Land owner Alison Jackson was happy for Threatened Species Project Officer Carly Ebenestelli to collect water
samples from her property dam which will be tested for traces of hairy marron e-DNA.
South West NRM is deploying cutting-edge e-DNA technology in a desperate search to find wild populations of the critically-endangered hairy marron.
Threatened Species Project Officer Carly Ebenestelli has been engaging with dam owners in the Margaret River area to collect water samples which are then filtered and sent to a laboratory.
The samples are scanned for minute traces of hairy marron e-DNA. Any dams returning positive results will be followed up with further investigation.
Do you own a dam near Margaret River?
South West NRM is hoping to test more dams in the Margaret River area and is calling on landholders who have a permanent water body on their property, with a depth of at least 1m over the summer months to come forward.
Documenting any remaining populations of the hairy marron forms part of a South West NRM project launched earlier this year being delivered with funding support from the Australian Government and in collaboration with project partner, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).
The latest in a long recovery effort
The project provides the next steps in what has been an ongoing process of management for over 20 years to rescue the species and involving on-the-ground landcare organisations.
A key partner has been Nature Conservation Margaret River which was involved in the initial 2004 recovery team, charged with carrying out various strategies to reduce pressure on the species including fish-outs of smooth marron, community engagement and habitat protection and restoration.
Threats to hairy marron survival
Ms Ebenestelli said it was often difficult to identify hairy marron as one of the biggest threats to their ongoing survival was interbreeding with smooth marron, creating hybrid populations.
“Every species is a critical contributor to our local biodiversity and marron play a key role in the intricate ecological web by breaking down and recycling plant and animal matter,” she said.
“At South West NRM, we’re committed to preventing any further extinctions so we are pulling out all the stops to save the hairy marron.”
If located, populations of hairy marron will be protected through implementation of measures like fencing and revegetation to reduce habitat degradation and prevent interbreeding with smooth marron.
Also under the project, and in collaboration with DBCA, research is being conducted on appropriate processes for release of hairy marron to inform future conservation efforts.
Eventually it is hoped that new populations can be established using hairy marron that are being bred at Perth Zoo as part of a breeding program.
Contact us
To find out whether your dam could be suitable for water testing, phone our Threatened Species Project Officer Carly on 0428 959 122 or email [email protected]
Click the buttons below for more information about this project.
This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by South West NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners Panel.