Koala Ecology Now Has a Quoll Page!

We now have a page devoted to our research on the Northern Quoll - check it out here.

Biodiversity Research with Anindilyakwa Rangers

Our team has headed back up to Groote Eylandt (and I'm still here ... sigh ... ), so I thought I might take this opportunity to talk more about our collaboration with the Anindilyakwa people of the island. We have much to learn from each other - but more than that, collaboration between scientists and Indigenous peoples can be a rewarding and effective means of conserving the environment.

Aboriginal Australians have a powerful cultural connection to their environment. It sustains them, physically and spiritually. Conservation of biodiversity is innate, and information about the environment - the organisms that inhabit it, the seasonality of events - have been passed down via narratives and stories for thousands of years.

Quoll Conservation on Groote Eylandt

Recently, our conservation researchers have begun a collaboration with the Anindilyakwa Land Council of Groote Eylandt - a large island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the northern coast of Northern Territory.

Bill wrote a great article about the collaboration on the San Diego Zoo blog - which you can

A New Collaboration

On their recent field trip, Bill and Sean introduced 3 collaborators to St Bees Island - and to the koala population that lives there. Aside from trying to obtain recordings of koala bellowing, talking science with these researchers was one of the main aims of the trip.

St Bees Island. Photo by Malcolm Ludgate

Who were they?

Troubleshooting

Our intrepid researchers have just returned from a trip up to St Bees Island. This trip was a little different from usual, as most of the work occurred during the nighttime! The aim was to record bellowing calls from known koalas - to learn more about why koalas bellow and what it means.

St Bees Island. Photo by Malcolm Ludgate

This goal meant that:

Into the Field ...

Today Bill and Sean hit the road, heading back up to St Bees Island for 2 weeks of fieldwork. This time they'll be analysing some bellowing data and also doing some play-back experiments.

What are those? Well, play-back experiments