THE CORANGAMITE CMA IS INVITING THE COMMUNITY TO ASSIST IN REVERSING PLATYPUS POPULATION DECLINE

The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CCMA) supports WaterWatch Victoria in a joint partnership with ODONATA to help reverse platypus decline in Victoria.

Community members are invited to participate in one of the most significant citizen scientist projects globally, The Great Australian Platypus Search. 

This unique and iconic species was listed as threatened in Victoria for the first time earlier this year. This project is crucial for ensuring the protection of Platypuses, and the community needs to act now and play a role in helping to save the platypus. 

This project will be delivered during the 2021 platypus breeding season (August-October). Samples will be gathered by citizen scientists and then analysed in the lab by a key project partner, EnviroDNA. 

To deliver this project, innovative eDNA (environmental data) technology will be used to detect the DNA of animals over large spatial areas.

EnviroDNA has developed a comprehensive sampling methodology that citizen scientists, school students, children and community groups can easily have fun doing.

More than 1,500 sites across Victoria are being collected by citizen scientists. Data of this quality and consistency has never been gathered on this scale before in Australia, and potentially the world. 

Go to the Great Australian Platypus Search website to select the sampling sites and check out the extensive list of resources and videos available: www.thegreataustralianplatypussearch.org/ to sign up now and join the movement to save this iconic Australian species. 

Corangamite CEO John Riddiford said the Corangamite CMA is proud to be a part of one of our most significant citizen-science and biodiversity research projects. 

“Community members across the Corangamite region are passionate about environmental conservation and protecting animals, especially the platypus. This is a great way to get outside and down to a local waterway and make real change for the platypus,” said Mr Riddiford. 

“This project will help researchers understand where platypuses still survive in Victoria and provide much-needed data to inform future conservation actions”, continued Mr Riddiford.