Connected tech gives birds a boost in Yalata IPA
The Alinytjara Wiluṟara Landscape Board will partner with the Yalata Aṉangu Aboriginal Corporation to protect threatened birds from feral predators in a new trial funded by the South Australian Government’s Landscape Priorities Fund (LPF).
Deputy Premier and Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Susan Close MP, announced the project as part of a $4.9million tranche of funding for landscape projects to improve the environment and biodiversity.
The Alinytjara Wiluṟara Landscape Board has been allocated $450,000 over two years for feral predator management. This funding aims to safeguard the eastern hooded plover and malleefowl populations across the Yalata Indigenous Protected Area (IPA). These bird species hold priority status under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and face vulnerability due to predation by introduced foxes and cats.
The Yalata IPA includes coastal dunes, limestone cliffs, sand plains and mallee shrublands in the far west of South Australia. The remote region covers 456,300 hectares, making landscape management a challenge for Yalata Rangers.
The new funding will support the purchase and operation of a network of satellite-connected Celium predator traps in key locations across the Yalata IPA. The Celium system allows traps to be monitored remotely via a satellite or 3G connection, reducing the need for the Yalata Rangers to travel long distances to check traps. When a trap is activated by a cat or fox, it sends an alert to a phone or desktop app, informing the rangers that an animal has been caught. This reduces the need for travel over long distances, improving efficiency and safety for ranger teams.
“These projects will play a crucial role in managing landscapes across South Australia to improve biodiversity, reduce the threats from feral animals and support healthy environments,” Dr Close says. “Our precious environment is under constant pressure and the state government is committed to working with communities to manage landscapes in a sustainable way so they can be preserved and enhanced for future generations.”
Kim Krebs, General Manager for the Alinytjara Wiluṟara Landscape Board, welcomed the announcement. “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to again work closely with the Yalata Rangers,” she says. “This project aligns with Yalata’s Healthy Country Plan targets and has strong cultural significance for the Yalata community. It’s fantastic to see cutting edge technology combine with the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of the Aṉangu of our region to tackle a serious environmental threat.”
“Yalata Aṉangu Aboriginal Corporation and its Rangers have a proud history of working closely with various organisations and groups over many years,” says Yalata Chief Executive Officer David White. “Sustainable management of our delicate landscapes, in and around the areas we inhabit and control, is critical to our culture, the local ecology and our future. The projects and partnerships we align with, like Alinytjara Wiluṟara Landscape Board, are just one small but significant piece of a South Australian initiative to preserve and protect our landscapes for future generations.”
The Yalata Rangers will be involved in all aspects of the planning and delivery of the project, increasing their capacity to lead and run future landscape projects on their Country.
