One of Australia’s rarest rodents, the water mouse, has already been found during the largest fauna monitoring project to be undertaken in Sunshine Coast Council – managed environmental reserves.
Split into stages, the $570,000, four-year project will tell council exactly what wildlife is living in these reserves and help to improve conservation management.
This information will then be used to develop a fauna-monitoring program so council can best manage its environmental reserves, helping to improve conservation management into the future.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said the Environment Levy – funded monitoring project is a great example of how council is working towards a sustainable environment for the region.
“It’s not enough to simply buy land, although this is a major component, we also need to know what species are living in our reserves.
“This knowledge will help us to create tailored management plans to suit the plants and animals living at each site.
“Monitoring at this scale on council – managed reserves has never been done before, and has been made possible by Sunshine Coast residents contributing to the Environment Levy.”
Data gained will also be used to promote the unique wildlife in the region, with future research projects with the Queensland Museum expected in the future.
Division two Councillor Tim Dwyer said surveying began in December 2013 with results providing some interesting insights into our local fauna.
“During the summer survey for Bells Creek, ecologists found a population of the vulnerable water-mouse, which ranked as a high priority for conservation.
“Council has paired this information with the discovery of an unexpected, high number of introduced black rats, and will now investigate whether they are a threat to the native water mouse and adapt reserve management accordingly.
“Work has only just begun and already it’s giving us useful information which may prevent the loss of important species from our reserves.”
