Jenolan Caves BioBlitz - Its time to nurture your inner wildlife scientist
From November 23 to 25, Jenolan Caves, in partnership Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala Link (K2W) is hosting the Jenolan Caves BioBlitz - a 48 hour marathon of expert-led flora and fauna surveys.
The weekend is part of a growing 'Citizen Science' movement where every-day Australians work alongside scientists to improve our knowledge of native plants and animals. The data collected is added to the public record and used to plan future conservation projects and manage biodiversity in our national parks and nature reserves.
One of Australia’s national treasures, Jenolan Caves is well known for its awe-inspiring formations but not so well-known for the amazing diversity of plants and animals that occur there.
“Nestled in protected wilderness in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Jenolan Caves is home to wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, lyrebirds, platypuses and more,” says Mary Bonet, K2W Coordinator. “This year’s bioblitz focuses on what lives above the caves as well as within them. We will be searching for less-common species such as the Brush-tailed Phascogale and Boorolong Frog,” she says.
A BioBlitz is a concerted effort to discover and record as many living things as possible at a particular location over a set period of time.
“It’s a festival of science where local naturalists and scientists join with the community to conduct field surveys of everything from insects to birds, bats and orchids,” she says.
“The work results in the creation of substantial species lists and has, in the past, facilitated the discovery of new species, rediscovery of rare species and identification of species where they are not usually found,” Mary says.
Scientists estimate that as many as three in four species remain undiscovered or undescribed. With Australia’s biodiversity at risk from pressures such as habitat destruction, overexploitation, climate change and introduced species, there is a need to learn more about native wildlife, so we can better protect and manage our natural heritage.
“Science isn’t just something scientists do. It is something which every single one of us has a stake,” says Mary. “By helping at a BioBlitz, we can all have a role in protecting what makes Australia unique,” Mary says.
The program includes dawn and dusk bird surveys, spotlighting of an evening and other field surveys during the day.
“It’s an enjoyable way to increase knowledge and understanding of local wildlife, habitats and ecology and develop skills in wildlife identification and recording. Anyone is welcome to join in, whether it’s for an evening, a day or the whole weekend.
“You might even discover a new species,” Mary says.
For more information go to glideways.org.au
