Mark Trengove, a consulting ecologist and member of the Friends group, will be helping design the habitat survey techniques.
We will be working closely with Parks Victoria, as the responsible manager for the Brisbane Ranges National Park, especially when deciding on suitable locations for nest box installation, as well as ensuring that the installation process is conducted safely.
We will be working in collaboration with two schools: Newcomb Secondary College and Wyndham Central College, who already conduct environmental education activities in the park. Wyndham and Newcomb colleges have adopted the Brisbane Ranges and have been conducting environmental activities for approximately 12 years.
The Woodland Ecosystems Resilience Partnership Program (WERPP) has been meeting and coordinating the implementation of the Brush-tailed Phascogale FFG Act Action Statement since 1997. The WERPP is not a recovery team per se, but more of a working group that coordinates management actions that occur within a variety of woodland systems across the State. At present WERPP is made of individuals who are Biodiversity team members from some of the DELWP regions (Hume, Loddon-Mallee and Grampians) and Parks Vic (Warrandyte/Kinglake area) and they have recently had some involvement from local government, but are also keen to involve community groups especially if they are actively involved in projects working on Brush-tailed Phascogale habitat.
The State Wide Integrated Flora and Fauna Teams is a combined initiative between the community, conservation, education and government sectors.
SWIFFT is freely available to anyone in the community who has an interest in nature conservation or threatened species. SWIFFT actively encourages contributions from members of the community, conservationists, field naturalists, farmers, land carers, researchers, scientists, management agencies and environmental consultants.
The Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation is located with the Federation University Australia Research Portfolio. Through research, knowledge transfer and commercial activities CeRDI promotes innovation through the application of new technologies. They work with many community groups to develop online solutions to conservation projects.
CeRDI are in the process of developing the Visualising Victoria’s Biodiversity (VVB) online map portal to allow easy data entry into the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas (VBA). This would include data captured from a range of environmental assessment methods including nest box surveys. They are collaborating with the DELWP VBA team to ensure data collected through SWIFFT/VVB can be transferred to the VBA database. This ensures that the VBA remains the key repository of Victorian biodiversity data.
Central Victorian Biolinks was formed in 2010 in response to community group instigation. It has the goal “To improve the connectivity, condition and resilience of landscapes and halt the further decline of species”. They cover most of central Victoria and recently produced and published a 5 year plan (http://www.centralvicbiolinks.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CVB-5-year-planV4lowres.pdf). Two of their main aims are to improve alliances between community groups in the area and improved use of science, mapping and knowledge to improve conservation decision making. Through their Glideways project, they have a great interest in fostering an alliance of groups using nest boxes for arboreal mammals.
Other groups already doing magnificent work with nest boxes are listed below. If you know of any others,please let us know.
Broken Boosey Conservation Management Network
Loddon Plains Landcare Network
Nillumbik Conservation Corridors
Strathbogie Ranges Conservation Management Network
Upper Campaspe Landcare Network
Upper Goulburn Landcare Network