell, including private land and 168,000 hectares of state-managed territory including national parks.

It resulted in five sub-projects: Pig and Deer Program, Fox and Cat Management Program, Phytophthora Management Program, Small Mammal Conservation Project and a Rewilding Program.

Example programs included using historical data and camera monitoring to map small mammal occurrence across the region, to determine future management actions, which found species including the swamp antechinus live in fragmented coastal refuges under threat from erosion, feral predators and plant pathogens.

The project included $1 million for a community events program, which delivered grants resulting in 11,197 meters of fencing, 91,381 plants planted, 631 hectares of weed control and 215 community events with 3,344 participants.

Information on the projects, their benefits and how locals can help ongoing preservation of threatened species is available at an online public portal: https://otways.ccma.vic.gov.au/home

CCMA chair Catherine Jenkins thanked the government for its backing of the program, which she said had “supported conservation works and scientific research within the Otways region”.

“The impact of the Wild Otways Initiative will extend far beyond its three-year duration. It will serve as a model for responsible management and set the stage for future endeavours in this region.”