Landcare Australia 

WIRES and Landcare Alliance

The Black Summer fires destroyed millions of hectares of land, much of which was threatened species habitat, at the same time many regions of Australia had been devastated by one of the worst droughts on record. These emergency events have taken a tragic toll on native species with hundreds of species at risk of extinction.

Unprecented disasters of this scale require unprecedented collaboration to help wildlife recover. To deliver the best possible outcomes for impacted wildlife, WIRES and Landcare have joined forces in a new program funded by WIRES to implement immediate response, recovery and resilience building projects for wildlife in bushfire and drought impacted communities across Australia. 

WIRES and Landcare have both been serving the Australian community, wildlife and the environment for decades, providing ongoing support to local communities to care for wildlife and wildlife habitat. Partnering together on this grant program WIRES and Landcare are providing networks and groups additional support to coordinate and fund projects to maximise the impact of their contribution to recovery efforts and strengthen outcomes for wildlife.

 

WIRES and Landcare Projects
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WildSeek Project

WildSeek is a national conservation program using thermal drone technology, artificial intelligence and community-led surveys to detect and protect koala populations across eastern Australia.

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Wildlife Relief & Recovery Grants

WIRES and Landcare supported 64 groups around Australia with projects benefitting native wildlife.

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WildSeek Project

WildSeek is a partnership between WIRES, Landcare Australia and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Landcare Australia developed the project in January 2022 in response to the Black Summer Bushfires seeking a partnership with WIRES and QUT where together we could make an impact.   

After the Black Summer bushfires, Australians everywhere saw how vulnerable our native wildlife truly is. Communities across the country rallied to help, but one hard truth became clear. We simply did not have enough information about where many animals were living, or how many had survived.

WildSeek is a national project designed to find and protect koalas using advanced technology and local community knowledge. It is helping us understand where koalas are living, how their populations are changing, and how we can better care for them, especially in times of disaster.

This is not just about counting animals. It is about giving communities the tools and training to protect the wildlife in their own backyards, and building a smarter, faster and more connected way to respond when wildlife is in danger.

 

 

Channel Nine - January 2023

How the Project Works

At the heart of WildSeek are five Community Wildlife Intelligence Hubs across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Managed by Landcare Australia, these hubs are equipped with drones fitted with thermal cameras that can detect the body heat of koalas high in the treetops.

Footage is then sent to QUT, where artificial intelligence helps identify koalas in the images. This allows trained community teams to survey large areas of bushland in a matter of hours, without disturbing the animals or needing to search on foot.

By building a clearer picture of where koalas live and how many there are, we can respond more quickly in future disasters. The data being collected now will help identify priority areas for search and rescue if another fire or flood occurs.

These surveys also support long-term conservation. If we know which areas have strong populations of koalas, we can work to protect those places and make sure future development or land clearing does not put them at risk.

Results of the WildSeek Project

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Since 2022, WildSeek has:

  • Completed 38 drone surveys

  • Covered over 3,000 hectares of habitat

  • Detected 193 koalas

  • Engaged 43 volunteers and 12 additional community organisations

  • Partnered with 8 First Nations organisations

  • Held 8 community engagement events

  • Scheduled another 1,500 hectares for survey in 2024 and 2025

These surveys have helped identify important koala populations in places like Tamworth, the Sutherland Shire and the Hills Hornsby area in Sydney. In some areas, koalas were found where none were previously recorded, proving how valuable this approach can be. 

What Does The Future Hold

Image from LA: Night flights in the Southern Highlands

WildSeek shows what’s possible when science, community and care for nature come together. It gives local people a direct role in protecting the wildlife they love, and it brings new tools into conservation efforts across Australia.

WIRES is proud to support this work alongside Landcare Australia, QUT, First Nations organisations and the many volunteers in community groups who make each survey possible. Every flight, every koala detected and every volunteer trained is a step toward a stronger future for our wildlife. 

WIRES has contributed over $900,000, alongside significant contributions from Landcare Australia and QUT. Together, the project has received $1.5 million in funding so far. 

We look forward to continuing this journey and sharing new discoveries as WildSeek grows.

Wildlife Relief & Recovery Grants 2020 - Successful Grant Recipients

Thanks to the incredible support of the national and international community to assist wildlife, WIRES is proud to be able to support these incredible groups and projects. We look forward to sharing the project updates and outcomes as they take place. These projects will significantly help with the regeneration of critical habitat to support wildlife.

There was an exceptional response to the grants program and 64 projects were funded to support the national recovery of wildlife and wildlife habitat. 

