Thermal UAV survey identifies critical koala habitat marking conservation milestone in MidCoast NSW
By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb
Researchers working at Australia’s new Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary, located on the traditional lands of the Worimi people three hours from Sydney, recently discovered the presence of a young koala joey cuddling with its mother in the treetops with the help of a UAV. . , the first high-altitude marsupial on a large-scale management site.
The discovery was made with the help of ten drones deployed to determine the presence of tree-dwelling species across 4000 hectares of protected area, with funding from the NSW Koala Strategy and MidCoast Council. It has been done.
Koala habitat drone survey
Scientists estimate that more than 300 different species of vertebrates live at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary, which they acquired in 2022 to manage the private land as part of a conservation agreement with philanthropists and long-time AWC supporters Andrew and Jane Clifford. Since the takeover, AWC ecologists have recorded opportunistic koala sightings, but have not yet gotten close enough to infer the extent of koala presence throughout the reserve.
The combination of acoustic surveys and UAVs allowed us to identify the presence of a highly vulnerable population that has been affected since widespread wildfires destroyed much of their habitat over the past few years.
AWC Senior Field Ecologist Andy Howe described the drone survey as a success, saying it once again highlighted the importance of conserving protected areas to protect wildlife.
Andy said, “Meeting 10 koalas was a really good result.” “This shows that the koala population at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary is strong, provides an excellent platform for us to work from and highlights the importance of the area as a vital refuge for the region’s threatened species.”
“We had an idea of where to find koalas based on initial results from a bioacoustic survey we conducted in the reserve last year,” explains Andy. “At that time, koala calls were loud in the central and northeastern parts of the reserve.
“Through the drone footage, we could see that all the koalas looked healthy. They had full, uniform coats of gray and bright white fur, no cloudy or discharge from the eyes due to conjunctivitis, and no staining of the buttocks from chlamydia. “This was a great sign!”
Gerard Tuckerman, MidCoast Council’s natural systems manager, said: “The council is very pleased with the results of the recent koala survey conducted at Waulinbakh Wildlife Sanctuary.”
“The Australian Wildlife Conservancy carries out important work to preserve Australia’s natural heritage, including work at the forefront to transform lands with long histories of logging into safe spaces for koalas. Having an Australian Wildlife Conservation Society sanctuary here on the Midcoast makes a significant contribution to local conservation. We look forward to working with the organization to learn more about the flora and fauna diversity of the area and to help protect the environment.”
Additional information about the Waulinbakh Reserve is available here. here.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE, CEO of JobForDrones, a marketplace for professional drone services, and a keen observer of the emerging drone industry and the drone regulatory environment. Miriam has authored over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized industry figure. Miriam holds a degree from the University of Chicago and has over 20 years of experience in high-tech sales and emerging technology marketing.
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