ACT Group and Projects
  • Landcare ACT - Wildlife recovery in the ACT
NSW Groups and Projects
  • Angourie Community Coastcare - Angourie-Wooloweyah Environmental Restoration
  • Back to Country - Numeralla wildlife refuge restoration
  • Bangalow Koalas Inc. - Bangalow Koalas Community Wildlife Corridor
  • Border Ranges Richmond Valley Landcare Network - Supporting recovery of arboreal mammals in fire affected Rappville and surrounds
  • Brunswick Valley Landcare Inc - Wildlife Safe Havens
  • Condobolin & Districts Landcare Management Committee Inc - Tree and Shrub Planting
  • Envite - Land for Wildlife bushfire corridor recovery
  • Granite Borders Landcare Committee Incorporated - Habitat Restoration - Quoll Headquarters Conservation Area
  • Gunning District Landcare - Mates of the Mundoonen: A citizen science project working to protect the wildlife that call the Mundoonen home.
  • Hastings Landcare Incorporated - Post Fire Koala Habitat Recovery Program-Hastings Region
  • Hunter Region Landcare Network - Wildlife Corridors on Farms
  • Jaliigirr Biodiversity Alliance inc - Friends of Wonga Forest improving wildlife refuges in the Jaliigirr Landscape
  • Landcare Illawarra - Seedbank plantings
  • Lower Paterson River Landcare - Lower Paterson River Riparian Habitat Restoration Project. Stage 1.
  • Macleay Landcare Network - Wildlife habitat recovery in the Macleay
  • Manning Landcare Inc - Lessons from Rumba Dump - Reclaiming Habitat & Biodiversity in Killabakh, NSW.
  • Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc - Shelter-belts - Environmental Connectivity
  • Nangandie Pastoral Company - Greenhatch Creek - Shelter Belt Enhancement & Establishing Corridors to Remnant White Box Vegetation - Stage 1
  • Nature Conservation Council of NSW - Motherland, Mt Hyland Wildlife Recovery
  • Peelwood Limerick Tuena Landcare Group - Restore dieback habitat and secure wildlife refuge points
  • Rainforest 4 Foundation Ltd - Rainforest Rangers: Bushfires, Rainforests, and Recovery
  • Rollands Plains Landcare - Riparian habitat protection plus shade and habitat trees on Clarefield
  • Science for Wildlife Engaging the community for targeted koala conservation after fire
  • Shoalhaven Landcare Association Inc - Assisting Habitat Restoration Post-Fire across the Shoalhaven
  • Tweed Landcare Inc - Terragon bushfire relief and recovery project
  • Upper Mooki Landcare Inc. - Nombi Creek - Garrawilla Creek Riparian Restoration
  • Upper Spring Creek Landcare Incorporated - Support and Survival - Western Sydney Dry Rainforest Habitat
  • Weddin Landcare Steering Committee Incorporated - Habitat Restoration at Vaughn's Dam Reserve
  • Wollombi Valley Landcare Group Inc - Wollombi Area Post Fire Recovery Project
QLD Groups and Projects
  • Beechmont District Landcare Association - Riparian Refuge-Headwaters Back Creek (BC) Akoonah Timbarra Reserve (ATR)
  • Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation - Traditional Owners Caring for Peregian wildlife & habitat bushfires effected conservation areas (Sunshine Coast)
  • Friends of Land for Wildlife Toowoomba Region Inc - High Country Hamlets - Casuarinas for Cockies
  • Noosa & District Landcare Group Inc - Nest Boxes for Fire Affected Wildlife in the Noosa and Cooloola Region.
  • Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre P&C - Linking Springbrook National Park and Lamington National Park
  • Queensland Trust for Nature - Water and homes for wildlife: Drought proofing Koala Crossing
  • The Scout Association of Australia - Queensland Branch - Albany Creek Scout Group - Habitat Heroes - Community Environmental Project
SA Groups and Projects
  • Arid Recovery Rebuilding after drought - restoring populations of endangered arid zone species
  • Coomandook Agricultural Bureau - Recovering from the Carcuma & Coonaplyn Bushfires - the forgotten fires
  • Eco - Action Kangaroo Island - Eco Action after the Fires - Kangaroo Island Wildlife Recovery project
  • Friends of Black Hill & Morialta Inc - Morialta threatened species habitat protection
  • Friends of Charleston Conservation Park - Bring Back the Banksias!
  • Friends of Coorong National Park - Rehabilitation of critical Malleefowl habitat at Bunbury Conservation Park, SA.
  • Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Association - Restoring and creating habitat in the Cudlee Creek fire zone
  • Kangaroo Island Conservation Landowners Association - Capacity building in nature conservation skills for Kangaroo Island landholders
  • Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network - Monitoring bats and pygmy-possums during bushfire recovery on Kangaroo Island
  • Mid Murray Landcare SA - Nectar Plants and Nest Boxes
  • Mid Torrens Catchment Group - Cudlee Creek Bushfire Recovery 2020
  • Trees For Life Inc - Recovering the Land We Love
  • Upper River Torrens Landcare Group - Restoring habitat in the Adelaide Hills
TAS Group and Project
  • Tasmanian Land Conservancy - Building community and landscape resilience in the Central Highlands: reducing key threats post-bushfire.
VIC Groups and Projects
  • Bass Coast Landcare Network - From blaze to biodiversity - restoration of the Grantville Nature Conservation Reserve
  • East Gippsland Landcare Network - Assessing landscape-scale impacts of bushfires on platypus using environmental DNA and citizen scientists.
  • Far East Victoria Landcare Inc - Local Communities monitoring wildlife response to fire recovery in East Gippsland stage 1.
  • Friends of the Upper Nicholson Catchment Inc (FUNCi) - Friend or feral: a FUNCi foray
  • Greta Valley Landcare Group - Enhancing habitat on Fifteen Mile Creek
  • Habitat Restoration Fund - Genoa Catchment Rehabilitation Project
  • River-Run Tree Group Inc - Restoring, Protecting and Sustaining biodiversity and habitats at Thwarts Hill.
  • Upper Loddon & Avoca Landcare Network - Providing habitat in the face of climate change.
  • Upper Murray Landcare Network - Bushfire recovery of land, water and vegetation in the Upper Murray
  • Victorian National Parks Association - Community monitoring wildlife recovery after bushfire in Eastern Victoria
  • Yarram Yarram Landcare Network - Holey Plains State Park Bushfire Recovery: Creating New Habitat on Farmland
WA Groups and Projects
  • Friends of the Western Ground Parrot Inc - Searching for Western Ground Parrots (Kyloring)- retrieving critical data
  • Leschenault Catchment Council Inc - Collie River Eaton Possum Sanctuary